Jane (Gillson) Langton, was born December 30, 1922, in Boston, MA. Her father was a geologist. She married William Langton, a physicist, in 1943. They have three sons. She attended Wellesley College, 1940-42; University of Michigan, B.S., 1944, M.A. 1945; Radcliffe, M.A., 1948; Boston Museum School of Art, graduate study, 195859. Politics: Democrat! She lives in Lincoln, MA.
She is a writer, teacher of writing for children at Graduate Center for the Study of Children's Literature, Simmons College, 1979-80, and at Eastern Writers' Conference, Salem State College; teacher of suspense novel writing at Radcliffe Seminars, 1981; prepared artwork and visual material for Discovery, an educational program in the natural sciences, WGBH-Channel 2, Boston, 1955-56. Volunteer worker for school and church. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
She has received Edgar Award nomination, Mystery Writers of America, 1962, for The Diamond in the Window; Newbery Honor Book Award, Children's Services Division of American Library Association, 1980, and American Book Award nomination, 1982, both for The Fledgling; Nero Wolfe Award, 1984, and Edgar Award nomination, Mystery Writers of America, 1985, both for Emily Dickinson is Dead.
She has written 12 juvenile books, from 1961 through 1994. Her adult suspense novels start with The Transcendental Murder, Harper, 1964, Dark Nantucket Noon, Harper, 1975; a total of 11 more suspense novels with "Homer Kelly," the last being The Face on the Wall: A Homer Kelly Mystery, Viking, 1998.
She is a contributor to Acts of Light, New York Graphic Society, 1980; former children's book reviewer for New York Times Book Review; manuscripts at the University of Minnesota and at Boston University. At least three suspense novels were adapted to audio.
Langton is known for her mysteries as well as her novels for young adults. The appeal of her stories to younger audiences lies in their three-dimensional characters involved in intriguing adventures that lead to personal growth. "Langton's works glow with a sense of history, place, and the value placed on the individual spirit." "The theme of individualism is particularly prominent."
The above information was excerpted from Contemporary Authors. However, no such luck in a professional review of Dark Nantucket Noon. I have found, however, a great deal of praise for her other Homer Kelly Mysteries, which are all illustrated with her "own delicate pen-and-ink drawings." Also, for instance, in her novel, The Dante Game (1991), she includes clues from Dante's masterpiece. (After reading Dark Nantucket Noon, I thought she just might be a Melville scholar!) Her books have been praised by The New York Times Book Review, Chicaao Tribune, Tony Hillerman, and Marcia Muller--although these were on the back covers of some of her other novels.
I also found in The Fine Art of Murder, 1993, "In the mid-1970s, someone in publishing seemed to have discovered that readers liked mysteries in a definite setting. Slightly ahead of the trend was Jane Langton, whose The Transcendental Murder (1964) mingled history, literature and murder in a chocolate-chip cookie of a book, followed by other books with a signature New England Massachusetts background. Also "Speaking of research, we [New England] are also home to the queen of well-researched mysteries, Jane Langton . . . . .Her books are full of wellresearched information, and are a treasure-trove for people wanting to learn more about the area."
In all of this, however, the only mention of Dark Nantucket Noon was a synopsis I found on Amazon.com, which I thought was to the point--if nothing else! "On Nantucket Island Homer is dazzled by a total eclipse of the sun and bewildered by a murder that happens during the two minutes of near-total darkness. Soon he becomes the defender of a forsaken bride, in spite of the fact that Kitty Clark was found standing over the body of her lover's new wife with a bloody knife in her hand. The Nantucket landscape is celebrated in the story and in black and white illustrations." (Mention "customer reviews!").
Langton wrote this book in 1975--maybe that's a prime reason I thought this book was one of the best I've read in a long time, although I have never read anything by her before. I felt the story was full of wonderful nature facts that really are leaving clues to the mystery; I enjoy short chapters--they seem to be complete thoughts; I don't have to read Moby Dick now because of the meaningful quotes in the chapters. Ditto John Woolman, the Quaker!
The author lets us into the depth of Kitty's thoughts and feelings--she says she's not superstitious, she's metaphoric! There are wonderful and accurate descriptions of mood, flowers, plants, animals, nature and the island. There are some funny asides: for instance, when Homer sets out tracking down the owners of the various craft that had been seen in the harbor that day, "He pursued the man who was beating his way back down the coast on rainy weekends trying to get his small ketch home to New Jersey." Homer catches up with him under the Triborough Bridge by setting out from the Bronx in a rowboat! In a comment to Mary, Homer agrees to go with her to a Quaker meeting. He says "Do me good. After all, like Melville's Ishmael, I cherish the greatest respect for religion, no matter how comical." By the way, in a conversation about Joe, someone said "his name is Greenberg, not Green." I wonder what was meant by that--if anything?
I thought the ending both ironic and "feel-good": Alden and Alice Dove cared for the swan, Jupiter, who had been deliberately injured by Helen Green, and Alden felt justified in killing Helen because of her greed and cruelty. Poetically, Alice and Jupiter will live happily ever after!
I thought this was a "jolly good" mystery, but much more. There is deep character development, wonderful descriptions, and it's all pulled together. I had no idea of the murderer until page 231, which made it even better!
Jean Freedman