Amanda Cross is the pen name of Carolyn Heilbrun, first woman tenured professor at Columbia. Academics I knew forty years ago read detective stories; they recommended Amanda Cross. Here was an academic at her leisure. I'd like it, I needed to have my mind numbed by a puzzle, they implied, to counteract the everyday conundrum of life. Maybe I did.
This week I saw mention of Carolyn Heilbrun in the New Yorker or the NYRB. I was sleepless after watching the final episode of the 7Up series. Detective stories are the best medicine. The relentless, witty, ironic puzzle is disappointing; calming because disappointing; I don't care who did it or why and that's a relief. I might sleep now.
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