Review and Spotlight: An Act of Murder

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Introducing a new campus cozy series!

In the sleepy college town of Copper Bluff, South Dakota, English professor Emmeline Prather is enjoying the start of a new semester. But when one of her students dies working on the fall musical, it disrupts life on the small, quiet campus. Although the police rule the death accidental, Prof. Prather has good reason to suspect foul play.

Unmasking the murderer proves much more challenging than finding dangling participles, so Em recruits fellow English professor Lenny Jenkins for assistance. Together, they comb the campus and vicinity for clues, risking their reputations and possibly their jobs. After an intruder breaks into Em’s house, Lenny advises caution–and perhaps a change of address. Em, on the other hand, is all the more determined to forge ahead, convinced they’re on the brink of an important breakthrough.

Review

I got a kick out of quirky English professor Emmeline Prather, who is just bloody-minded enough to continue to investigate a mysterious death on campus, against the advice of…well, just about everyone. Professor Prather sees the world a little differently, which helps her to gather clues, but also places her in harm’s way. She will barge into the students’ living quarters and confidently interrogate the victim’s hapless roommate, but then find herself resentfully tongue-tied in the presence of a passive-aggressive colleague. She doesn’t stumble into a solution as much as she finds her own circuitous way to it, keeping in step to her own drummer the whole time. Prather is a sympathetic and entertaining protagonist, and the little college town of Copper Bluff, South Dakota is beautifully drawn. Mary Angela does a wonderful job at portraying small-town academia, and I am looking forward to Emmeline Prather’s next adventure.

About The Author

Like her protagonist in the Professor Prather mystery series, Mary Angela lives on the Great Plains and teaches college writing and literature. When she’s not grading papers (when is she not grading papers?), she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. She and her husband have two amazing daughters, one adorable dog, and a cat who would rather not be limited by an adjective. For more information, go to www.maryangelabooks.com.