UW Press: The Bones of Bascom Hall

“An enthralling story that captures my hometown and the University of Wisconsin of both the sixties and today with joyous verisimilitude—and even more than that, in the sophisticated hands of Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, the particulars of this Madison mystery have great universal appeal.”
—David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and Madison native

Death follows the art historian and antique dealer couple to Madison, Wisconsin, for their fifth murder mystery

Campus police at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are baffled by the discovery of human remains in the attic of the administration building. Drawn into the investigation, visiting professor Nora Barnes connects the bones to the Vietnam-era bombing of Sterling Hall. But someone doesn’t want her probing the past. She’s side-swiped by a car while riding a bicycle and almost crushed in the art library’s motorized book stacks. Meanwhile, her high-spirited husband, Toby Sandler, is hot on the trail of lost architectural plans drafted by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Inspired by an event that traumatized Madison and shocked the nation, this absorbing novel blends fact and fiction and is sure to delight both mystery enthusiasts and UW alumni.

Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden are the coauthors of Murder in Lascaux, The Body in Bodega Bay, Death on a Starry Night, and The Dead of Achill Island, the first four mystery novels featuring Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler. They also coauthored the memoir A Castle in the Backyard: The Dream of a House in France and translated The Walnut Cookbook by Jean-Luc Toussaint. They are professors emeriti of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

“Literate and witty. The Bones of Bascom Hall is a classic mystery replete with twists, clever misdirection, fascinating riffs on arcane subjects (biological anthropology, quantum theory), and interesting tidbits on Frank Lloyd Wright. A charmer of a book.”
—Aaron Elkins, author of the Gideon Oliver mystery series

“The spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright hovers over art historian Nora Barnes’ visit to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A rewarding campus mystery bringing the turmoil of the Vietnam era into the present. With a winning blend of art history and Frank Lloyd Wright’s inventive body of work, and two engaging amateur sleuths, Draine and Hinden deliver an innovative plot and complex characters with signature flourish.”
—Lynn C. Miller, author of The Lost Archive

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Also by Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden
The Dead of Achill Island Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden	Death on a Starry Night Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden