A professor turned private investigator accepts an assignment at a scenic East Coast college campus in Amy Bloom's immensely entertaining crime drama, Blunt Instrument. A fresh, contemporary spin on classic whodunit themes of sex, money, and power, Bloom's first mystery features a much-disliked victim, a colorful cadre of suspects, comically ineffectual police officers, and, at the center, a charming private eye with good looks and an unusual approach to her work.
Blunt Instrument opens in early August with the fatal bludgeoning of 78-year-old Professor Oliver Bullfinch of Cromwell University's English department. Wary of "unpleasant publicity," Cromwell's president hires Dell Chandler to discreetly solve the case before the university's students return to campus. Unfortunately, there's nothing discreet about Dell, and the professor's killer appears determined to sabotage her investigation.
Armed with a Ph.D. in English literature, Dell turned to detective work after a spectacular career implosion, the memory of which still stings as she arrives at Cromwell, where a "delectable" landscape conceals a multitude of secrets. With no actual experience investigating homicides, Dell relies on tips gleaned from her favorite TV show, Law & Order. She has a brilliant wit and isn't afraid to probe, unearthing motives that implicate multiple suspects "Murder on the Orient Express-style."
Dell's romantic diversions and family melodrama inject intrigue into an action-packed plot, while a second killing and a near-death experience add urgency to her investigation. The first volume in a planned series, Blunt Instrument signals an exciting new direction for the already successful Bloom (White Houses; Lucky Us). --Shahina Piyarali