Review: Murder is Academic

I am very excited to be part of this book tour.  Please read on to see my review and to enter the giveaway for your chance to win a copy of Murder is Academic!

Synopsis from Amazon:
Laura Murphy, psychology professor, thinks there's nothing she likes better than coffee and donuts on a summer morning until she says yes to dinner with a Canadian biker and finds herself and her date suspects in the murder of her college's president. Laura's friend, the detective assigned the case, asks her to help him find out who on the small upstate New York college campus may be a killer. The murder appears to be wrapped up in some unsavory happenings on the lake where Laura lives. A fish kill and raw sewage seeping into the water along with the apparent drowning suicide of a faculty member complicate the hunt for the killer. And then things become personal. The killer makes a threatening phone call to Laura. With a tornado bearing down on the area and the killer intent upon silencing her, Laura's sleuthing work may come too late to save her and her biker from a watery grave.

My review:
I love a good mystery and this was no exception.  It was light and fun and had enough twists that I didn't figure out who the criminal was until a few chapters before the end of the book.  Laura Murphy is our main character and she was perfect.  She had a small group of close friends who appreciated and accepted her for who she was, which was a good person with good intentions who consistently meddled where she really didn't belong.  She may have been a detective in her previous life.  She is the friend whom you love to pieces but who knows how to push all of your buttons... at once.

The story wasn't overly complicated and the reader has several opportunities to evaluate the evidence and theories and develop some hunches.  Mine were wrong twice but then as I got closer to the end, I was able to figure it out and that's when the action really started.  I couldn't put the book from this moment forward. In addition to the murder mystery, there is also a little romance and the unavoidable turmoil that goes with it. What story would be complete without a little bit of swoon, right?  

The story wraps up nicely but also leaves an opening for the next book and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what the characters get into next.

I also really loved the setting.  Laura's house on the lake was gorgeous and made me want to start looking for real estate.  The lake was also a perfect backdrop for many of the events in the story.

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Lesley A. Diehl is the author of cozy mysteries featuring sassy, country gals who enjoy snooping.  Stop by to learn more about her on her website/blog at www.lesleyadiehl.com