One doesn’t often think of the beach and the city of Oxford in the same sentence, unless it goes something like this: “I have got to get out of Oxford and go to a beach somewhere!” But those two things are brought together nicely in Guillermo Martínez’s book, The Oxford Murders. The book is short, tight, engagingly written, and fun to read. It is perfect for a day at the beach, in other words.

The setting is richly evocative, especially for one familiar with Oxford. Martínez keeps it mostly very accurate, and those who know the city will find themselves picturing the exact locations in which the action is taking place. The main character lives on Cunliffe Close, a mere two blocks from where I used to live, and the description of the area is faithful. One well acquainted with the city will note a few discrepancies, but nothing to get oneself in a dither about.

The main character is a graduate student from Argentina, in Oxford for a year course in mathematics (or in Oxfordspeak: maths). As the title implies, he is inadvertently involved in a murder, and begins a quest to find the murderer. He is aided in this task by a man who becomes something of a mentor to him, someone in the same field, a famous Oxford don. The two of them share a passion for the academic pursuit of logic through maths, and they form a fast friendship.

The book moves quickly, as the main character moves through Oxford’s various landmarks and sites in pursuit of his quest. He goes to several of the important pubs, and even travels out to Blenheim Palace (an Oxford must-see) for a musical concert. Martínez sometimes treats us to literary lectures on mathematics, but these are short enough to avoid becoming cumbersome. The book has a nice pace and is written in an engaging style that demands little of the reader while providing a significant amount of reward. And the final plot twist is quite nice, though not totally unexpected. It is handled quite well.

The Oxford Murders differs from many crime novels in that it is not really a noir, nor is it a pulse-pounder. It is really just a quiet, pleasant read that would be especially enjoyed by those familiar with the city of Oxford. It is, in fact, exactly the kind of read that one would wish for on a sunny spring day while strolling down leafy Cunliffe Close.