Murder in the Philosophy Department : Julia March

Who killed Niles Norman, the new head of the philosophy department?

When Norman is found murdered in his office, Liza Ryder, a professor of philosophy, offers the police her help. She's worried they won't take academic motives seriously. And she also investigates her colleagues herself.

Was the murderer the dotty old hippie? The vindictive former department head? The prodigiously incompetent administrative assistant?

Liza is horrified by how many motives she finds. Extortion. Deception. Secrets kept since grad school. Will anything be left of the philosophy department when the investigation is over?
Good Reads Summary

This novel has all of the perfect qualities a mystery requires to truly entrance and surprise the reader.  The setting is perfect for the crime, the main character is determined and headstrong, and the plot is intricate enough to keep the reader guessing.  The secondary characters add to the mystery and give the book depth.  The reader will enjoy getting to know each suspect very well-their eccentricities, persona, appearance, and motive.  The main character acts like a guide for the reader through the mystery.  The author sets up the reader to be able to have a vague guess at what next event is coming, but not enough of a guess to not be surprised.  The novel is fairly fast-paced, the reader will not be left bored or aimlessly paging through the novel.  This novel is terrific for young adults/adults who enjoy mysteries with twists.