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Good grief. How does one begin to talk about the ninth of the Cambridge dons series? Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith are such old friends now.

I cannot find my review of the last book in this series, “All Lessons Learned�� on Amazon. Could I possibly have not written a review? It was years ago, perhaps I wasn’t obsessively writing reviews for every book I read; perhaps I simply emailed Charlie Cochrane, as was my habit for every author whose work I liked. All those emails are lost on an old computer, alas.

I never expected there to be a ninth book. Book 8 brings our dons through the war. That seemed enough. I’m not sure what compelled Charlie to put pen to paper for a ninth book—fan pressure, perhaps? Her own unwillingness to let these young men go? But I’m glad she did.

“Lessons for Survivors�� is not the intense experience of the 8th book—which was published four years ago and felt like the grand emotional finale for our dons. Book 9 might not appeal as the earlier series did, because it is quiet, relatively untroubled. This book is about getting on with life. In it we are allowed the privilege of watching Jonty and Orlando settle into what will undoubtedly be a long happy life together. They build their careers, solidify their relationship, cope with the world around them; and for fun, take on a bit of detective work to spice up the everyday pleasures and frustrations of academia.

In Jonty and Orlando we have E.M. Forster meets Agatha Christie. We have the upshot of “Maurice�� as he imagined it but never quite was for Forster himself (read Wendy Moffatt’s “A Great Unrecorded History: a New Life of E.M. Forster”—hugely important and fascinating book focused on Forster’s life as a gay man).

The murder mystery in this book is low-key, small-town. It’s not fair to say that it is secondary, since it is the central plot arc in the book; but it is in fact (at least to my mind) secondary to the careful study of Jonty and Orlando’s relationship as it has survived the nightmare of the war and begins to adjust to long-term coping strategies.

We see a damaged and diminished Jonty—still himself, but mourning the terrible losses of the war and the flu epidemic of the postwar years. And we see a stronger, braver, and more fully-realized Orlando. Orlando now takes care of Jonty as much as Jonty took care of him in the earlier books. The men are really partners now, in every meaning of the word.

In its own quiet way, the mystery is also about relationships, but failed ones. Unequal relationships marred by deceit and distrust. Through all of this Jonty and Orlando tread softly, independently and together. Constantly checking on each other and reassuring themselves that the other is OK, doing fine.

For me, as a gay man of a certain age, this book is a comfort. It is a reminder that E.M. Forster’s wistful fantasy about Maurice and Scudder was a reality for those men lucky enough and brave enough to deal with the prejudices and dangers of being gay in the British empire. Our dons are both well aware of Oscar Wilde’s fate (as was Forster, very keenly) and when the threat of exposure is waved before them, it does not send them shivering into darkness, but forces them to turn to the small coterie of people “who know�� for assistance and support. While this plotline is never played up too much, it is more important than any other. The fact that the threat to their security never halts their pursuit of the murder mystery indicates how strong they are, as individuals and as a couple.

Family, both blood and chosen, plays a major role in this book. Jonty’s sister Lavinia takes on a new role in this detective story; as do other Cambridge friends for whom the dons�� relationship is a given and not a secret. In a parallel track, we see technology—in the form of the telephone and the automobile—begin to play a role in the dons�� detective work; the modern world aiding and abetting our Miss-Marple-as-gay-couple in their pursuit of the truth and justice.

Through this intimate network we begin to see that there could be other novels possible in the future, with a different direction and a different emphasis. Has Charlie Cochrane just opened a new door for her characters and her fans?

Throughout her books, Cochrane earns my admiration for her careful use of language. There are no f-bombs here. These young men are Edwardians in the early 20th century, they are not modern characters transported back in time. This is their reality, and they reflect it in every way. The atmosphere of the period is on point. Cochrane’s fantasy is made plausible and authentic.

I can’t help but wonder if E.M. Forster would have liked Jonty and Orlando. My fear is that he wouldn’t have liked them; because in Cochrane’s novels they have attained something he only dreamed about.