In most mysteries, the tension revolves around the central question: whodunnit? In H.N. Hirsch’s latest book, Winter, the suspense runs deeper. While a campus murder sets the stage, the true intrigue lies in whether a decades-long relationship can endure grief, professional pressures, and the relentless passage of time.
Set on a quiet University of California campus in December 2004, Winter opens with UC San Diego professor Marcus George discovering a colleague’s body in his office. Immediately under suspicion, Marcus faces a tense investigation, while his partner of nearly twenty years, defense attorney Bob Abramson, balances support for Marcus with his own personal grief and professional challenges. As scrutiny intensifies, the couple confronts cracks in their carefully maintained life, forcing them to navigate love, loyalty, and resilience under pressure.
Kirkus Reviews praised the novel’s emotional resonance, noting Hirsch’s skill at capturing “two gay men navigating middle age, career stress, and a long-term relationship together.” Hirsch’s own background—a forty-year career teaching political science and law-related courses—infuses the story with authentic context, layering the narrative with historical and cultural nuances that enrich both the characters and the setting.
Winter marks the fourth entry in Hirsch’s Bob and Marcus mystery series, which began with Shade (1985 Boston), where a murder forces Marcus, a young Harvard professor, and Bob, the victim’s former roommate, into a high-stakes partnership that ultimately sparks their enduring romantic connection. Over the decades, the series follows the couple as they relocate to San Diego, build careers, and confront the evolving social and political landscapes shaping the lives of gay men in America. Each installment explores the interplay of personal relationships, societal change, and suspenseful crime-solving.
In Winter, Hirsch continues to blend rich character development with the thrills of a whodunnit, offering a story that is as emotionally compelling as it is intellectually engaging. Readers encounter not just a murder mystery, but a vivid portrayal of partnership tested by time, loss, and moral complexity.