When Kellan Ayrwick returns home for his father’s retirement, he finds a body in Diamond Hall’s stairwell. Unfortunately, Kellan has a connection to the victim, and so do several members of his family.Soon after, the college’s athletic program receives mysterious donations, a nasty blog denounces his father, and someone attempts to change students’ grades.Someone is playing games on campus, but … on campus, but none of the facts add up. With the help of his eccentric nana, Kellan tries to stay out of the sheriff’s way. But who killed Professor Abby Monroe?
Praise:
★★★★★ – “Fantastic writing and witty dialogue. Awesome.”
★★★★★ – “An exciting, cozy mystery.”
★★★★★ – “Full of twists and turns, and an ending you won’t see coming.”
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A light-hearted murder mystery set in an academic setting with strong family vibes. I enjoyed this cozy story. It is for you if you like a well written story with lots of engaging dialogue. It is perhaps a bit different from what I would normally read but it is good to try new genres from time to time. I particularly enjoyed the main character’s Kellan Ayrwick’s feisty Nana who is such a fun character! Kellan is a widower with a young daughter, he works on a true crime television series called “Dark Reality.” His father’s retirement party at Braxton Campus brings more than he expects when Abby Monroe is found dead and it soon becomes clear that her death is not of natural causes.
Recommended reading for those who enjoy humour as a side dish to garnish their murder mystery.
Recommend to people who enjoy cosy mysteries and amateur sleuths.
A fun and lively read. Kellan returns home for his father’s retirement as president of Braxton College. On the night of the retirement party, a professor who Kellan had arranged to meet in connection with another matter is murdered. Later his father’s assistant is also murdered. With his parents acting strangely and some people hostile to his family, Kellan is drawn into the investigation. In between catching up with old friends, his nanna’s match-making and a sheriff who has taken a dislike to him Kellan is determined to get to the bottom of it all.
Well-written, fun read.
Things are not what they seem in this debut of the Braxton Campus mystery series!
Kellan Ayrwick is going home for his father’s retirement ceremony from the college he’s run for the past twenty years. Kellan’s boss takes the opportunity to have him meet a woman with information for a true crime show they’re working on, but before he can find her there’s a murder on campus.
Kellan’s dad, Wesley, becomes a prime suspect and Kellan must weave his way through a tangled web of lies and deceit if he wants to find the true killer.
There’s plenty of stress in the Ayrwick home as accusations against Wesley’s management of funds is questioned and rumors abound. My favorite character was Nana D, whose sarcasm and sage advice give humor to a tense situation.
Favorite lines:
Nana D: Is that a dirty wet mop on your head? You’re dressed like a hooligan. Put on a coat, it’s cold out.
Me: Thanks, Captain Obvious. I fell on the walkway. You think I’m normally this much of a disaster?
Nana D: And you’re supposed to be the brilliant one? Have you given up on life, or did it give up on you?
Me: Keep it up, and I won’t visit this weekend. You’re supposed to be a sweet and loving grandma.
Nana D: If that’s what you want, go down to the old folks’ home and rent yourself a little biddy. Maybe you two can share some smashed peas, green Jell-O, and a tasty glass of Ovaltine. I’ll even pay.
Cudney, James J.. Academic Curveball (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 1) (Kindle Locations 138-140). Creativia. Kindle Edition.
I give Academic Curveball 5 lovely kisses: A great new-to-me author!
Mr. Cudney hit it right out of the ballpark with Academic Curveball. The first book of the Braxton Campus cozy mystery series is told in the first person by the humorous, dessert loving, main character Kellan Ayrwick. Kellan is returning to his hometown, Braxton, a small secluded community to attend his father, Wesley Ayrwick’s retirement party at Braxton College.
An executive in the television industry, Kellan’s in his second season as director of an award-winning series, Dark Reality, a show about real-life crime. Kellan’s also on a mission while he’s in town to meet a woman who’s performed research for Dark Reality, Abby Monroe. Unfortunately, he never gets that opportunity. Abby is murdered in the midst of his father’s retirement party, setting the small campus abuzz with alarm.
True to the cozy mystery genre, Mr. Cudney fills this story with colorful characters, each and every one a possible suspect with something to hide. Kellan wheedles his way in the middle of this crime always butting heads with the local sheriff, who wants him out of her path, but Kellan continues ferreting and analyzing each tidbit of information, fastening together suspect’s motives, and alibis piece by piece to solve this mystery.
I love the backstory Mr. Cudney provides of the Ardwick family dynamics, his deceased wife and young daughter, and his college love and close friends. Spunky Nana D. kept me laughing with her antics and her wisecracking personality. The relationship between her and Kellan is a special one where jokes and jabs are given every encounter.
Academics Curveball’s pacing is just right for this genre, with just enough twist and turns to hold the reader’s attention. Mr. Cudney had me guessing to the very end of this story. I was sure I knew who the murderer was, but was stunned to discover I was wrong. I didn’t see it coming. There’s another major twist at the end that made my eyes pop in shock. Okay, Mr. Cudney, what do you have up your sleeve for book two in the series? I can’t wait to see what’s in store with this new surprise. I highly recommend Academic Curveball to those who love a warm, cozy mystery, or anyone looking for a good read. Well done Mr. Cudney!
Academic Curveball, by James J. Cudney, is the first of six Braxton Campus Mysteries. I have both the eBook and audiobook. I listened to the audiobook.
The story is told in first person from Kellan Avrwick’s Point of View. Kellan works in Hollywood for the TV show Dark Reality. He returns home for his father’s retirement as the president from Braxton College. He expects to meet with a professor, Abby Monroe, who did some research for the next season of Dark Reality. Toward the end of the retirement party, through Lorraine Candito, his father’s assistant, he finds Abby’s body in Diamond Hall’s stairwell. Upon the initial examination of the crime scene, Sheriff April Montague declared that Abby was hit in the head before falling down the stairwell.
After Abby’s death, his father asks him to take over Abby’s class. He accepts the invitation to stay longer to do his own investigation. By checking out the grade book in Abby’s office, he discovers a grade change in one student. Over the course of two weeks, he meets with people such as his sister, his nana D, a former Braxton friend Connor Hawkins and other people who give him hints on the suspect. He also runs into Lorraine’s brother, who is Abby’s husband in getting a divorce with Abby, and some male and female students who might be suspect. One evidence even puts his father among the category. Kellan has a way to get people talking and give him information he was seeking.
He reports to his boss Derek and Sheriff Montague on every hint he discovers. In between teaching classes, meeting with people and going to the gym, he visits Nana D for delicious desserts.
The story is full of fast-paced twist and turn throughout the chapters. I love mystery, especially murder mystery. I follow every hint and make my guess of the murderer. Even though there are many characters, the author makes every character distinctive so the reader can easily keep track of them and their relationships to other characters. Each character’s action is revealed in a seamless and engaging dialogue. In the end, Kellan cleverly assists the arrest of the least expected murderer. This is a lighthearted read. I highly recommend this book.
This was a fun, non-stop intriguing book. Kellan is like a dog with a bone – determined and persistent, and he won’t let go no matter how many times people tell him to.
When a body is found on campus –the same person he travelled to meet – Kellan is pulled into a tangle of who-did-it; with a lot of sarcasm, suspects, and plenty of murderous reasons to go around.
I honestly had no idea how all the threads would tie at the end, there were so many murderer candidates, I was, like Kellan, trying to figure out who-did-it too. And the real killer? (Not telling you!) But it was definitely none of the various people I’d considered.
I enjoyed the brief glimpses of Kellan as a father, his interaction with his Nana (and boy was she scary and fun), and the dry humor that was thrown around. The mystery of the murder was done exceptionally well, with all the threads tied perfectly at the end. And the killer? Oh, I was so not suspecting that particular character! And once the murderer was revealed, I had one of those ah!-of-course moment.
The tone of the book is light throughout most of the way, humorous and mysterious, with a simple writing style. It’s the kind of writing and storytelling one can’t have enough. My second book by this author, I can definitely say it won’t be the last.
Expect the review of the next book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries series, Broken Heart Attack, coming soon!
I can’t recall reading a series and I don’t tend to read a lot of mysteries so I thought I’d better remedy it. I’d seen this book across my social media networks and have read an earlier book by this author, Watching Glass Shatter (see my earlier review https://sckarakaltsas.com/2018/08/24/book-review-watching-glass-shatter-by-james-j-cudney/)
Academic Curveball is the first of the Braxton Campus Mysteries and is set at Braxton College in Pennsylvania. Single father, Kellan Ayrwick returns home to dutifully attend his father’s retirement function. Both of his parents work at his old college, and he discovers his father is embroiled in some political issues on the eve of his retirement. After the dinner on campus, Kellan discovers a dead body and reluctantly gets involved in trying to solve the murder. Throw in his feisty and cheeky, grandmother, an ex- girlfriend and another murder along the way and things get very interesting.
It’s a very enjoyable read with great pace. The murderer was not who I expected it to be and the twists and turns kept me guessing. The end was left on a high with a cliff hanger and of course, I just have to get the next book in the series to find out what happens. I’m glad I picked this one up and look forward to getting into the next one.
Academic Curveball (Braxton Campus Mysteries #1) by James J. Cudney is a murder mystery but moves at a leisurely pace, as there are six or seven persons who fall in the net of suspicion. Investigations just begin when another person is killed on the campus. Kellan Ayrwick tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together though the Sheriff rebuffs his interference each time he tries to share some information. James has handled the plot so well that no clues could ever reveal the real murderer. Each suspect seems to have an alibi (an oft repeated word in the book.)
There is a striking shift in Cudney’s style in this book, as two of his earlier books dwell on darker aspects of life, without even a streak of light anywhere. Academic Curveball did start with strained relationships within Kellan’s family but it quickly hops on to a loving relationship he has with his Nana D, a vivacious, fun-loving lady who seems to know the whole town. It is Nana D who has made this murder mystery so charming and likeable. She keeps on adding her own insights along with the information she collects at her own level.
A long, drawn out investigation could have never concluded without the contribution of Kellan. Being an insider, he could discuss all the angles of the murders with Conner, his former friend who trusted him. He could have an informal talk with Jordan, Carla, Striker and even coach Oliver. Characterization in James’ novels is always crafted with sensitivity. Kellan’s tactful style of speaking and extracting information, his stoic acceptance of father’s reticence and his mother’s edging away from real issues – all add an appealing touch to the story.
Lovely!
Set against the backdrop of Braxton college campus, this murder mystery has you on the edge of your seat wondering ‘Who dunnit?’ I certainly suspected everyone & the author’s signature twist in the tale was superb. I did find the build up a little slow as we were gently introduced to the main characters but well worth the perseverance.
Kellan Ayrwick gets called back home for his father’s retirement party. Before he knows it, he’s caught up in a couple of suspicious deaths at his father’s college, a baseball grade-fixing scandal, and an old flame. What will happen next?
“Academic Curveball” covers some familiar ground for college-themed mysteries, with cranky professors and faculty infighting, not to mention the ever-present issues over grades and sports. But it does so with a fair amount of off-beat humor, and the the plot will keep the reader guessing until the end. Recommended for fans of cozy and academic mysteries who enjoy quirky asides from their main characters.
This is a great series. James J Cudney is a wonderful writer and as soon as I read the first book in the series, I had to keep reading!!!!!!
He returns to his home town and college for his father’s retirement. He is an in the background person for a reality show. His wife has been deceased for six years and he is just beginning to emerge from the grief. Their daughter was left with the grandparents in California, but he communicates with her every day via technology. What was meant to be a three week visit for the retirement and connecting with another person about skullduggery in Braxton worth adding to the reality show takes a twist when that person is murdered. Then another female is murdered at the college. What is happening in this small placid town? There’s a nasty blog Post about his father and all the huge funds spent on an athlete center and the sports figures. There the issue of a major league scout scoping out the Braxton star pitcher who may not be academically able to be involved in sports. Did someone fudge on his grades and enter wrong info. Where is the murder weapon and the missing clarinet? There are suspects all over the college, including the baseball coach who was dating both of the murdered women. The family interaction is great too, and Nana D. adds a sexy, nosy complex character to the mix. Our hero is pressed into service. He has the degree so he winds of teaching the classes of the woman he was to interview and collect the stories for the reality show. He’s still trying to find those for his rather contemptible boss. The sheriff seems to have taken a dislike to him and his meddling, his best friend, Conner, from college is the buff security head honcho there and both are attracted to the same woman they had liked in college. To complicate matters, his friend had been dating his sister, and the sheriff has eyes for Connor. Nana D. seems to stick her nose and finger into all the goings on. There’s her clarinet student who has had her clarinet stolen. One wonders if that was the murder weapon, the coach is found out to be best friends with the major league scout and someone has definitely fudged the grades for the baseball player. Then the news hits that Braxton is going to be a full-fledged University and he is asked to become an instructor. His father will be leading this new institution. Meanwhile the suspects keep multiplying. Did I mention this is a cozy mystery with scads of characters and subplots? I rarely read them anymore, but then this author manages to wrap everything up satisfactorily and hits you with a closing sentence that means you have to read the next novel to find out what happens. Beware, this could be addictive
Once I got to the sentence,” Unfortunately, fate opted for revenge over some past indiscretion to come back with the vengeance of a thousand plagues,” there wasn’t a doubt in my mind I’d be in for an entertaining cozy mystery.
Kellen’s father is the president of Braxton College where two murders take place in Diamond Hall. Hercule Poirot, he’s not, but Kellen does have a certain intuition about things that may help Sheriff Montague solve the double homicide cases. There are red herrings that pulled me into several maze-like false beliefs about the killer’s identity, which, made for fast page turning. Could it be the Coach? His friend Conner? His old flame Maggie? One of the students? The Dean? Maybe even his dad?
Nana might know. After all, she’s busy baking things and giving him insight into local politics, while serving Kellen shortbread with lemon icing or coconut cream pie. I have to admit I was distracted and drooling, by the time he wrote about the blueberry scones, the double fudge brownies, peach cobbler and my all time favorite: cherry pie. This author needs to write a cookbook or at least he should attach a few of his Nana’s recipes.
Either way, most of the truth will come out in the end, but there are a few surprises and a major curve-ball that will make you crave more of this author’s work. Of course, you might also want a side of Nana D’s corn muffins with raspberry jam, or her warm cinnamon buns.
Kellan Ayrwick comes home to attend his father’s retirement party. Kellan is a single father and a widower and the researcher for a crime television show Dark Reality. He plans to meet Abby Monroe and collect her material she has for Dark Reality, Season II. Abby is found dead by Lorraine Candito, his father’s assistant, and frantically tells Kellan with the news of a body in the stairwell of Diamond Hall. The story has a lot of twists and turns and a cliff hanger at the end of the book.
Really enjoyed it. Highly recommend it.
Intriguing mystery that takes place after Kellan returns home and finds a body in the stairwell. I loved the twists and turns as he attempts to figure out who is behind the murder.
These are the greatest cozies you could ever want, but they are also more than that! They are in depth mysteries where you get to know characters and the town and love them as if they were your own family! You will laugh, gasp, cry, and become ravenously hungry!
Kellan returns home to celebrate his father’s retirement from Braxton College and also to interview a woman he has never met. The interview is for a Reality TV show he works on. However, on the night of the celebratory dinner, he discovers a body at the foot of the stairs. As it turns out, the dead woman is the very person he was due to interview. Did she fall or was she pushed? Could there be a connection to their forthcoming interview?
However,, when Kellan tries to help the sheriff with her inquiry, she tells him to leave the detective work to her. Nevertheless he continues to investigate with the assistance of Connor, the college security officer, who just happens to be an old friend. But then another body is found beneath a window, which, again, begs the question, did she fall or had she been pushed? During his own inquiries, Kellan learns that there are several suspects, which he must weed out before the wrong person is accused of murder.
This is a great read. The author introduces some great characters in this novel. Not least is Nana D, Kellan’s maternal grandmother. She is a woman who knows her own mind and is not afraid to speak out. There are also many suspects in the line of fire, which kept me on my toes. However, I have to say that, though I was guessing right up until the very end, I still got it wrong. Highly recommended.
Kellan Ayrwick has returned home for a few days to attend a dinner in honor of his father’s retirement from Braxton College. While Kellan’s there, he is supposed to meet up with a woman who has done some research for the true crime TV show that he works on. However, Kellan gets distracted when, near the end of the dinner, he finds a dead body. The victim was a professor at Braxton. With everything swirling around the at college, Kellan is afraid that someone he loves will be arrested for the crime. Can he figure out the truth before that happens?
I wanted to like the book, but I felt it had some flaws to it. It was overly wordy, especially with some rehashing of things we already knew and theories we’d already considered. Additionally, there were several nitpicks, like this dinner several months before Kellan’s father planned to fully retire. The mystery, overall, was strong, however. There were several believable suspects that kept me guessing until Kellan figured things out. Likewise, I really liked the potential series regulars, and the book introduced several threads that will make for great future books in the series.