Naming the Bones

December 13, 2010
British author Welsh (The Bullet Trick) shows her versatility in this understated psychological thriller. Scottish professor Murray Watson—estranged from his brother after the death of their elderly father and enmeshed in a superficial affair with his department head's wife—has become obsessed with Archie Lunan, the author of one slim volume of poetry, who died in a mysterious boating accident. Despite the absence of any real evidence that more information about Lunan's drowning would illuminate his verse, Watson persists in tracking down anyone still alive who knew the poet. His probes turn up other disturbing deaths, including that of a social scientist who focused on artists who took their own lives, and who died on the same isolated island where Lunan met his end. Readers who enjoy some ambiguity in their fiction exploring the dark paths of human nature will be pleased.