Customer Reviews

Burning Down the House (Nick Hoffman Mysteries)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE is Lev Raphael's best book yet in the Nick Hoffman series. Unlike the previous Nick book which were called mysteries, the cover says "a Nick Hoffman novel." I think this is indicative of the direction the series is going and that certainly is not meant as a criticism. There is no murder, but there is attempted murder. The tone is darker than the others in the series as Nick continues in his sexual fascination with Juno Dromgoole which both intrigues and frightens him. But things on the SUM campus, especially in his department are becoming more and more bizarre with the launch of a campaign for "whiteness studies" and the diversity tree. To complicate matters, Juno has decided she is going to run for the chairmanship of EAR and wants Nick's help. A not very popular decision as at least two attempts are made on Juno's life and Nick is attacked on campus. As with life, there is no neat ending, but rather more self-awareness on Nick's part of how he is capable of reacting. It certainly leaves me eagerly....even anxiously awaiting the next book. The humor is here, but it seems more biting and certainly less tolerant of the fools that Nick encounters in the academic life. It is more like the campus (and the world) would be a better place without some of these bloomin' idiots. I would highly recommend BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE, but suggest that you read Lev's other books in order of publication. Another point about Lev's books. I've been becoming a little concerned that so many books, movies, tv shows, etc. are using only allusions to popular culture, doing away with those to classical literature, mythology, art, et al. Lev manages to bring both into his writing and that is a real bonus.

Nick Hoffman is a very confused man. The untenured professor and star of Lev Raphael's four mystery novels faces a bleak future from his unwanted connection with several murders. He's concerned about the rise of hate crimes against gays on campus. Even his sexuality has come under assault by his unexpected attraction to Juno Dromgoole, the voluptuous Canadian professor who's a force of nature in spandax. Not that he's against such connections, but his long-time male lover might object.

Worse, the State University of Michigan is under considerable turmoil. A new administrator has pushed the faculty to open revolt with her high-handed ways. If that built the bonfire, the presence of a Christmas "Diversity Tree" and the possibility of a Whiteness Studies program is the equivalent of dumping gasoline and tossing on the flaming torch. And Juno's campaign to become chairman of Nick's department is being undermined with threats. Nick tries to negotiate these land mines, but his search for the source of these attacks compels him to reach a possibly life-changing conclusion.

As a former professor, Lev Raphael has plenty of material to etch his acidic portrayals. There are few good people. The administrators and faculty are deadly ambitious, hilariously inept or simply clueless. Back-biting and rumor-mongering are traditional ways to gain power or revenge. Meetings tend to degenerate into accusations and chaos. In this context, violence seems like just another way to get ahead; cannibalism the logical conclusion of a bloody-minded faculty meeting.

"Burning Down the House" marks a new direction among the amateur detective subset of the mystery genre. It's less a mystery novel than the culmination of threads woven in Raphael's previous books, beginning with "Let's Get Criminal." Nick's confrontations with violence and death has been changing him, from a buoyant teacher to a more edgier version, flirting with the possibility of violence. This can make "Burning" an unsettling book at times; Nick is almost manic in his reaction to Juno and the crimes he's witnessed. The lead protagonist honestly being affected by violence is rarely seen in this part of the mystery field; most either start out that way, or never seem to mind constantly being surrounded by bodies. Following Nick's journey into the dark side of human nature alone makes the next book in the series worth watching for.

If you've followed this delightful, well-written, and moving series from the first book, you've watched Nick Hoffman grow progressively disillusioned with his academic home, though he loves teaching itself. The pettiness hasn't just been petty, it's been murderous, and the university he teaches at has become more and more of an autocracy.

Well, in BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE, the hard rain starts to fall and
Nick is caught in an academic riot--yes!--that is the wildest scene Raphael has ever written. It's as good as anything Jane Smiley or David Lodge has done in this vein.

Don't expect a paint-by-numbers mystery, and don't expect political correctness either. Nick enters uncharted territory in a number of surprising and exciting ways.

Not only is Burning Down the House the smartest mystery I've read in ages, it's the sexiest. And Bravo! to Lev Raphael for daring to explore the complexities of sexuality, for giving an honest account of his hero's desire to dip his toe in the other side of the pool. It's a painfully difficult dilemma for his Nick Hoffman, to suddenly desire a woman(and oh, what a woman!), but Raphael handles this conundrum of the human condition in an intelligent and thoughtful way. All this juicey stuff, plus a page-turning who-dunnit set on a hilarious and action-packed college campus. Definitely read this one.

Bravo to Lev Raphael, an author who dares to take chances and
shake off the tired conventions of the mystery genre. I love a book that surprises me and takes risks, which "Burning Down The House" does in spades.

I don't want to give too much away, but BDTH is definitely not a conventional mystery "whodunit." It *is* a very good novel, though, full of complex characters and wonderful (and often very humorous) writing. Lev's crazy little academic world, with its "diversity trees" (the politically correct Christmas tree) and riotously petty faculty grudges, is a perfectly delightful place to visit, though I wouldn't want to live there!

I can't quite support the idea that Burning Down the House a mystery or a suspense story. On that score, I need to say right off, it was a little disappointing. However, I can't get into the degree of analysis that some of the detractors of the book have gone to in their reviews.. This is entertainment! It is not intended to be one of the great canons of western literature. A few folks need to lighten up a little. When you read a mystery with a red pen, it's bound to be an unenjoyable experience!

Lev Raphael's Burning Down the House is an extremely well written, very funny, tale of the cast of characters to be found on a typical college campus. While the author's characters were vivid in their own right, I couldn't help myself from adding a few of my own assortment of "faces and characters" to Raphael's prototypes. For me, this was a laugh out loud book throughout. Well written. Excellent use of more than fourth grade vocabulary, and a nice addition to the Nick Hoffman series.

My only recommendation for the next installment is that Raphael develop his ending more completely before he starts leading us there. In this one it appears as if the ending wasn't something that the author put much effort into ahead of time.

All in all, highly recommended -- a funny and enjoyable read. I would compare Burning Down the House to Jane Smiley's MOO and to John Hassler's two books on college/university life.All four are thoroughly delightful tales on the more humous (and sometimes frustrating) sides of higher education.

This series has reached a new height with the best academic satire around. The stakes have gotten higher and the players nastier and more important. Add to that a tantalizing mystery and rich psychological insight into the main character and you have a total winner, but sourpusses and the politically correct will definitely not enjoy this book.

This is the darkest and funniest book in the series. It's brilliant academic satire in the vein of David Lodge, Kingsley Amis, James Hynes and many other distinguished writers. I'm glad to see so many people get it, and saddened by the intensely negative and even mean-spirited comments others have posted. They seem less informed than inflamed--either by unconscious discomfort with the book's lack of political correctness or a lack of connection with the university environment. Trust me, I teach at a midwestern college like the one in this series, and Raphael is only a few steps ahead of reality.

At one point in Lev Raphael's stunning new mystery, Burning Down the House, Stefan, the amateur detective's partner, accuses him of having a comic vision of life. There is much to consider in his observation. Certainly Raphael himself is famous for his wit, the wonderful playful way he juggles language and delights the ear. But I must urge you to read this amazing mystery for another reason: It tackles profound questions about our world that are usually forbidden. Smack in the middle of the text is a clean, well-lighted place, charming, quaint, a gunshop in a strip mall christened the "Aux Armes" run by an adorable Mrs. Santa Claus. That setting should alert the reader that much is happening in this text far below the surface. It is actually a commentary about the modern world exposing all its tricky, elitist platitudes. Such as: the gay man is always gay and only attracted to other men. Such as: Diversity at any time or any place is to be honored, even worshipped. Such as: Academia, ever tolerant, ever diverse, may, with impunity, create any course of study, even as absurd as White Studies, and no one may question its wisdom or motives. This is an unsettling book that takes direct aim at every closed system of modern thought from the cliche that every gun owner is obese and drives a shabby SUV to the contention that only Academia may decide what is worthwhile to teach, study and preserve. I believe it is a book written by someone who must know the modern academic world, derailed in an alarming fashion from any truly serious humanistic purpose as it is. In deep cover, true, Raphael is raising a warning flag: Proceed at your peril. All this is hidden in the romantic glow of the fireplace, the glistening steel and chrome of the health club, but it is there. There is a deep red thread through this entire volume, and it is not a herring. Bravo, Raphael! People are beginning to speak out. And readers are listening. I know the difficulties of contemporary Academia have been covered thoroughly everywhere, but never quite like this where the message lies in the unlikely hands of a grinning, intelligent, lovable and unpedantic messenger. Forgive my overjoyed enthusiasm. This is my world. I teach in the Humanities and I know whereof I speak. And, just to whet your appetite, the novel contains one mob scene on campus where an unsavory administrator is--well, never mind, it is a scene that will haunt your fantasies. That one scene alone, along with the gun shop, is worth an investment in this book.

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE is unlike any mystery I've read before. Audaciously, Lev Raphael dares to leave plenty of loose ends hanging at the end of the book. This is a novel that asks many more questions than it answers. And considering that it'll probably be at least a year until the next Nick Hoffman novel appears, that's bound to frustrate a lot of fans.

Despite that, however, I still relished the opportunity to spend several hours in the company of some of my favorite characters in all of mystery fiction. I laughed out loud MANY times while reading about the academic wackiness that is such a hallmark of Raphael's work. I drooled over the delicious food descriptions that are another staple of this series.

This is NOT the book that a newcomer to this series should start with (go back to the beginning and read them in order -- you're in for a treat!), but Lev fans shouldn't miss it. Just be prepared for what a (relative) letdown the ending is, and let's hope that the next volume of Nick's adventures finally gives readers the resolution we crave!