Bradstreet Gate

 

Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman    320 pages

           Bradstreet is one of the streets that borders the Harvard Campus. Harvard plays a major role in this murder mystery, but it never plays a significant part of the story.

I was eager to read this debut novel as it has received several recommendations, such as TIME Magazine Ultimate Summer Read Pick, Amazon’s Best Book of July (2015), and Barnes & Noble Best Book of July (2015).

The story gets off to a great start: The tenth anniversary of the death of Harvard student Julie Patel is rapidly approaching. A Harvard Crimson reporter is looking into Julie’s death, as it has never been satisfactory solved. Reporter Nat Krauss contacts a student from that time, Georgia Calvin Reese. I’m not sure if Georgia knew Julie, but she sure as heck knew the professor who was hinted as the murderer.

After the prologue, the story goes back ten years. Georgia, Charlie, and Alice are friends. They have one thing in common that ties them to Julie---Professor Rufus Storrow. He is supposed to be one of the most mysterious and charismatic instructors on campus. I never saw it.

Georgia has an affair with him, Alice is envious of Georgia, and Charlie is so in love with Georgia his hair hurts. The rest of the book examines the lives and friendships of the three and how Julie’s death affects them.

Kirman’s novel isn’t typical. It’s not a murder mystery where readers can try to figure out who really did. The murder is merely the catalyst for the friends’ lives spiraling out of control. I like that it wasn’t typical. However, the story doesn’t really have an ending…and maybe that’s the point. When a person is tied to a traumatic event, their lives are forever changed.

I give Bradstreet Gate 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.