The Widening Stain

When a woman falls from a rolling ladder at the university library, it is ignored by many, but not by the chief book cataloguer, Gilda. Then, a man is found strangled after looking at a rare erotica book, and the book goes missing. Gilda knows there is a murderer and a thief on the loose, but if she isn’t careful, she could be the next body found in the library. Johnson’s (the pseudonym of Cornell professor Morris Bishop) 1942 Golden Age mystery, his only novel, is a smart, skewering look at academia. Set in a university based on Cornell, Johnson’s offering is a hilarious, satirical look at life in higher education. Nicholas A. Basbanes narrates his introduction, setting the scene for listeners and giving context to the novel, while Todd Menesses narrates the novel itself. Menesses’s voice is perfect for the Golden Age setting. It is read with a nod to the classic feeling of the novel while also feeling thoroughly modern, showing that as much as times and things change, it really all stays the same. The signature limericks are given extra humor when read aloud.