Who Killed Marcia Maynard?: The Psychoanalyst is Dead

Alma H. Bond
ASJA Press (2007)
ISBN 9780595458967
Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (12/07)


“Who Killed Marcia Maynard?” is a crime novel in which a psychoanalyst (Marcia Maynard) has been brutally murdered by being stabbed twenty-five times.  Mary Wells, also a psychoanalyst, has been asked by the police department to help them in their investigation.  Complicating matters, John Franklin, who is one of the detectives on the case, is not only Mary's lover, but his mother was a dear friend and colleague of the deceased.  John and Mary must utilize all of their expertise in order to solve the case.  It does not help that Maynard had many enemies, all of whom must be considered suspects.

The author provides an inside look at how a crime scene is processed and gives intricate details on interesting procedures, such as forensic sculpting, that can be done to help give positive identifications of crime victims.  Bond provides a realistic scenario of how an investigation is handled by taking the reader step-by-step through each phase, from gathering evidence at the crime scene through identifying and questioning suspects.  I think there were a few too many minor characters introduced who did not add anything of importance to the story.  In the middle of the book, I thought the author went off on a bit of a tangent about whether killing another person could ever be justified.  There were several spelling errors which are something I find distracting.

Bond does a nice job of revealing the backgrounds of John and Mary.  I felt like I knew enough about them to understand why they acted the ways they did and why they held their beliefs.  The obvious love and respect between them will endear them to the reader.  This book contains action, mystery, suspense, and even a little romance which will make it appealing to the general population.  Each chapter is fairly short which keeps the pace of the story moving quickly.

All mystery lovers and fans of crime shows such as CSI, will not only enjoy the story in “Who Killed Marcia Maynard?,” but will appreciate the experience of learning how investigations are conducted and interrogations are handled.  Anyone who loves trying to solve a mystery will be challenged to figure out how this one ends.

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