Extracurricular Activities (A Murder 101 Mystery) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: sex tape, Peter Miceli, Dobbs Ferry, Bagpipe Kid (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Barbieri's in top form as she delivers a smooth sequel to her witty debut (Murder 101). English professor Alison Bergeron wishes she'd stop getting uninvited visits from her ex-husband, Raymond Stark, fornicator extraordinaire and fellow professor at St. Thomas, a small Catholic university north of New York City. Ray's past conquests include Alison's slutty neighbor, Terri, and St. Thomas student Kathy Miceli, whose recent murder shocked the campus. Then Alison comes home one night to find Ray's body in her kitchen, hands and feet chopped off: the slaying signature of chubby mobster Peter Miceli, Kathy's father. Peter begins stalking Alison, showing up uninvited in her house to proclaim his innocence. Alison reluctantly turns to her soon-to-be-divorced former boyfriend, Bobby Crawford, an NYPD homicide detective, for help and comfort. The plot thickens when Terri disappears, leaving Alison in charge of Trixie, a scene-stealing golden retriever who makes a gruesome discovery. Barbieri juggles romance, murder and mayhem with stark realism and disarming charm. (Nov.)
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Review

Praise for Murder 101

“Sparkling . . . Romance, humor, and suspense blend perfectly in this exceptional cozy, the first of what hopefully will be a long series.”
---Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“With wit and verve---and spot-on rendering of the jungles of academia---Barbieri’s first novel will have readers eagerly awaiting her sophomore effort.”
---Richmond Times-Dispatch

“A romantic ending and the furthering of a girlfriend bond that we hope to enjoy in murder mysteries to come.”
---More

“This is an entertaining debut [in] a series to follow.”
---Booklist

“Maggie Barbieri’s debut, Murder 101, offers traditional mystery lovers a real treat in her heroine Alison Bergeron. . . . Murder 101 mixes love and homicide in the proper equation and earns a grade A in my book!”
---Susan McBride, author of the Debutante Dropout Mysteries

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (November 27, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312355386 ISBN-13: 978-0312355388 Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.4 inches Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #605,829 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) This is item 2 in The Murder 101 Mystery Series.

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sex tape

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Peter Miceli, Dobbs Ferry, Bagpipe Kid, Grand Central, Julie Anne Podowsky, New York, Fiftieth Precinct, Staten Island, Ray Stark, Arthur Moran, Sister Calista, Detective Crawford, French Canadian, Mark Messier, Ketel One, Stew Leonard, Rick Felter, Accordion Boy, Funny Girl, Sister Mary

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	82% buy the item featured on this page: Extracurricular Activities (A Murder 101 Mystery) 3.7 out of 5 stars (14) $12.96
	7% buy Murder 101 (A Murder 101 Mystery) 4.3 out of 5 stars (29) $6.99
	4% buy Quick Study: A Murder 101 Mystery 4.5 out of 5 stars (4) $6.99
	4% buy Killer Riff (Molly Forrester Novels) 4.0 out of 5 stars (3) $6.99

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews 5 star:  (5) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.7 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 15 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars "Nothing screws up your weekend like finding a dead body.", December 6, 2007 By  E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       "Extracurricular Activities" is Maggie Barbieri's follow-up to her well-received debut, "Murder 101." Dr. Alison Bergeron still teaches English literature in St. Thomas, a small Catholic college in the Bronx. The love of her life, "Detective Hot Pants," also known as Bobby Crawford, has yet to divorce his pretty and saintly wife, Christine, who is also the mother of their seventeen-year-old twin girls. Meanwhile, Alison's philandering ex-husband, Ray, is forever dropping by, and she is too polite to tell him to get lost. One evening, Alison comes home and finds a mutilated corpse propped up at her kitchen table. Now she really has her hands full, what with her professional responsibilities, her quandary about whether she should go out with her friend's gorgeous single brother, Jack McManus, and of course, her sleuthing. Alison has never been one to leave the detecting to the detectives. Her investigation brings her into close contact with Bobby, which makes them both a bit uncomfortable. She is also forced to spend some not-so-quality time with several suspects, including the formidable mob boss Peter Miceli and his nasty wife, Gianna, who have intimidated her ever since their nineteen-year-old daughter was found dead in the trunk of Alison's car. Peter and Gianna keep stalking her and that leaves Alison more than a bit queasy. In addition, she is chagrined when her slutty neighbor, Terri, who had been one of Ray's lovers, suddenly decides to have a chat about her personal problems. Before all the plot elements are finally resolved, more bodies pile up and Alison finds herself in mortal danger. "Extracurricular Activities" has a likeable and wise-cracking heroine and cute dialogue laced with amusing one-liners. The secondary characters include Alison's buddy, Father Kevin McManus, a gossipy priest, Terri's golden retriever, Trixie, who always greets Alison with unbounded doggy affection, sultry Max Rayfield, Alison's soon-to-be married best friend, and Carmen Montoya, a tough, smart, and sexy cop who, although married, unabashedly flirts with Crawford. It is too bad that the story is so far-fetched. The police seem to be sleeping at the wheel while Maggie does most of the dirty work and as the plot unfolds, it becomes more and more preposterous. In addition, Barbieri makes the jarring decision to switch from Alison's first person point of view to the third person and then back again to the first person. The book's redeeming features are its lighthearted humor and Barbieri's deft handling of Alison's volatile love life. Although it does not earn the highest marks, "Extracurricular Activities" is a satisfying enough chick-lit mystery that will appeal to fans of escapist fare. 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Witty mystery with fun setting and endearing characters, December 11, 2007 By  Wilmette Gal (Near Chicago) - See all my reviews Extracurricular Activities is the hip sequel to Murder 101, which if you haven't read yet, I highly recommend. Alison Bergeron is the main character in both and she's a joy to spend time with as she finds dead bodies, drinks martinis, and is the maid of honor in her best friend's wedding. She also adopts a goofy dog and finds some romance with a NYC detective. Much fun with a zippy pace and great twists (especially at the end). 8 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Smart Writing Makes Me Happy (again), December 3, 2007 By  M. Johnson (NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Sweet and Sassy! Maggie Barbieri does not disappoint in this sequel. Alison and Crawford, their quirky friends and imperfect lives provide for another smart, entertaining read. Highly recommended for those who long for books with great dialogue and a strong sense of mystery, humor and romance.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Not great literature, but enjoyable romantic mystery -- good for airplane or beach I read the first book in the series and thought this one was just as good. The lead character came across as less silly and weak as in the first book, so I'm glad that the author... Read more Published 4 months ago by M. C. Crammer 3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 Stars When we first met Alison Bergeron, she was the number one suspect in a college student's murder. Not only did Alison have a past with the victim's parents, her ex-husband had an... Read more Published 9 months ago by Shon 3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the first book, but a must-read for fans Extracurricular Activities (2007) is Maggie Barbieri's second mystery novel featuring English professor Alison Bergeron. Read more Published 10 months ago by Miss Print 5.0 out of 5 stars Extracurricular Activities This was another excellent book from the author of Murder 101. I didn't want to put it down once I began reading it. Read more Published 11 months ago by Cat Woman 2.0 out of 5 stars Quit while you're ahead It takes a lot for me to quit reading a book before I've finished - particularly when I've made it over halfway. Read more Published 14 months ago by Lois Lain 2.0 out of 5 stars Extracurricular mediocrity A number of this book's faults in construction and handling were well set out in a March 2008 Amazon review aptly entitled "Blech! Read more Published 15 months ago by L. E. Cantrell 1.0 out of 5 stars Blech! I thought the first book in this series was flawed but cute, and since it sometimes takes me a couple of books to warm up to a new series I was anxious to read EXTRACURRICULAR... Read more Published 19 months ago by Michigan Reader 4.0 out of 5 stars A fun follow up to Murder 101 I really enjoyed the first book in this series Murder 101 and this book is a continuation of Alison's life. Read more Published 22 months ago by Loves To Read 4.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner Once again Maggie Barbieri comes through with an interesting and entertaining story. Her writing style flows. Let's hope that Alison will appear again in another story. Published 22 months ago by Patricia Sheehan 5.0 out of 5 stars More fun and excitement with Alison Bergeron This is the second installment of Maggie Barbieri's murder mystery/comedy/love story series about college professor and part-time sleuth Alison Bergeron. Read more Published 22 months ago by T. Faranda Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (November 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312355386
• ISBN-13: 978-0312355388
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #605,829 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Murder 101 Mystery Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Nothing screws up your weekend like finding a dead body.", December 6, 2007

By	E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Extracurricular Activities" is Maggie Barbieri's follow-up to her well-received debut, "Murder 101." Dr. Alison Bergeron still teaches English literature in St. Thomas, a small Catholic college in the Bronx. The love of her life, "Detective Hot Pants," also known as Bobby Crawford, has yet to divorce his pretty and saintly wife, Christine, who is also the mother of their seventeen-year-old twin girls. Meanwhile, Alison's philandering ex-husband, Ray, is forever dropping by, and she is too polite to tell him to get lost. One evening, Alison comes home and finds a mutilated corpse propped up at her kitchen table. Now she really has her hands full, what with her professional responsibilities, her quandary about whether she should go out with her friend's gorgeous single brother, Jack McManus, and of course, her sleuthing. Alison has never been one to leave the detecting to the detectives.

Her investigation brings her into close contact with Bobby, which makes them both a bit uncomfortable. She is also forced to spend some not-so-quality time with several suspects, including the formidable mob boss Peter Miceli and his nasty wife, Gianna, who have intimidated her ever since their nineteen-year-old daughter was found dead in the trunk of Alison's car. Peter and Gianna keep stalking her and that leaves Alison more than a bit queasy. In addition, she is chagrined when her slutty neighbor, Terri, who had been one of Ray's lovers, suddenly decides to have a chat about her personal problems. Before all the plot elements are finally resolved, more bodies pile up and Alison finds herself in mortal danger.

"Extracurricular Activities" has a likeable and wise-cracking heroine and cute dialogue laced with amusing one-liners. The secondary characters include Alison's buddy, Father Kevin McManus, a gossipy priest, Terri's golden retriever, Trixie, who always greets Alison with unbounded doggy affection, sultry Max Rayfield, Alison's soon-to-be married best friend, and Carmen Montoya, a tough, smart, and sexy cop who, although married, unabashedly flirts with Crawford. It is too bad that the story is so far-fetched. The police seem to be sleeping at the wheel while Maggie does most of the dirty work and as the plot unfolds, it becomes more and more preposterous. In addition, Barbieri makes the jarring decision to switch from Alison's first person point of view to the third person and then back again to the first person. The book's redeeming features are its lighthearted humor and Barbieri's deft handling of Alison's volatile love life. Although it does not earn the highest marks, "Extracurricular Activities" is a satisfying enough chick-lit mystery that will appeal to fans of escapist fare.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty mystery with fun setting and endearing characters, December 11, 2007

By	Wilmette Gal (Near Chicago) - See all my reviews

Extracurricular Activities is the hip sequel to Murder 101, which if you haven't read yet, I highly recommend. Alison Bergeron is the main character in both and she's a joy to spend time with as she finds dead bodies, drinks martinis, and is the maid of honor in her best friend's wedding. She also adopts a goofy dog and finds some romance with a NYC detective. Much fun with a zippy pace and great twists (especially at the end).

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart Writing Makes Me Happy (again), December 3, 2007

By	M. Johnson (NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sweet and Sassy! Maggie Barbieri does not disappoint in this sequel. Alison and Crawford, their quirky friends and imperfect lives provide for another smart, entertaining read. Highly recommended for those who long for books with great dialogue and a strong sense of mystery, humor and romance.