Book Review: Murder at the B-School

Reviewed By: Carol - SLC - RAM

Murder at the B-School     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Jeffrey Cruikshank
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth   Police Procedural
Mysterious Press, 2004, 323 pages

Wim Vermeer is an assistant professor at Harvard’s School of Business whose lackluster career in finance makes his chances of being awarded tenure slim and has him contemplating what to do with the rest of his life. Just when he’s sure that things can’t get much worse, Eric MacInnes, one of his students, is found dead under suspicious circumstances. Professor Vermeer is recruited by the dean to act as a liaison between the school and Eric’s parents in hopes of salvaging the MacInnes family’s largesse while an investigation into the cause of Eric’s death is underway. Enter Barbara Brouillard , the interesting, no-nonsense captain of the Boston Police Department. She goes with her gut instincts, and together she and Professor Vermeer wade deeper and deeper into the murky undercurrents of academia and murder.

I really enjoyed the way Cruikshank developed his characters with colorful and insightful dialogue. There is definite chemistry between Professor Vermeer and Captain Brouillard which adds interest without gratuitous sex. The book ends in such a way that this reader wonders if a Vermeer and Brouillard reunion just might be in the works; I hope so!

Carol - SLC - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Carol - SLC - RAM