In a debut from mathematics PhD Pavesi, editor Julia Hart hopes to convince Professor Grant McAllister to republish a series of detective stories mathematically calculated to represent seven perfect permutations of the genre, but she's starting to notice inconsistencies that could be clues to something more.

DEBUT In 1937, mathematician Grant McAllister wrote a research paper, "The Permutations of Detective Fiction," which provided a "mathematical definition" for the murder mystery. He outlined murder mystery requirements—victim(s), murder, suspects, and an investigator—and then wrote seven stories illustrating some of these parameters. Each of the seven tales here is accompanied by a chapter in which Grant and editor Julia, who, 20 years hence, wants to republish them, discuss the stories. "Spain, 1930" is a closed-room mystery in which a man is murdered and there are two suspects. Obviously, they both know who "dunnit." In "Death at the Seaside," Vanessa Allen falls to her death from a narrow cliffside pathway. Daily, she crossed the path with her neighbor, Gordon Foyle, who had a motive to push her, but evidence is scant. Is it murder, suicide, or an accident? This story has a Sherlockian tone. Further pieces include a woman drowned in her bath, a grandmother smothered for her jewels, and a supernatural story in which a dead policeman solves his own murder. As they talk about the stories, Julia begins to suspect that Grant isn't telling her everything. VERDICT Although the stories in this first collection have twists and turns, and the book itself has a surprise ending, neither the tales, nor the writing are compelling, the latter containing more similes than imagination. [See Prepub Alert, 1/22/20.]—Edward Goldberg, Syosset P.L., NY

Pavesi's cerebral debut blends a mystery with an academic discussion of the mystery genre. Book editor Julia Hart has come to a small Mediterranean island, the home of reclusive author Grant McAllister, to help him prepare his 25-year-old story collection, The White Murders, for reissue. Privately printed in the early 1940s, the collection was based on a 1937 paper by Grant, whose intent was "to give a mathematical definition of a murder mystery." As the editor and author go through each of the seven stories, they discuss Grant's mathematical rules for his fiction. Julia spots inconsistencies in each, and remarks on the fact that the collection's title echoes an unsolved crime from the time of the book's origin. Pavesi clearly knows his classic murder mysteries, as shown by a story that evokes Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, and all his plot tricks will please readers with a similar passion. Some may be put off by the lack of emotional depth and an overly long denouement that serves chiefly to illustrate the author's cleverness. Whatever one's take on this ingenious if schematic novel, Pavesi is a writer to watch. Agent: James Willis, Watson, Little (U.K.). (Aug.)