Total Eclipse (part two)

See the first part of this review. 


I enjoyed Liz Rigbey´s debut very much, and though I´ll give the surprising ending a tiny minus because it could have been more credible, I recommend it strongly.

Apart from the observatory setting, I was fascinated by a broad range of brilliant characters.

First there is Lomax himself , the quiet, almost gentle astronomer: "Lomax watched the girl without seeing her. He was thinking about his galaxy."

Lomax is a divorced father of two children. Despite his new love, gorgeous Julia, he misses his family and envies his successor, Robert, but on the whole Lomax receives a warm welcome in his wife´s perfect life in his role as ´the third child´. Lomax is thorough and systematic when it comes to his job as an astronomer, but his house and car are beyond description. Besides, he is invariably late for his appointments. Most women around him seem to find his flaws endearing, however (perhaps also this reader).

Another intriguing ´character´ is Lomax´ old dog, Deputy Dawg, a lazy creature which chases bitches and sucks up to all the wrong people in the most despicable way. But he is certainly an asset whenever his owner needs to chat up a woman. 

"Deputy knew all about dates. He had a reputation for womanizing in the foothills. A number of puppies in this immediate area, and perhaps throughout most of Northern California, were his and now those puppies were growing up. Deputy had even been seen displaying an unhealthy interest in his own daughters." 

Other interesting allies are Kim, Lomax´ overweight fellow astronomer and Allison, often called “the Nose” because of her extremely keen sense of smelling. Lomax lets her lose on the scene of crime, but first she convinces him of her talents:

“You showered maybe two hours ago. You were at some kind of party last night where people were smoking and drinking. Now, you´re not wearing deodorant. If you were, I could probably tell you which one, or at least who makes it.”

When I had read this recommendation by Maxine, I knew I´d have to buy and read Total Eclipse!

Liz Rigbey, Total Eclipse (1995)

This crime novel is a debut. Liz (Elizabeth) Rigbey grew up in America but lives in Britain today.

The astronomer Lomax sees the new assistant, the pretty and fragile Julia Fox, and is infatuated by her immediately. She applied for the job because she lost her husband and stepdaughter recently, and when Lomax learns they were killed and that the police suspect Julia, he is so certain of her innocence that he forces her lawyers to let him help them clearing her name.

The observatory near San Francisco is an interesting setting, an alternative world which in some ways reminds me of Sarah Waters´ “In Cold Pursuit” where the Antarctic McMurdo Station plays such a crucial role. The focus is on the staff and the relationships between them, however, rather than on astronomy.

“When morning came some of the astronomers went to bed but most of them waited. They habitually spent long days waiting for night but today´s waiting was different. People played solitary card games or read or wrote letters, but they looked up frequently. Even those who dozed kept opening their eyes and rearranging their feet on the worn lounge chairs of the staff residence.”

Lomax seems like an unlikely investigator, but perhaps his ability to observe may be useful. When he begins to scrutinize Julia´s husband and stepdaughter, he does indeed notice things the police and her attorney did not. Soon he begins to suspect that Lewis Fox who liked his women young may have had a sexual relationship with his daughter Gail.

To be continued tomorrow as there is so much to say about these five hundred pages.