Friday means Friday’s Forgotten
Books hosted by Patti Abbott
who declared today to be a “first novels” day. Barry Ergang and numerous other
folks were able to do that and generated reviews of first novels you should
consider. A fine list and one well
worthy of your attention.
I was not able to comply with
today’s assignment. It has been a hard week here at Casa Tipple on so many
levels. I couldn’t make a decision regarding which of my previous reviews of a debut
novel to run. Instead, I went in the opposite direction with my review of a
last book in a series. I offer you my review of A Bond with Death: A Professor
Sally Good Mystery by Bill Crider.
The last book in the Professor
Sally Good Mystery Series titled A Bond with Death opens with a
familiar theme to readers of this series. Instead of a painting that may or may
not have a satanic image (Murder Is An Art) Dr. Sally Good
stands accused of being a witch. According to an e-mail that has been shared
far and wide, Dr. Sally Good is following her ancestor, Sarah Good, down the
road to witchcraft. Therefore she needs to be dealt with appropriately and that
would include losing her job.
Sarah Good was hung for her alleged
crimes on July 19, 1962. The only way Sarah and Sally Good would be related
would be by marriage as Sarah Good was a distant relative of Sally’s late
husband. The man passed away eight years ago so it is not possible to have him
come forward and speak on the matter or provide love and support to Sally Good.
The fact that Dr. Sally Good was never a blood relative of Sarah’s is one of
those facts that some people choose to ignore because it kills their argument
or claim.
Beyond the whole ancestor relation
deal, there is the matter of the notion of witchcraft itself. The fact that
anyone would believe such stupidity, even well educated men who should know
better such as her boss, President Fieldstone, of Hughes Community College is
annoying. Fieldstone is all about image and what people might think regarding
the small college in deep Southeast Texas. This news coupled with recent events
and an upcoming bond election for the school has him greatly concerned.
He ought to be more worried about
the fact that someone else linked to the college has once again been murdered.
Harold Curtin, decisively nicknamed by many, “The Garden Gnome” used to teach
at HCC. He’d been there for years, was a lousy teacher, and finally the new
department chair, Sally Good, recommended his dismissal. Of course, throwing a
stapler at a student had something to do with his dismissal.
Gone for several years and off doing
other things including being part of the anti-bond movement, Curtain has now
gone and gotten himself dead. From what is coming out of the rumor mill it definitely
sounds like a murder. Rumor has it that he choked to death on his own blood.
Reminiscent of the curse that allegedly Sarah Good put on her enemies three
hundred years ago that allegedly caused deaths then. Despite the fact that
Sarah and Sally would only be related by marriage some have leaped to the
conclusion that Dr. Sally Good is a modern day witch capable of murdering her
enemies. If true, one would have to ask why it took so long for her to start as
one can easily think of a few targets in earlier books.
Published in 2004 by Thomas Dunne
Books (Minotaur Books), this tale by Bill Crider is another occasionally funny
and always twisting ride into the dark waters of academia. Along with having to
deal with students and bureaucracy, Dr. Sally Good is forced to look for
answers to the identity of her e-mail accuser as well as the identity of the
killer. Both threads gradually come together in a complex case that puts her in
real life danger far beyond being forced to hear Seepy Benton sing.
Like the earlier ones in this series
A
Bond with Death: A Professor Sally Good Mystery understates the
violence while occasionally inserting some laugh out loud moments. Those
readers that enjoy the current trend of there must be a murder in the first
three pages of the work and in the first paragraph if at all will be
disappointed as the murder occurs a few pages later. In addition to plenty of
clues and complexity, the family atmosphere where one quickly feels like old
familiar friends with the characters is present here as it is in just about any
book by Bill Crider. A solid and enjoyable tale the final book in the
series is another good one.
This is a series that should be read
in order starting with Murder Is An Art
followed by A Knife In The Back.
A Bond with Death: A Professor Sally Good Mystery
Bill Crider
Thomas Dunne Books (Minotaur Books)
2004
ISBN# 0-312-32296-8
Hardback (eBook version available)
218 Pages
$22.95
Material supplied by the good folks
of the Plano Public Library System who do not care whether my review is
objective or even if I review it. They just want me to bring it back undamaged
and to always wear pants.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
Posts
4 comments:
I need to go to the start and read Bill's very first novel, instead of jumping around. But this one, thanks to your enticing review, Kevin, has jumped up higher on my metaphorical pile for later.
It is a good one. There are three books in this series. There are a few references to earlier events in the series and reading in order is always best, but one could start here if desired.
Kevin,
How wonderful that you continue to honor Bill Crider. What a complex and very thorough review of Crider's book!
The review is from two years ago on this date. But, I am glad to share it. I miss the legend tremendously.
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