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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I truly enjoyed reading this book. The characters were fun and very different than in most books. Just enough romantic thoughts to keep you interested, even if the plot hadn’t had so many twists. A hard book to put down and NOW we have to get the next book to continue with their lives! Thank you
This book was a page turner. I loved the characters and the twists and turns.
Interesting first book. Author needs to pare back the narrative, as I don’t need to know every single thing the main character did, ate, or wore. It has possibilities as a series, and I look forward to the next one.
I read it too the end. It wasn’t subject matter I could identify with as it was about academia. Perhaps an educator would find it more appealing.
Enjoyed it. Easy reading with some charming characters. Original story line, not formulaic or predictable.
Little confusing and too much “running around” but a good first in the series.
Great character development, with the primary ones likable without being too good to be true. The story kept my interest – and I’m easily distracted.
I liked it.
I did not know who did it. Kept me guessing.
Loved reading this and didn’t guess the murderer until the end!
Good but only good
Dollycas’s Thoughts
We meet Kellan Ayrwick, who works on true crime dramas in Hollywood. He has come home to attend his father’s retirement party and meet with a woman who has done some research for an upcoming season on his television show. Near the end of the party, Kellan makes a tragic discovery. One of the professors appears to have fallen to her death down a flight of stairs. Evidence quickly points to murder and the top suspects include people close to Kellan. Kellan is encouraged to do a little investigating and the finds one curve after another before he hits it out of the park and uncovers whodunit.
We rarely have male protagonists in cozy mysteries and I liked Kellan right away. A single dad living and working in California. He is clearly not happy with his boss. His relationship with his parents is complicated, they are a unique pair, but he sure loves his Nana and their relationship was so heartwarming. Kellan is smart, funny and sarcastic is a delightful way. He comes across as very laid back and confident. His arrival home and the subsequent murder lands him right in the middle of everything going on at the college.
The author has written a mystery that encompasses a wide variety of people. Professors, students, and staff of the Braxton Campus are all entangled in the murder investigation. Another death hits close to Kellan and his family and I was heartbroken when he found the body. All of the characters feel real and believable. Campus life is truly portrayed with an emphasis on the athletic department. Twists and turns kept me guessing right up until the end.
The pace was good but it was wordy in places and that bogged it down a bit. I think a little tightening up would make it fly. The character development was great and left plenty of room for growth. I hope to get to know Kellan’s daughter better in future stories. The world building clearly gave me a sense of time and place.
This series is off to a wonderful start. I found the story entertaining and enjoyable. I look forward to future installments.
To be fair, cozy mystery stories are not my first choice. You know, usually, you’ll get snoopy (old and pleasant or not) ladies as amateur detectives (the rarer male versions are not far away from the description) of which presence attracts the death of those around them, and which have an easy way to find out things that the naïve or… uninspired police officers do not manage to discover themselves or who not have the same access as the ladies. Add the small villages, victims that deserve to die (if possible), clues and some red herrings and you’ll have the general image of a cozy mystery. But the first sentence of the last paragraph of the blurb made me give a chance to this book, because what could be funnier than “a village full of quirky, sarcastic and nosy residents”? Now I can say that I don’t regret reading it!
Mr. Cudney, a good storyteller, took the above features (plus the non-explicit violence, no-sex cozy mystery “policy” etc) changed a little bit here and a little there, brought a nice, significant mutation in the main character stereotype and succeed to give us a very, very nice and original piece of cozy mystery.
“Just what we needed. An audience with a penchant for being the second coming of Miss Marple,” said Sheriff Montague.“I’d prefer to think of myself as Hercule Poirot if I need to be compared to a literary character from nearly a hundred years ago, April.”
Yes, probably Hercule will have wanted to be Kellan Ayrwick J))
Trying to find the culprit before the others is not necessarily difficult because of the fake clues or apparent relevant information, but because of the various scenarios possible. But one must ask him/herself what is the purpose of X character? If he/she cannot answer this question, then, perhaps X is the wanted criminal… Even if the author gave us indication(s) with the dropping glass, they should be enough to stimulate the right suspicions.
“Difficult” professional and personal relationships, clever detectives (at least some of them), academic jealousy and ambitions, some possible (debatable) nepotism, romantic plots, humor, but mostly the clever, quirky, sarcastic (and nosy) characters are mixed in a crucible of inspiration and nice language, resulting a delightful reading.
The ending brings another mystery that should be solved (better said explained) in the second volume, Broken Heart Attack and I already started to imagine the meanings of the title.
Like the saying, Academic Curveball is not a sprint but a marathon that allows you to enjoy the view. Still, I have one important question: while reading Academic Curveball I permanently wanted to enter the kitchen, but not once in the gym. I wonder why?
Enjoy!
Kellan Ayrwick is 32 year old widower with a six year old daughter, who works on a true crime television series called “Dark Reality.” He returns home to Pennsylvania for his father’s retirement party at Braxton Campus, where he has also scheduled a meeting with professor Abby Monroe, who has been gathering information on behind the scenes corruption. However, Abby is found dead under suspicious circumstances on the night of the party.
Told in the first person, the story follows Kellan’s attempts to uncover the truth behind Abby’s death, as he weaves his way through a myriad of twists and turns, and a number of red herrings.
Although he has a troubled relationship with his father, and his mother seems to be too busy to listen, he has a wonderful relationship with his grandmother-Nana D, who is an incredibly feisty but fun character. Their conversations are amazing, and made me chuckle throughout.
A second murder keeps the reader guessing till the end. I did not suspect the culprit, as it was highly unexpected .
Academic Curveball is the third book I have read by the author James J. Cudney. It is a joy to read, and I look forward to reading more in this series.
College Was Never Like This
Academic Curveball, by James John Cudney IV, has a contorted plot, to say the least. The story is told in 1st Person point of view, through the mind of the protagonist, Kellan Ayrwick. So many great points exist in this story and the way it’s written that I don’t know where to begin.
The story flows smoothly, even as this reader finds herself inside Kellan’s mind. The reader being so, we not only have a unique viewpoint of the action, the author is able to weave in the main character’s back story, ideals, thought processes—we learn just who Kellan Ayrwick is and the details progress without stopping the story or slowing it down. Just as any person may have extraneous thoughts throughout their days, so we experience Kellan’s mental gymnastics. However, all of these sometimes seemingly disassociated thoughts feed into the plot and quickly move it forward seamlessly.
Regarding this plot – what a contorted story it is. Many characters people this plot but I had no difficulty keeping track partly because the reader sees the action from inside Kellan’s mind and that provides the understanding of how the characters mesh. So many twists and turns happen and just when it looks like the perpetrator(s) could easily be identified, attention is thrown to others as the plot takes yet more shocking turns.
Overall, this story flowed very fast, held together by experiencing the action through Kellan Ayrwick’s mind. I have read Cudney’s first two books and loved them. But I must say this is Cudney at his best. This is great writing and storytelling, with a fascinating plot. Since this is the beginning of a series, if you like cliffhangers that move you onto the next book in the series, you will love the delicious ending of this story.
As if I expected this book to be anything less than magnificant, Jay has done it again! This time, he brings us the first book, Academic Curveball, in his new cozy mystery series, the Braxton Campus Mysteries. I love how versatile of an author Jay is. He is proving that he can move across genres with ease, and I’m really excited to see where he progresses next.
First of all, let’s talk a bit about how much I love this cover. Normally, I don’t touch on covers in my reviews, but if I was living in a different world, where I didn’t know Jay, and I was just seeing this book on a shelf or in the kindle catalogue, I would absolutely pick this one up. I have a bit of a soft-spot for cozy mystery covers, which I’ve learned about myself this year, but this one drew me in right away. Without reading the blurb, I already wanted to know what was happening in this story.
Jay has this inate ability to draw you in with his descriptions and make you feel like you’re part of the book. This is absolutely the case in Academic Curveball. Not only did I feel like I was there, I felt like every single character was intriguing, unique, and realistic. Kellan is a single father, and is clearly dedicated. I love his free-spirited nature, and I adored the sarcasm and humor thrown in. I found myself laughing out loud. Everyone’s favorite character has been Nana D., and I can’t lie, she was mine too. I love how blunt she is. I could go on and on about the characters. If you’ve read my reviews, you know, I absolutely love books that are character driven, and Academic Curveball is just that. The plot is driven by the characters, and that is what drew me in the most about this story.
The mystery in this is incredible. Jay really knows how to throw twists and turns with each page turn, and I found myself flying through this novel. I tried to guess what was going on, and I was incorrect every time. I was suspicious of almost every character, and I was thrown off every time. I never could guess the murderer, and I love that about this book. That is the kind of suspense and mystery I am drawn to. I don’t want to know the answers right away (even if I pretend I do!), I want to be taken on a journey, and I was with this story.
I can keep gushing about Academic Curveball, but I think you should just pick this one up and experience it for yourself! Highly recommended, even if cozy mystery isn’t your normal genre, I urge you to check this one out. You’re going to be surprised and you’re going to be taken on a ride you aren’t expecting!
*Thank you to the author for providing me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.*
This is the third book I’ve read by Cudney and what I love is how each novel is so different yet each one is equally awesome! Academic Curveball kept me on my toes while I tried to figure out the mystery. I also loved Kellan and reading from his POV! He felt real and completely relatable, which is one of my favorite kind of characters. What you’ll get is plenty of mystery, fantastic writing, and witty dialogue. And that ending seriously has me yearning for book 2!!
Very slow moving. I identified the murderer as soon as character was introduced. The cliff hanger ending was the final straw. I will not be reading any other books by this author.
Too much going over and over the same points
Nothing special