Final Exam [Paperback]

P.F. Kluge (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When the body of a controversial feminist professor is found near a fraternity lodge in a sleepy Ohio village dominated by a small but prestigious liberal-arts school, everyone is stunned. But when more murders follow, we realize this serial killer wants more than a body count: s/he wants to kill the college. As the story develops--alternately narrated by the campus security guard who discovered the first body and the college's deliciously pretentious president--it soon becomes clear that the killer may succeed. The perspectives of the security officer and the president (town and gown par excellence) play off each other nicely. And Kluge (Eddie and the Cruisers, 1980; Alma Mater, 1993), who teaches at a small liberal-arts school in Ohio, breathes life into his setting with all the right details, from the students' condescension toward campus security to the infighting among faculty and administrators. A few too many convenient plot coincidences in the resolution, perhaps, but still a clever twist on the academic thriller. Leon Wagner
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Final Exam dazzles from the first page and intrigues from the first shrewd twist of its plot. -- Martin Scorsese, Filmmaker

Final Exam has a double current of energy running through its radiant pages... -- Ronald Sharp, Dean of the Faculty, Vassar College

Final Exam is what I look for in a superlative mystery—it snared me from the first page. -- David Lynn, The Kenyon Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: XOXOX Press; First Edition, First Printing edition (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880977133
• ISBN-13: 978-1880977132
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fault lines eventually have consequences (4.25 *s), May 18, 2009

By 

J. Grattan "Ideas can move the world" (Lawrenceville, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Final Exam (Paperback)

The author, himself a writer-in-residence at a small college in Ohio, has produced a highly prescient account of the politics and dynamics of small liberal arts colleges, especially the effects on long-time professors, traditional curricula, and the approach to students. But it is the murder of a controversial feminist history professor, who has had the ear of college administrators, which sets this examination in motion.

The story steadily unfolds as told from the perspectives of an observant campus security guard Billy Hoover, a dinosaur college president just hanging on, and a controversial English professor, unhappily married to the college provost. A top Ohio criminal investigator lets the investigation drag on for months, enlisting the help of Hoover, where it is revealed that many may have been sufficiently disgruntled to inflict harm on individuals or the entire college. There are those who had been forced out, denied entrance or a professorship, blackballed, or reprimanded. The story is ratcheted up a notch when two students are found shot, jeopardizing the ability of the college to remain open as a result of the massive negative publicity. As the story progresses, suspicious connections are revealed - some relevant, some not.

The murders are really a device to explore the modern trends in college education versus the traditional: issues of multiculturalism, obscure majors, easy grading, and minimal attendance against a difficult core curriculum, with strict grading and attendance required. In this instance, rather improbably, the campus crisis leads to the rejuvenation of out-of-favor professors and the old curriculum. The characters are almost secondary to this larger agenda, although they are not without their appeal, especially Hoover. An element of mystery does linger: some motivations and actions remain vague and long-term consequences and possibilities are left to ponder. Nonetheless, a very interesting look at how fault lines in individuals and institutions can expand over time to precipitate drastic, even fatal, results.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery, a real feel for an investigation at a small college, November 30, 2005

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a reader "of books" (in Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Exam (Paperback)

Great story, great characters (especially college security guard and investigator Billy Hoover). I really enjoyed this book. I picked this up on a whim, not knowing what to expect, and I have to say, I was really drawn into it and I would highly recommend it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!, November 29, 2005

By 

Kelly Wade (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Exam (Paperback)

While I normally don't pick up mystery-like novels, Final Exam immediately drew me in. Kluge writes a fast-paced, exciting novel that I would recommend to everyone.