BEANED IN BOSTON: Murder at a Finance Convention
By
Who killed philandering Prof. Richard Duncan during a Boston convention? Since the suspects, from his tearful widow back in Dallas to his latest couple of conquests to the people he'd blackmailed or otherwise antagonized, are about as fascinating and unpredictable as most of the business-school types you meet in real life, this first novel relies heavily on the understated charm of its team of good guys--unmarried Prof. Lisa King, courtly teddy bear Prof. Jim Flaherty, police detective Celeste Barclary, and sharp-eyed chambermaid Katie Maguire. But, however charming the group may be, they're ultimately no more interesting than their suspects. Civilized and appealingly modest, but so uninflected--crime and punishment barely interrupt the routine of all those hotel meals--that you may not notice when it's over.