Part of the Solution
A Mystery
A moving love story transcends tragedy and time in Part of the Solution, an irresistible mystery novel that evokes the counterculture.
Sassy and soulful, Elana Michelson’s first-rate mystery novel Part of the Solution chronicles the fallout of a murder in a 1978 Massachusetts hippie town and the true costs of finding justice.
Jen is a successful academic who’s attending a conference when she bumps into Ford, an old flame from a painful year in her life. Before they meet for drinks later that evening, Jen’s mind wanders back to September 1978 and Flanders, Massachusetts. That year, Jen was the co-owner of Café Galadriel and spent her days avoiding her dissertation by serving organic treats to the town’s progressive personalities. But along with peace, pot, and rock ‘n’ roll, Jen and her circle of friends had a sobering problem: Jen’s handsome housemate, Samir, was found dead in a nearby woodshop.
When the police arrived, a young officer, Ford, made an impression on Jen. When a second person almost died in the café from strychnine poisoning, Jen and Ford determined to abolish their assumptions to find the truth. They also contended with their growing feelings for each other. As Jen dug deeper into Samir’s past and kept her friends and housemates from falling apart, she reminded herself, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”
The plot adopts a clever blend of present- and past-tense storytelling, with the past taking up most of the narrative. Jen is a refreshing heroine who is assertive in her political beliefs and unafraid to question Ford and what he represents as an officer of the law. Ford, meanwhile, is the perfect foil to Jen, and his steady and calm reasoning grounds her. The circle of suspects is colorful, too, and includes Wendy, a tarot card reader with the big heart; Will, a gentle woodworker; Annie, a farmer who makes a wicked pickle brine; Graham, a laid-back pastor prone to commiseration; and Zach, a new-to-town professor who resisted the draft.
The 1978 setting is developed in evocative terms, bringing forth a hazy sense of transition in the postwar, pre-Reagan period when the “flower children” of the 1960s still adored Bob Dylan songs and took sides in the still-brewing culture war. Jen is a quintessential progressive intellectual who smirks at Ford’s police uniform, which she calls a “disguise,” and at his overriding pursuit for justice. The stars cross in every conceivable way for this romance, and it makes for addictive reading.
People’s witty exchanges also reveal the social tensions left over from the Vietnam War, while references to the 1960s and 1970s spur nostalgia. The mystery itself is handled in a cozy, comedic, and thoughtful manner, short on procedural elements. In this novel, the characters are the story: How each person interprets and reacts to the murder and its investigation often reveals more than fingerprints. The final reveal is elegant, satisfying, and bittersweet.
Part of the Solution is a gem of a mystery novel with an effusive cast, feisty language, sharp cultural insights, and a moving love story that transcends tragedy and time.
Reviewed by
Peggy Kurkowski
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
