Ever
since I was little, I have always loved books that provide
floor plans, charts or maps. When I find a book with one of
these extra special features, I know I am in for a great read.
A Function of Murder is one of those books, it came
with a map of Henley College.
It is
graduation time at Henley College and Professor Knowles is
bored to tears listening to the keynote speech given by Mayor
Edward P. Graves. The original speaker bowed out due to a
medical problem. Sophie Knowles has taken to texting her boyfriend
Bruce Granville, a medevac pilot and her co-worker, to keep
busy during the never ending speech.
The day
is filled with other celebrations. There was a gathering,
at the Math and Science Dept. building, for a breaking of
bread and after to hand out gifts to the 25 Math and Science
majors. Each received a very nice letter opener with the college
logo on it. A blow up between students caused this party to
break up early. Later that night there was a dinner for some
of the students and faculty. People were very opinionated
when it came to the Mayor and his positon of not supporting
the funding of charter schools.
Finally,
Sophie is able to meet up with Bruce, they get some ice cream
and stroll across the campus, ending up at the fountain. They
sit and compare notes on how the day went. As they were leaving
they hear someone cry “help me”. A man comes into
view and staggers into the fountain face first. Bruce pulls
him out and Sophie wonders why he didn’t put the man
on his back. That is hard to do with a blade in your back.
The man turns out to be the Mayor!
Things
to ponder: Why did the Mayor call out to Sophie? Why was he
spending so much time at Zeeman Academy, one of the charter
school? Will Sophie be able to add up the clues and find out
whodunit?
This
is a very fast read. It’s a real pager turner and the
characters kept me reading to find out what was going to happen
to them. I am a big fan of Camille Minichino and her Periodic
Table Mystery series. I also enjoy the Margaret Grace series
with miniatures. So finding yet another pen name for Camille
Minichino is like getting an extra birthday. If you like your
mysteries with an academic flavor, then A Function of
Murder is the book for you.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Square
Root of Murder, # 1
The
Probability of Murder #2
A
Function of Murder #3
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