Lethal Genes (Catherine Sayler Mystery)

Rating:
Summary: Nice mystery set in well-developed academic background
Review: Due to the fact that I got a graduate degree in from Cal in molecular biology, I was mostly interested in the background Linda Grant uses for her mystery. And the background is dead-on. I was constantly wondering whether I didn't actually know some of the real world people the characters in the novel were based on, and the sociology of a research lab with all its warfare and intrigues was also all too familiar. The science, by the way, is also rather accurate (aside from a few dramatic liberties).

However, I think that most students and scientists would have been a lot more shaken by sabotage and deaths in their lab. To me most of the characters seemed unrealistically single-minded. Also, at times the well-developed background setting turns into pointless name-dropping without really capturing much of the rather weird spirit of Berkeley. Maybe it's a matter of economics - there are a couple of other sub-plots going on that are not really related to the main plot line! , like the heroine's troubles with her niece, but which also take up space in the novel. Maybe that's the professional narcism speaking - what could be more interesting than reading about science and scientists? Still, all in all a pretty good read that doesn't insult the brain too much.

Rating:
Summary: Who knew the sex lives of corn could be so interesting?
Review: Like Linda Grant's previous books, this one is fast-paced and sharp with a nice touch of humor. No one seems more surprised than Catherine Saylor, childless career-woman that she is, when her gut reactions to her niece's wild behavior result in far more effective parenting than the girl gets from her own mother.

The characters, even while most are involved in the same line of work, are carefully delineated. There's enough information about genetic research to indicate Grant's really done her homework, enough to help readers understand the issues behind the crimes without drifting off. The tense atmosphere of academic competition is convincing, and the murderer's not easy to spot.