by Sarah Erwin
This week we are reviewing Study Guide for Murder By Lori Robbins, and we have a fun interview with Lori. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.
Study Guide for Murder: Master Class Book Two by Lori Robbins
Review by Sarah Erwin
Study Guide for Murder is book two in the Master Class mystery series by Lori Robbins and reads easily as a standalone for those new to the series.
Main character Liz Hopewell is an English teacher, wife, and mother, whose husband, George, has recently joined the local country club. Attempting to find something that brings her closer to him, Liz grudgingly agrees to take golf lessons so she can participate in tournaments. Unfortunately, after her first lesson, Liz stumbles upon the body of club member and treasurer Elliot Tumbleson. He’s been murdered, and the weapon of choice is one of Liz’s missing clubs.
Suspicion surrounds Liz, but before it can grow, a second murder occurs, and one of her former students finds himself under the spotlight. Determined to prove her student’s innocence, Liz investigates. She is unique as a sleuth because she often uses literary theory to uncover clues.
While investigating the country club murder, Liz, along with her sister Susan, discovers many secrets. It quickly becomes clear that the “perfect life” in suburbia is not always as perfect as it looks from the outside.
Liz and Susan also begin investigating the long-ago car accident that killed their mother, revealing much about their difficult childhood. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, worried about their safety while wanting them to keep looking for answers.
This is a page-turning read with vivid writing and impressive plotting as Lori puts not just one but two mysteries in one book without overwhelming readers with details or rushing through the plot.
The characters are well-developed. Some I loved and some I despised. I could easily picture the setting, especially Liz’s time at school. The struggles of the characters are also very real, which felt truly unique in a cozy mystery. This story isn’t afraid to tackle real life topics while also providing an immensely readable mystery. I hope for more stories featuring Liz and her sister Susan.
Interview with Lori Robbins:
KRL: How long have you been writing?
Lori: I began writing my first full-length novel about ten years ago. Before that, I scribbled character sketches, kept a list of story ideas, and became a serial eavesdropper at restaurants and parties.
KRL: When did your first novel come out, what was it called, and would you tell us a little about it?
Lori: Lesson Plan for Murder, the first Master Class mystery, was published in 2017 by a small press that went out of business one year later. I’m fairly certain the demise of that well-respected publisher wasn’t solely due to my anemic sales, but the timing, I admit, is rather “suspect.” The book later found a home, and a bigger audience, with Level Best Books, which also publishes my On Pointe mysteries.
Lori Robbins
Study Guide for Murder is the second book in the series. Both are academic mysteries, in which an English teacher investigates crimes using her gift for literary theory to analyze motives. The chapter headings are titles of famous novels and provide both clues and a running commentary for the amateur sleuth’s investigation. I’m a dedicated armchair detective, and this series reflects my love of puzzles.
KRL: Have you always written mysteries, if not, what else have you written?
Lori: I’ve written seven traditional mysteries and recently completed my first work of domestic suspense. Someday, I’ll write a multi-generational novel, but not until I’m ready to dive into historical fiction.
KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?
Lori: I taught English at a suburban high school. Public education is a rich source of homicidal inspiration.
KRL: Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?
Lori: If there’s one underlying theme to my work, it’s that what you do doesn’t necessarily define who you are. My characters rebel against stereotypes to forge their identities and their place in the world.
KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?
Lori: I write every day, for as many hours as it takes to get to one thousand words, although if I’m editing, the word count definitely suffers. If the writing is going well, I’ll surpass that goal, but I reset the word count to zero the following day.
KRL: What is your ideal time to write?
Lori: I focus on the business side of writing in the morning and the creative side in the afternoon.
KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?
Lori: I’ve recently learned I’m neither a plotter nor a planner but a pantser. In other words, I begin with a skeleton outline that gets fleshed out as I write.
KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?
Lori: I did! I was closing in on fifty rejections before I got my first publishing contract.
KRL: Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?
Lori: In my first critique group, one of the members said I’d never get published because the writing was terrible, and no one would want to read about my unlikeable characters. Since one of those unlikeable characters was loosely based on me, it was doubly insulting. I ended up quitting the group, but another participant contacted me, and we have been critiquing partners for the last ten years. So, in the end, it was worth the pain! The novel she so loathed became the first in my Master Class series, and the third book featuring that flawed protagonist will release in 2025.
KRL: Wow what a story! Most interesting book signing story-in a bookstore or other venue?
Lori: I participated in a panel at the Milford PA Readers and Writers Festival, followed by a book signing. It was a fabulous event, made better by the fact that Bob Eckstein, a cartoonist whose work featured in the New Yorker and the New York Times, was in the audience. He presented the panelists with a picture he sketched of us. It’s now hanging on the wall in my office.
KRL: What are your future writing goals?
Lori: My most immediate goal is to find a home for my domestic suspense, Rebecca’s Winter. It was inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and represents a real departure from my other work.
KRL: Best of luck! Who are your writing heroes?
Lori: My hero is Frank McCourt, who published Angela’s Ashes at 66, after spending many years as a high school English teacher.
KRL: What kind of research do you do?
Lori: Most of my research is based on talking to experts. Our New York/Tristate chapter of Sisters in Crime includes law enforcement professionals, lawyers, and others who bring real-world knowledge to us amateurs, and they’re incredibly generous with their time. Similarly, I maintain close relationships with professional dancers to see if and how that world has changed since I retired from the stage.
KRL: What do you like to read?
Lori: I’m an eclectic reader. Recent reads include The Silence of the Girls, a feminist retelling of The Iliad, Kate Ellis’s Wesley Peterson police procedurals, and my fiftieth rereading of A.S Byatt’s Possession.
KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?
Lori: I tend to get to TV shows when they’re years old, which explains why I’ve only recently watched The Hour. It’s about a fictional, current affairs TV show, aired by the BBC, that takes place in the 1950s. I also watch John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight.
KRL: Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
Lori: Tell everyone you know that you’re writing a book. It’s a huge incentive to actually do it.
KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
Lori: I love math and science. In my next life, I’m going to study particle physics.
KRL: Do you have any pets?
Lori: Sadly, we said goodbye to our wonderful dog and cat. But I do have several “grand-dogs” to keep me company.
KRL: Is there anything you would like to add?
Lori: I recently started a newsletter that’s a tongue-in-cheek riff on advice columns. Each issue proposes answers to modern-day problems, using famous books as a guide and inspiration. The latest one gives advice about unwelcome gifts with quotes from Homer, Agatha Christie, Henry James, and Susan Isaacs.
KRL: Where can our readers find you online?
Lori: I love hearing from readers and fellow writers!
lorirobbins.com
The Great Books Guide linktr.ee/lorirobbinsmysteries
instagram.com/lorirobbinsmysteries
facebook.com/lorirobbinsauthor
twitter.com/lorirobbins99
bookbub.com/profile/lori-robbins
goodreads.com/author/show/16007362.Lori_Robbins
You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.
To enter to win an ebook copy of Study Guide For Murder, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “study guide” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 2, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.
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Great interview! Count me in!