Murder is an Art
A Mystery
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Dr. Sally Good, head of the English and Fine Arts Division of the Hughes Community College in Texas, has her hands full. On top of dealing with the numerous complaints from testy faculty members concerning the allocation of the department's budget, she must also conduct an inquiry into the recent misbehavior of the department's philandering art professor, Val Hurley, who stands accused of molesting a young female student. And then there is the complaint lodged against the art department--and namely Val--for displaying what some people see as a satanic painting.
When Val is found bludgeoned to death in his office and the painting in question disappears, it isn't long before the department dissolves into a state of chaos and hysteria. Sally begins to realize that she might be in over her head when the student in question is found murdered shortly thereafter.
The police aren't getting very far with their investigation: Their only tenuous suspect is the victim's husband, who has disappeared. When Sally decides that her insider's knowledge of the department gives her a unique insight into the identity of the murderer, her decision could prove fatal. With a little sleuthing, Sally, aided by attractive fellow professor Jack Neville, uncovers a lot more than she bargained for.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Best known for his Sheriff Dan Rhodes series, Crider here introduces Dr. Sally Good, chair of the division of arts and humanities at a small college in Texas. Though bickering is normal among the professors, someone goes too far when the art department chair, Val Hurley, is found murdered in his office. Suspecting a connection with the disappearance of a controversial painting, Good grows disappointed with police efforts and decides to solve the case with the help of her colleague, Professor Jack Neville. Hurley had recently come before the college president for painting a student, Tammi Thompson, in the nude, and police fear Tammi's jealous husband may have committed the murder. Another suspect is A.B.D. Johnson, a muckraking colleague who was appalled by Val's cavalier use of school funds. While Crider's quirky characters entertain--just as did the characters in his previous campus series, featuring Professor Carl Burns--it seems odd that these academic gumshoes are never in a classroom and spend little time dealing with students. Their sleuthings provide modest fun, while the novel's ending offers an unexpected tinge of sadness.
