The Mystery of the Invisible Hand - by Marshall Jevons (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Economics professor and amateur detective Henry Spearman tackles a mystery where the price of art is murder

In The Mystery of the Invisible Hand, Henry Spearman, an economics professor with a knack for solving crimes, is pulled into a case that mixes campus intrigue, stolen art, and murder. Arriving at San Antonio's Monte Vista University to teach a course on art and economics, he is confronted with a puzzling art theft and the suspicious suicide of the school's artist-in-residence. From Texas to New York, Spearman traces the connections between economics and the art world, finding his clues in monopolies, auction theory, and Adam Smith. How is a company's capital like an art museum's collection? What does the market say about art's authenticity versus its availability? What is the mysterious "death effect"--and does it lie at the heart of the case? Spearman must rely on his savviest economic thinking to answer these questions--and pin down a killer.

Review Quotes

"A very enjoyable romp--campus novel meets detective novel meets economics primer. . . . As a way to bring some basic economic concepts to life for students, this is an excellent series."---Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist

"Completely unlike any other crime fiction being published at present. I loved it."---Jessica Mann, Literary Review

"For anyone wanting to nail down some basic principles of economics, and have fun doing it, it's a 'rational solution.' It would make superb supplementary reading for an introductory econ course."---Brenda Jubin, Investing.com

"Ingenious. . . . In The Invisible Hand, Marshall Jevons comes of age not only as a crime writer, but as one of a kind. The detective fiction is top-drawer, but the combination with economics is seamless. No one else has done this, and now Jevons has done it again. Rejoice!"---Fred S. McChesney, Southern Economic Journal

"The twists and turns of the plot make for great fun as well as for an enjoyable way to learn economics. . . . The Mystery of the Invisible Hand reveals clearly that, while economics can only sometimes help to piece together clues to an unsolved murder, it is utterly indispensable for making sense of the world."---Donald Boudreaux, Wall Street Journal

"The way that Spearman uses economics as a lens through which to view the ambitions and rivalries of academics is absolutely riveting. Like Freakonomics, this proves that the much-dreaded 'econ' can provide useful entertainment."-- "Booklist"

"It's hard to imagine how a short, balding Nobel Prize winner from Harvard could use economic theories to help solve mysteries, but Jevons manages it, with a sense of humor and a whole lot of economics."-- "HowMysterious.com"

"Jevons combines entertaining economic lessons with a crafty whodunit in his excellent fourth Henry Spearman mystery."-- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Marshall Jevons is the pen name of Kenneth G. Elzinga, the Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia. Elzinga, along with William Breit (1933-2011), has written three other Henry Spearman mysteries, The Fatal Equilibrium, Murder at the Margin (Princeton), and A Deadly Indifference (Princeton).