Quick Study: A Murder 101 Mystery (Murder 101 Mysteries) [Paperback]

Maggie Barbieri (Author)

Book Description

Series: Murder 101 Mysteries | Publication Date: December 9, 2008

College English professor Alison Bergeron thought that dating a cute NYPD detective like Bobby Crawford would be exciting and involve a lot of riding around in cruisers and putting away sleazy crooks, but he has yet to invite her on any stakeouts. . . .

Then when a friend asks her to help him find his nephew, she goes to Bobby for advice only to find out that he already knows about the case. He pulled the boy out of the Hudson River a few days earlier. The boy’s employer calls it an accident, but Alison and Bobby aren’t convinced.

With matchmaking and sleuthing to spare, staying out of trouble isn’t on the syllabus when Alison and Bobby team up in Quick Study, Maggie Barbieri’s most outrageous outing yet.

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Barbieri's witty third cozy to feature English professor Alison Bergeron (after 2007's Extracurricular Activities), Alison befriends Hernan Escalante and his extended family from Ecuador at the soup kitchen where she's doing community service north of New York City. When the beaten body of Jose Tomasso, one of Hernan's relatives and an illegal immigrant, surfaces in the Hudson near Riviera Pointe, a luxury condo development in the Bronx where Jose was a construction worker, Alison offers to help Hernan find out what happened. After a second murder at Riviera Pointe, Hernan disappears. Alison's investigation leads her and her sidekicks, including her faithful canine companion, Trixie, into all sorts of nail-biting danger. An offer of assistance from former sweetie Jack McManus, marketing director for the New York Rangers, tests Alison's relationship with her main squeeze, NYPD detective Bobby Crawford. Barbieri scores again with this high-octane blend of romance, laughs and chills. (Dec.)
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Review

Praise for Extracurricular Activities

“Barbieri’s in top form as she delivers a smooth sequel to her witty debut.”
---Publishers Weekly

“This genre-bending combination of chick lit and mystery will please readers who like action and romance in the same package.”
---Booklist

“Bergeron’s romantic trials and fashion sense are comparable to Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski. . . . Extracurricular Activities will find a home with readers of chick lit and cozy mysteries alike.”
---The Tampa Tribune

Praise for Murder 101

“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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (December 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312376758
• ISBN-13: 978-0312376758
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #701,242 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More fun with Alison Bergeron, the English Prof sleuth, December 31, 2008

By 

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Quick Study: A Murder 101 Mystery (Murder 101 Mysteries) (Paperback)

This new "Murder 101 Mystery", is the third following the career of Alison Bergeron. Alison is a wisecracking English Professor at a small Catholic college in the Bronx, with a view of the Hudson. Her penchant for helping people out with her amateur detective work gets her into all sorts of situations.

The books are great fun reads and the current one is no exception. They really are "comedy murder mysteries", as we see things from the perspective of Alison's witty mind. Alison (try to imagine Lucille Ball, Nancy Drew, and Zena the Warrior Princess rolled into one) is in love with, among other things, the NY Rangers, martinis, and an NYPD detective.

The murder mystery part involves an illegal immigrant who Alison met while serving a community service sentence (see second book as to how she earned this court-ordered gig) in a soup kitchen. He's found floating in the Hudson, extremely deceased. Alison has great sympathy for the family and decides to involve herself. After all, with two other investigations to her credit, she now has lots of experience. In fact, she no longer faints.

So lots of fun, and highly recommended. And if you are looking for a great gift any of the "murder 101 mystery" books will do nicely.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming and Engaging with an Exasperating Heroine, May 23, 2009

By 

Lauren Sophie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quick Study: A Murder 101 Mystery (Murder 101 Mysteries) (Paperback)

"Quick Study" is a light, quick read with a (mostly) likeable heroine, a solid mystery, some quirky humor, and a (mostly) fun romance. Like the other two books in the series, this one finds Alison getting involved in a murder case that affects all those around her, including her devoted boyfriend, Crawford the cop, and her best friend, Max. Also as usual, Alison refuses to heed her boyfriend's pleas and warnings that she stay out of the investigation, resulting in Alison putting herself in harm's way, while also ultimately helping to nab the bad guy.

In this installment, I have to admit I found Alison a little irritating. You do have to allow her some "too stupid to live" moments or else the mystery would never move forward and there wouldn't be a plot, but her insistance on getting involved and then seeming to be unafraid even after she's hurt and threatened is a bit much to swallow. Plus, there are two scenes where she's mean and rude to Crawford, and even though she's completely in the wrong, she never apologizes to him and it's Crawford who has to initiate contact after their arguments. The theme of these novels seems to be that Alison considers herself a slubby English professor unaware of her own charm; this time around, though, I wasn't really buying that both Crawford and other men would find her so hard to resist.

Crawford remains a great hero--loyal, steadfast, and true without being boring--but in the next one, I wouldn't mind if Alison learned to appreciate him more. And I did like the twist of Max having trouble in her marriage. It gave the character more depth and sets up the next book nicely.

Overall, a fun read, but do expect a few eye-rolling moments as Alison gets herself tangled up in the mystery.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable amateur sleuth, December 14, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quick Study: A Murder 101 Mystery (Murder 101 Mysteries) (Paperback)

When St. Thomas University English Lit Professor Alison Bergeron is not teaching, dating her NYPD boyfriend Bobby Crawford, or going to Manhattan to visit Rangerland in MSG wearing a Messier sweatshirt, she performs sixty hours of community service. It is at a soup kitchen that she met illegal Ecuadorian immigrant Hernan Escalante and his extended family. She hires Hernan to paint her dining room. Hernan and his nephew Jose Tomasso arrive while Alison still recuperates from two large beers last night watching hockey at the Garden.

Soon afterward Hose vanishes only to be found floating in the Hudson, near the Bronx's luxurious Riviera Pointe condominiums. Although she knows better after her last whodunit got her in trouble with State Troopers, Alison, believing the death of an illegal will be swept into the river, investigates the homicide. A second murder occurs at Riviera Pointe while Hernan vanishes. Fearing for her new friend's life though rationally she assumes he ran because of his status or lack thereof, Alison and her friends with the help of former sweetheart Jack McManus, whose other plus is he works for the New York Rangers, continue their inquiry even as her current boyfriend Bobby insists she cease and desist.

The hat trick Murder 101 cozy (see EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES and MURDER 101) is an enjoyable whodunit starring a wonderful lead activist who knows she shouldn't but can't help but getting involved. Maggie makes the tale with her amusing asides for example her observation that she is tall but not big yet Bobby must see her as gigantic because he always buys her extra large clothing like the Messier t-shirt. The mystery is fun to follow as amateur sleuthing spins out of control. Except for Boston Bruins fans, readers will enjoy the antics of the number one New York Ranger fan.

Harriet Klausner