Swan song

About “Swan song”

This is a detective novel featuring Gervase Fen, an Oxford professor and amateur sleuth. The story begins when an opera company gathers in Oxford for a postwar production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger. The arrival of Edwin Shorthouse, an unpleasant singer, causes tension among the cast and crew. When Shorthouse is found murdered in his locked dressing room, Fen must solve the mystery. The novel includes two murders and explores the challenges of dealing with artists' temperaments. Fen also tries to help a romantic relationship develop. The book is described as a locked-room mystery with intricate plotting and a charming, brilliant protagonist. It is praised as an example of the classical English detective story.