Murder at Walden Pond (Steve Asher Mysteries) [Paperback]

Al Blanchard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000 | Series: Steve Asher Mysteries

Middle School History Teacher Steve Asher is forcibly removed from his role of helping young people when he is charged with the murder of a student's sister. Asher is counseling a troubled boy, Petey Oliver, whose dysfunctional family is represented by Susan Oliver, a young attractive woman trying hard to keep her bright but disturbed brother out of trouble. Asher meets Susan over coffee to discuss ways they can help Petey, but when we see them together again he is fishing her body out of Walden Pond. Asher becomes a prime suspect in the murder after Susan’s diary is turned over to a hungry reporter naming Steve as her lover. In order to clear his name and regain his reputation, Asher is torn from his academic tower and forced into a quest to find Susan's real murderer. Asher struggles to survive in an alien hostile environment where someone has brutally murdered a woman he hardly knew and is trying to silence him. All the while he is being harassed by the police who suspect him, ostracized by the community, questioned by students and threatened with suspension by the school board for a crime he did not commit. The key to the crime hinges on a runaway boy and a politician running for Governor. Asher's quest leads back to Walden Pond where he comes face to face with a killer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Murder at Walden Pond: A Steve Asher Mystery, Al Blanchard's first book, introduces series hero Asher, a well-intentioned middle school teacher accused of murdering his student's sister, Susan Oliver. Lies, multiple motives, break-ins, another murder and the Oliver family's mysterious ways keep the police and Asher guessing until the very end, when Asher's search for the killer puts him in mortal danger.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Two weeks after a young woman speaks with eighth-grade history teacher Steve Asher about her troubled younger brother Petey one of his students Steve finds her body in Walden Pond. Police suspect Steve when they hear rumors of a relationship between him and the woman and read her diary depicting a fantasized love affair with him. As his job and relationships begin to crumble, Steve hastens to the offensive: a local gubernatorial candidate seems to have much to hide. Unfortunately, the narrative lacks conviction, the plot lacks depth, and the characters lack appeal. Pass.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Salvo Press (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930486286
• ISBN-13: 978-1930486287
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,794,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Friend, November 1, 2001

By 

David R. Surette (S. Easton, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder at Walden Pond (Steve Asher Mysteries) (Paperback)

A great read. Blanchard has created a believable, reluctant hero in Steve Asher. I judge mysteries by how much fun it is to hang out with the detective. Asher joins Spencer, Scudder, Gunther, Kinsey, and Carlotta as welcomed company. I look forward to the next time I can teach, listen to tunes, and escape danger with my new friend Steve Asher.

5.0 out of 5 stars Al Blanchard now a household name, January 3, 2003

By 

Anne J. Prescott (Randolph, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Murder at Walden Pond (Steve Asher Mysteries) (Paperback)

Al Blanchard has agreed to do a program for the Friends of the Turner Library in Randolph this April. Since I'd not heard of him as a mystery writer, it was clearly time to be introduced.
Murder At Walden Pond kept me interested from the beginning never quite figuring who was the culprit......so I stayed with it. All of a sudden 2/3 through the book, I found I could not put it down! Everything was happening so fast, I found myself reading faster. Al Blanchard now joins my library of Robert Parker and James Patterson! A great read.

5.0 out of 5 stars I never knew my teacher had so much talent., November 24, 2002

By 

Jordan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder at Walden Pond (Steve Asher Mysteries) (Paperback)

Al Blanchard was my social studies teacher last year, and I just got around to reading his book. Wow. That's just about all I can say. This guy is good. Its amazing how much Asher related to Mr. Blanchard! I highly reccommend this book.