Tropic of Murder: A Nick Hoffman Mystery (Nick Hoffman Mysteries) (Paperback)

by Lev Raphael (Author) "I WAS planning to tell Stefan about Peter de Jonge's visit, and that I'd put Peter off at the end of it, saying I would..." (more)
Key Phrases: Club Med, Peter de Jonge, Franklin Pierce (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
In one of Raphael's last two mysteries, there was no murder for the first two-thirds of the book, and in the most recent, there was no corpse. Now a corpse doesn't show until past the two-thirds mark, and whether it bespeaks murder or accident is uncertain. Raphael's writing, however, suggests a deepening gloom and impending trouble both in the wintry groves of academic Michigan and the sun-kissed tropics of Serenity, the resort to which Nick Hoffman and his partner, Stefan, flee from political infighting at the venal university. Raphael keeps us turning pages with mouthwatering descriptions of buffets and a paradise brimming with cheerful attendants, and even without a corpse, he ratchets up tension with rumors of ghosts and some very substantial fellows threatening to trade blows. Some mystery fans may feel let down by the resolution, which flouts genre expectations, while others may cheer it and welcome Raphael's innovativeness. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
It's winter, but academic madness is in full bloom at the State University of Michigan. Untenured English professor Nick Hoffman is trying to keep out of the line of fire as three senior professors battle to be department chair--all of whom hate each other and demand Nick’s support. The situation implodes when an emergency meeting turns the department, and normal academic procedure, upside down. In an intense atmosphere of mounting crisis, Nick and his colleagues lose rights and autonomy, and he is desperate for a quick getaway. Nick's partner, Stefan, suggests an idyllic week at a Caribbean Club Med. The island of Serenity, however, proves to be anything but serene. Once again, Edith Wharton scholar Nick Hoffman, who grew up in New York City without even being mugged, finds himself face-to-face with murder. His winter vacation in paradise becomes a nightmare as he learns the truth of the warning that You can run, but you can’t hide. And on a tiny island, there’s nowhere even to run...

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Perseverance Press (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880284685
• ISBN-13: 978-1880284681
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #507,149 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Trouble Comes Back, November 2, 2004

By	William Peschel (Hershey, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Mysteries wrap things up too much," a character states to Nick Hoffman, the professor turned detective in "Tropic of Murder," the sixth novel in the series by Lev Raphael. Hoffman would have found that ironic, since the loose ends of his life haven't been tied up for several books.

After run-ins with murderous students, professors and administrators at the State University of Michigan, Hoffman finds himself moving from the world of Ph.Ds to PIs as a way to escape the snakepit of academic politics with its internecine backstabbing and hypocrisies. A change of chairmanships and the prospect of introducing a Whiteness Studies program encourages Hoffman and his partner, Stefan, to escape over the Spring break at a Club Med resort in the Caribbean.

Alas, rest and relaxation turns out to be illusionary. Hoffman hoped to flee a potential client, a graduate student whose politically powerful in-laws may be behind some hate crimes at SUM. But tropical breezes, good food and pampered attention from the Club Med employees is spoiled when Nick finds that no matter how far you run, trouble will follow.

Raphael is an atypical mystery writer. His interests are wide-ranging, with a shelf of literary short stories, non-fiction (including a book on Edith Wharton) and even self-help books to his credit. His recent novel, "The German Money," drew on his family's experiences during and after the Holocaust, and themes from his oeuvre show up in his mysteries as well.

"Tropic of Murder" is a series whose full flavor is released by starting with an earlier book that sets the latest plot threads in motion. I recommend No. 5's "Burning Down the House," which launches the latest chain of events at SUM, but even better would be to start with "Let's Get Criminal," when Hoffman was young, happy, in love, and innocent of the bloody fate in store, and you can take a full measure of pleasure in the loopy events at SUM in its tawdry glory.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Setting for Nick, August 18, 2004

By	Lorraine Talbot (Winsted,, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As usual, things are in an uproar in Nick Hoffman's St. Univ. of Michigan department. The provost, Merry Ginka, appoints the least likely candidate chairman of the department, bypassing the usual election process. Peter deJonge, a graduate student, has asked Nick to do some "detecting" for him. Nick is thinking about that and he's thinking about whether or not he might be bisexual, as he keeps finding himself susceptible to the attractions of Juno, a flamboyant professor in his department.
Stefen, Nick's pardner, had been planning for them to have a tropical vacation for spring break in March, but decides they need one now and off they go to a Club Med on Serenity, a fictional Carribbean island.
One of the first people to approach Nick on the beach is deJong, the graduate student. He'd learned from Stefan where they were going and had brought his problem with him. Oh, and there are intrigues among the Club Med staff and one of the fellow guests is a hot new writer that Stefen hates and probably envies. There are other colorful characters and eventually a murder.
This, as with the last couple of these Nick Hoffman mysteries, is not a typical murder mystery. It breaks most of the traditions of the genre, the major crime occurs far into the story, the perpetrator is often a surprise and the reader is seldom given enough clues to figure it out for him or herself.
But the book is a stimulating read, very erudite. I usually have an English and a French dictionary hardy. The quotes sprinkled throughout are thought provoking. And a good deal of it is funny, the kind of sauciness that makes me chuckle outloud, all by myself. I recommend this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One-dimensional characters, poor plotting., July 2, 2005

By	mojosmom (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Nick and partner Stefan Borowski head for a Caribbean Club Med to escape academic departmental politics. But, of course, it follows them there, and then there is a murder. Nick, who is a PI manqué, naturally must investigate, especially as he and Stefan find the body and it appears that someone is trying to implicate him.

Not one of Raphael's best. Too many of the characters are one-dimensional, with no clear motivations for their behavior. Plotlines appear and disappear with no resolution. The solution to the mystery comes out of left field, as the murderer, for no apparent reason, decides to divulge all to Nick and then flee. Even WITH a confession, there's no satisfactory motivation for the murder.

And, Lev? While you may not care for Michael Cunningham's work, too much sniping at him in your book looks like professional jealousy. Tone it down.