Extracurricular Activities (Alison Bergeron Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Maggie Barbieri (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2007 | Series: Alison Bergeron Mysteries

You’d think, now that she’s off the hook for murder, Alison Bergeron, an English professor at a private college a stone’s throw up the Hudson from Manhattan, would be able to relax---but how can she with a wedding in the works?

Alison is happy for her best friend, Max. Really, she is. She loves Max, and the guy Max is marrying completely adores her. Even being in the wedding wouldn’t be so bad, if it’d keep her from thinking about her off-again relationship with the married NYPD homicide detective Bobby Crawford. (Actually, if you want to be technical about it, he’s separated, has been for years, but Alison is still getting over her own divorce and she’s trying to make good decisions.) However, Bobby’s the best man, and that forces them into all kinds of awkward situations, like dancing cheek to cheek and sharing a bottle of champagne.

Then, when Alison’s ex turns up dead, she’s dragged into another murder investigation. Convinced it’s the handiwork of one of her former student’s parents, a local Mob boss, and afraid for her life, she turns to Bobby for help, but threatening a Mob boss while he’s fulfilling a vendetta may not be the best idea.

Romance, humor, and murder are sure to mix and mingle whenever Alison and Bobby link up in Extracurricular Activities, Maggie Barbieri’s second charming mystery.

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

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
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #814,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maggie Barbieri is a freelance writer and textbook editor who lives in the Hudson Valley. She is also the author of the Murder 101 series, the fourth installment of which--Final Exam--will be published in December 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 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
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This review is from: Extracurricular Activities (Alison Bergeron Mysteries) (Hardcover)

"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 10 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

This review is from: Extracurricular Activities (Alison Bergeron Mysteries) (Hardcover)

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).

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More fun and excitement with Alison Bergeron, December 30, 2007

By 

T. Faranda "Tom Faranda" (Croton, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Extracurricular Activities (Alison Bergeron Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This is the second installment of Maggie Barbieri's murder mystery/comedy/love story series about college professor and part-time sleuth Alison Bergeron. It's an excellent follow-up to "Murder 101"

In "Extracurricular Activities" there is more of just about everything; more dead mangled bodies, more suspects, more lascivious chit chat. There's less of Alison fainting; but that's a good thing.

It's another breezy, fun read, and I confess that I was totally wrong about who the perps were. I won't explain, since that would give things away, but I can say that if you like fast-reading entertainment in the mystery genre, you'll enjoy this book.

I can't wait for #3 in the series.