by Cynthia Chow
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an e-book copy of The Semester of Our Discontent, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.
Although Colorado’s Stonedale University loftily considers itself to be an exclusive provider of a liberal arts higher education, it’s also a fall-back for those who came close but never quite made it into Ivy League institutions. This is where thirty year-old Lila Maclean finds herself as a newly hired professor of American Literature. Until she reaches tenure in six years, Lila will be forced to teach classes, advise students, head committees, and still manage to publish in distinguished journals or presses. All while also keeping her head down and not offending the department chairs and other senior professors.
Lila is off to a rocky start, when after having a heated disagreement over her intention of teaching mysteries and more popular works, she discovers her department chair Roland Higgins stabbed to death in his office.
Being the newest professor in the department, her colleagues are more than willing to cast suspicions on Lila as a possible murderer. Detective Lexington Archer seems to have a difficult time understanding just how fraught with discontent the academia may be, but he certainly recognizes Lila’s unfortunate repeat appearances at crime scenes. Bludgeoning by books, missing knives, and even a stake through the heart all seem to lend an unorthodox twist to these very mundane felonies.
I adore academic mysteries. I can intellectually understand what instigates turf wars between rival drug-running gangs, but I ‘relate’ to the egocentric, publish-or-perish mentalities of the academia. Author Cynthia Kuhn is phenomenal at conveying the tension-filled atmosphere that inundates higher institutions, where one’s fate rests entirely on a few out-of-touch, pompous faculty members.
This book was published by Henery Press. To learn more about their books check out their website: henerypress.com.
To enter to win an e-book copy of The Semester of Our Discontent , simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “semester,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen July 23, 2016. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section.
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Oh yes I adore Academia murders too primarily because I worked at a University twice..and a Campus has such possibilities for “pompous” and “egocentric”…thank you for the review and contest. Please enter me.
Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com
Oooh, it sounds awesome. Adding it to the list!
“The Semester of Our Discontent ” sounds like a great read. This is a new to me author and I look forward to reading.
diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
I enjoy academic mysteries, too. Thank you for the chance to win.
I would love to win a copy of The Semester of our Discontent –it has a great setting that should be very interesting. Thanks for the giveaway!
This truly sounds marvelous – Henery Press seems to publish a great number of quality mysteries.
Sounds intriguing!
Thank you for your synopsis of The Semester of Our Discontent. So many new mysteries coming out this summer. Thank you for a chance to win! Have a great week! Doodlesink@hotmail.com
What a gorgeous cover! A professor teaching mysteries, where do I enroll? No such courses were available to me in the 70’s. I had to read the classics instead. I discovered mysteries much later.
Thanks for introducing me to a new author & book. I love all the infighting in the academic world & this sounds really good.
Have added this to my TBR list and can’t wait to read it!
I love mysteries with an academic setting. There aren’t enough of them. So, it’s great to have another one.
Thanks for offering a chance to win this! It sounds like a good book! lindaherold999@gmail.com
The Semester of our Discontent sounds VERY good! Thanks for a chance to win a copy!!
One of the things I love about this page. All the new authors and books I learn about. Wish I could afford to get them all. At once.
But to win a book here and there really helps. I so appreciate the authors and publishing houses who do these giveaways. Thank you ALL for what you to for us
We have a winner!