Murder in the New Age

D. J. H. Jones is the author of two mysteries.

Its a nasty pleasure to watch the clever series heroine, the Chaucerian scholar Nancy Cook, stick it to the colony of New Agers whose house she is sharing while on sabbatical in Santa Fe. In her inspired intellectual assaults on cant, she debunks their theories on near-death experiences, gives them the scientific skinny on crop circles and informs them that their beloved Anasazi were cannibals. More social parody than classic mystery, and its pseudonymous author pokes fun at many New Age obsessions, from crystal healing to pyramids. . . . although the book pokes some well-deserved fun at the City Different, it also does not fail to realize Santa Fes charms. Santa Fe author D. J. H. Jones is in love with Nancy Cook. But who could help it? This main character is completely captivatingsavvy, smart, beautiful, a Chaucer scholar who finds herself in the middle of the mystery. . . . tres trendy, with new age mumbo jumbo and the city of Santa Fe figuring prominently. Thankfully, all that is perfectly balanced with the mystery kitsch that has addicted millions to the genre: details, details, details, a bit of exaggeration and all the pleasant tricks and twists. As with any good mystery, though, what makes the novel is Nancy Cook, a character Im eager to see again. "It's a nasty pleasure to watch the clever series heroine, the Chaucerian scholar Nancy Cook, stick it to the colony of New Agers whose house she is sharing while on sabbatical in Santa Fe. In her inspired intellectual assaults on cant, she debunks their theories on near-death experiences, gives them the scientific skinny on crop circles and informs them that their beloved Anasazi were cannibals."