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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tenure the Hard Way, September 28, 2004
This review is from: Murder Is Academic: A Cambridge Mystery (Hardcover)
Although I can't quite put my finger on it, there is something refreshing about Christine Poulson's "Murder is Academic." Perhaps its the mysterious East Anglian countryside atmospherics, perhaps its the quirky narrator who doesn't seem to fully grasp that she is in the middle of a whodunit, or maybe its just the breezy writing style that the author uses to bring her story to life. Whatever it is, I have to say that I found this first novel both enjoyable and engrossing.
In many ways the book follows the steretypical structure of the classic English murder mystery, but it does so in ways that are quirky enough to catch the reader off guard. Instead of an English manor we find ourselves wandering the halls of academia, following the slightly eccentric narrator as she frets over whether or not she and her colleagues will be able to publish enough books and articles to keep the English department open for business. Between departmental meetings and the like the bodies pile up, and there is just enough tension and suspense to keep you reading. But the author is not the brooding type, and so she gives us plenty to giggle about as well. There is an amusing subplot, involving a dotty old professor who thinks that the ghost of Arthur Conan Doyle is narrating his next book for him, and that makes for a great of hilarity. Indeed, the novel is filled with all manner of oddball scenarios and situations and, on the whole, it works. And, wouldn't you know?, the crimes even get solved along the way. It's a light-hearted, even up-beat kind of murder mystery but, hey, its all in good fun.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
a nice if not very suspenseful read, April 25, 2004
This review is from: Murder Is Academic: A Cambridge Mystery (Hardcover)
When the head of the English department, Margaret Joplin, at St. Etheldreda's College at Cambridge University dies in a seeming accident, lecturer Cassandra James is offered the post as acting head. Her most important job is to see to it that the faculty come up to speed and publish as many articles and books within the year so that the beleaguer college will continue to exist. With so many jobs on the line, especially her's, Cassandra will have to crack the whip. So that when Margaret's husband suggests that Cassandra be Margaret's literary executor, Cassandra agrees to take on the task in the hopes that she will be able to use some of Margaret's work to bolster the department's unimpressive cv. What Cassandra finds in Margaret's papers however suggests that there was a relationship between Margaret and one of the students at the college who had died in a climbing accident a few months earlier. Cassandra begins to wonder: was Margaret's death an accident after all? Could she have been murdered? Cassandra cannot rid herself of the feeling that there is something fishy about Margaret's death, even if evidence points to the whole thing being a coincidence. And she's determined to investigate Margaret's death until she's satisfied... "Murder is Academic" may not be a recommended read for everyone. It's not really your usual amateur sleuth fare -- it takes place over a much longer period of time (about a year), and unwinds at a more sedate and slightly more long-winded pace -- there were moments when I even began to wonder if there is actually a mystery at hand to resolve! On the other hand, there are quite a few interesting plot twists and red herring suspects, and if you enjoy an in-depth look at what running a troubled English department is like, you're bound to enjoy "Murder is Academic," especially one that is well crafted and beautifully written.
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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as it could have been..., July 13, 2004
This review is from: Murder Is Academic: A Cambridge Mystery (Hardcover)
The description for 'Murder is Academic,' found on the inside flap of its beautifully textured jacket, gives a false impression. The way it's written conveys a sense of tension, suspense, and that the book you are holding is going to be an interesting, thoughtful and perhaps even entertaining read. That's an awful lot for a book to live up to. And, unfortunately, 'Murder is Academic' couldn't quite make it. It's not that the novel wasn't good exactly. It was a quick read and not once did I think about not finishing it. However, there were a few problems. As one reviewer already noted, it would be very easy to forget that there was a mystery involved in the story at all. For the majority of the novel it takes a back seat to the personal problems of it's sleuth, Cassandra. That wouldn't bother me so much except for the fact that the mystery, when it was brought up, just wasn't all that interesting. It could have been, the potential was definitely there, but it fizzled. I found as the story progressed that I just didn't care. The reason for this may have been that, though there were three deaths in this slim novel, the reader was not given an opportunity to really get to know any of the characters who met their end and, therefore, felt no need for a resolution. And when it finally came, well, um, hurrah! Right. Sure. The academic slant of the story was somewhat interesting. The professors, though they had quirks that implied entertainment, weren't fleshed out enough. In fact, it was almost as though they were handed their quirks in a pitch to make the novel more interesting. The reader didn't know them well enough to consider them anything but plot devices. Blatant red herrings. The political aspect of academic life was captured well. The push for publication and how a department rests on the scholarship of its professors was nicely and adequately shown. The studies that each of the professors were pursuing were interesting and I would have loved to have heard more about each. Cassandra's speciality came through in rather random moments of a poem remembered or a literary line quoted. I have to say that though I would have cared for more of a mystery, Cassandra's life issues were plesant enough to read about. One of the most engaging characters in the novel was her lawyer boyfriend, Stephen. He was believable and sympathetic. Overall, 'Murder is Academic' wasn't enough for me. I have read academic mysteries before, such as the stellar Karen Pelletier mystery series by Joanne Dobson, and know that they can be thoroughly entertaining. That they can blend academic nuances and politics, human emotion and intereaction, and an engaging mystery into a compelling read. It is my hope that if Ms Poulson writes another Cambridge Mystery, she spends more time with her characters, placing an even greater emphasis on academic life, and tightening the mystery.
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