The Weeping Buddha

January 1, 2002
Zen koans lie at the heart of Heather Dune Macadam's literary first mystery, The Weeping Buddha, in which two Long Island cops have the misfortune to know both of the murder victims at a Suffolk County crime scene. Macadam's nonfiction book, Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters at Auschwitz, was nominated for a National Book Award.

January 15, 2003
In this debut novel by Macadam (Rena's Promise), the apparent murder and suicide of famed artist Gabriel and wife, Beka, a tempestuous dancer, respectively, take on a mystical air when a Zen koan-an oblique riddle used by monks seeking enlightenment-is found etched into Gabe's corpse. Long Island police detectives Devon Halsey and Lochwood Brennan wade through personal entanglements (they are secret lovers, and Devon and Beka were close friends) to uncover links with an old crime. Unfortunately, they must also wade though a confusing and sluggish start, strained logic, and many groaning investigative errors (two days and 200 pages elapse before anyone thinks to decode the koan) on their way to a contrived ending. This is a frustrating read for police procedural fans, and mystery readers seeking windows into Asian culture will be better enlightened by the works of Seicho Matsumoto, Akimitsu Tagaki, or Sujata Massey. Not recommended.-David Wright, Seattle P.L.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.