An English professor investigates a college town murder in this “deftly crafted novel of unexpected twists and surprising turns” (Midwest Book Review). In the small town of Copper Bluff, South Dakota, English teacher Emmeline Prather is enjoying the start of a new semester–until one of her students dies while working on the fall musical. The police rule the death accidental, but Professor … accidental, but Professor Prather suspects foul play.
Em recruits fellow instructor Lenny Jenkins to help her comb the campus for clues–risking their reputations and possibly their careers. And when an intruder breaks into Em’s house, Lenny advises caution, but Prather, convinced they’re on the brink of an important breakthrough, is all the more determined to forge ahead.
“Debut author Angela introduces a charming amateur sleuth, fun and well read. She so lovingly describes the town of Copper Bluff that readers can feel the breeze and smell the autumn leaves” (Library Journal).
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An Act of Murder is the first book in the Professor Prather Mystery series written by Mary Angela. They take place on a college campus in Copper Bluff, South Dakota and revolve around the main character, Emmeline Prather. First, what a fantastic name! Second, I can’t say how much I enjoy reading books that take place on a campus where we really get to know the cast over multiple books. So glad to have this one!
Emmeline cares about her students. When a local farm boy seems to be confused and apprehensive about poetry and his fraternity pledging, Emmeline steps in to help. But he’s reticent to do much… and before it’s too late, she finds out he’s unexpectedly died. His parents were getting divorced; his friends said a few nasty things about him. But he seemed lovable and lost. Emmeline believes someone killed him intentionally. The accident seemed too weird to be true. And of course, it wasn’t. The murderer lurked nearby and surprised Emmeline… as it did me too.
I found myself in love with this campus and the small town feel of a place entering the autumn season. Professors live within walking distance. There are bookstores and poetry houses. Everyone seems to love being around the students… except some of the bickering professors. What’s going on behind the scenes here? I enjoyed trying to solve this mystery, which has at least ten good suspects. It’s clear the deceased is liked, so why would so many have a motive? You gotta read to find out more.
The characters were well drawn. The plot is strong. I love the setting. Mary Angela is a wonderfully descriptive writer. It’s still early on and the writer is setting the stage for a fully fleshed out cast… and I’m on board. I recommend reading this series and will find more in the coming months to add to my schedule.
In An Act of Murder, book one of the Professor Prather mysteries, we are introduced to a wide range of students and professors that inhabit the small college town of Copper Bluff, South Dakota. Living in the midwest myself, I could easily picture the scenes showing the excitement and bustle of the beginning of fall semester. Unfortunately, the suspicious death of a student taking Emmeline Prather’s English Composition course throws the professor off her scripted syllabus and into amateur sleuth mode.
The professor’s caring nature for her students’ well-being comes through loud and clear, even as she’s maybe not the most organized grader, or cool in the eyes of the undergrads. She’s not above sneaking into off-limit spaces or badgering potential witnesses, even when it gets her in hot water with the local police or her colleagues. I enjoyed getting to know her fellow teachers, Lenny, Andre, and rest of the English department. I look forward to learning more about their backgrounds in future books in this series.
The mystery itself with its wide net of potential suspects reminded me of a classic Agatha Christie setup. The twisty ending was fulfilling and though I didn’t see it coming, the clues were there all along. If you enjoy researching in the library stacks and frequenting coffee shops or open mike nights at the local college bar, you should add this to your list of series to check out.
I could see the characters in my mind as I was reading
I’m reading this series out of order, I started with the third, and although there’s a definite continuation of storyline in the books they can each be read as a standalone. Set in a small college town and featuring an English professor, Emmeline Prather. Well written, and a nice mystery to boot! A+
Book one in the Professor Prather Mystery series. Meet Professor Emmeline Prather who teaches in the English department (though she wishes it was the French that she really loves) at a smaller college in Copper Bluff, South Dakota. It is the beginning of the new school meaning a whole new batch of students. Things are going well until one of her students (that she just happened to be a little concerned with) turns up dead found in the theater. It is not apparent at first how he died but due to some odd behavior on the last day she sees him Em cannot help but find herself looking into what really happened along with her friend Professor Lenny. Of course this leads to some interesting developments and a finale that I did not see coming which is always a good thing. I have to admit that it was nice change of pace to read about lead character that is a professor as this is not a usual occupation for mystery novels but it did add a nice layer to the investigation that is not usually considered. Overall this is a nice mystery novel that keeps the reader guessing into the killer is finally revealed. I really enjoyed it so it gets 4/5 stars.