FFB Review: Murder Is An Art: A Mystery by Bill Crider

 
Hughes Community College in Southeast Texas near Houston is a small college doing its best to survive. That means the school and its President Dr. Fieldstone can’t afford and don’t want any scandal. That includes possibly questionable artwork currently being exhibited on campus.

 

Dr. Sally Good has spent six years as head of the English and Fine Arts Division dealing with budget complaints, political bickering and gossip, and the other stuff that is the bane of academic heads everywhere. This is the first time she has been called in over artwork. Dr. Fieldstone has summoned her along with several other people to his office to deal with a complaint lodged by Roy Talon.

 

Talon is a local celebrity having made his considerable fortune as an automobile dealer. There is a painting of a goat being exhibited on campus as part of deal showcasing the work of students in the prison outreach program. Bad enough that the goat itself is a symbol of Satanism, according to Talon, but he believes that one can also see “666” painted on the goat head. Upon closer examination of the painting, not only do the staff members not see the sign of the beast, one goes so far to suggest if there is anything it might be “911” making it a sign to call the police.

 

As a taxpayer and a very important person, Talon wants the painting gone. In any institution, bosses handle difficult issues by forming committees to study the problem and make recommendations. Doing so spreads the responsibility around and absolves the boss from having to upset any one group. Before long, the idea is floated to have a newly created committee review entire exhibit to consider if any of the works are Satanic and thus should be removed.

 

One of those involved in this mess is the chair of the art department. The same department head who may have once again been stepping out on his wife. The same department head who is soon found very much dead in the art exhibit. When the local police seem to be ignoring key pieces of evidence it is left to Dr. Sally Good to solve the crime in Murder Is An Art: A Mystery by Bill Crider.

 

If you have read very many of author Bill Crider’s books, you will notice that he often starts with something relatively minor that either directly or indirectly leads to a murder. This is especially true in his mysteries based in academia whether it is the Carl Burns series or this one. He also blends in some misdirection with characters that are a bit out there. There is more than one such character at work here and Dr. Good’s observations about them are very funny.

 

My favorite in this one was Perry “A. B. D.” Johnson who goes ballistic over just about anything on a daily basis. The “A. B. D.”  nickname stands for “All But Dissertation” as he has done the entire graduate coursework and everything else required except for finishing the dissertation. Every campus has at least one. Back in my days at the University of Texas at Dallas there were at least two such people I knew of in the Literature and History Departments. Both were very strange guys. One in fact, who did lose his mind regarding a chair, so when reading the opening pages of Murder Is An Art: A Mystery where A. B. D. Johnson becomes quite agitated over a chair it made this reader laugh out loud.

 

Laughing out loud is always a frequent danger with any work by Texas author Bill Crider. Published in 1999, the book may annoy some readers who expect the first body to fall by the third paragraph at the very latest. Instead, that will come later as the author introduces us to our fictional companions and sets the table for the mystery meal to come. First in the Dr. Sally Good series, the read is occasionally funny while taking numerous twists and turns to solve a murder or two and quite a lot more. Murder Is An Art: A Mystery is a solidly good read and one very much worthy of your time. 

 

  

Murder is an Art: A Mystery

Bill Crider

http://www.billcrider.com

Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin’s Press)

http://us.macmillan.com/thomasdunne

April 1999

ISBN# 0-312-19927-9

Hardback (e-book available)

256 Pages

$21.95

 

 

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016, 2021

FFB Review: "A Bond with Death: A Professor Sally Good Mystery" by Bill Crider

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

http://billcrider.blogspot.com/

Thomas Dunne Books (Minotaur Books)

http://www.minotaurbooks.com

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

FFB Review: "A Knife In The Back: A Case for Professor Sally Good" by Bill Crider

A Knife In The Back: A Case for Professor Sally Good by Bill Crider is the second one in the series following Murder Is An Art.  Head of the English and Fine Arts of Hughes Community College located between Houston and Galveston, Dr. Sally Good she is still trying to live down her reputation for solving the recent murder case. Her plan is to focus on student essays and dealing with the daily various difficulties of being the department chair. She has to deal with all that and her ongoing addition addiction to chocolate bars.

Mass Market Paperback

Then Ralph Bostic gets himself killed. One of the trustees of Hughes Community College, Ralph Bostic was considered to be a less than stellar human being before he got himself stabbed by a knife. A certain knife made by one of Dr. Good’s department members, Jack Neville. The same Jack Neville who helped her in the previous situation and a guy she is developing some sort of attachment to because she had said yes to a date.

As others in the HCC system overreact to the situation and local police believe no further investigation is needed, Dr. Sally Good is well aware that somebody needs to figure out who actually did the crime. She knows that based on prior experience and long before the murderer strikes again on campus. Once again it is going to be up to Dr. Sally Good to solve the case that literally begins with A Knife In The Back.

Building on the previous character development for Dr. Sally Good, Jack Neville, and others in Murder Is An Art this read is another good one in the series. As in the Carl Burns Mystery series the author is clearly using his background in academia to craft these mysteries. Subtle humor, a dash of romance, and plenty of mystery where there are lots of suspects make A Knife In The Back a mighty good read. While I personally prefer Sheriff Dan Rhodes series, the author’s many other series and stand alones also provide an excellent Bill Crider writing fix even without the Dr Pepper. 

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System. They do not care one whit whether I read it or even if I review it. They just want their book back in the same shape it came to me.

Make the rest of your Friday a reading quest by heading over to Patti Abbott’s blog and checking out the FFB list. Make sure you make time to pick up a copy of her Concrete Angel. A mighty good read that is well worth it.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

FFB Review: "Murder is an Art: A Mystery" by Bill Crider

Hughes Community College in Southeast Texas near Houston is a small college doing its best to survive. That means the school and its President Dr. Fieldstone can’t afford and don’t want any scandal. That includes possibly questionable artwork currently being exhibited on campus.

Dr. Sally Good has spent six years as head of the English and Fine Arts Division dealing with budget complaints, political bickering and gossip, and the other stuff that is the bane of academic heads everywhere. This is the first time she has been called in over artwork. Dr. Fieldstone has summoned her along with several other people to his office to deal with a complaint lodged by Roy Talon.

Talon is a local celebrity having made his considerable fortune as an automobile dealer. There is a painting of a goat being exhibited on campus as part of deal showcasing the work of students in the prison outreach program. Bad enough that the goat itself is a symbol of Satanism, according to Talon, but he believes that one can also see “666” painted on the goat head. Upon closer examination of the painting, not only do the staff members not see the sign of the beast, one goes so far to suggest if there is anything it might be “911” making it a sign to call the police.

As a taxpayer and very important person, Talon wants the painting gone. In any institution, bosses handle difficult issues by forming committees to study the problem and make recommendations. Doing so spreads the responsibility around and absolves the boss from having to upset any one group.  Before long, the idea is floated to have a newly created committee review entire exhibit to consider if any of the works are Satanic and thus should be removed.

One of those involved in this mess is the chair of the art department. The same department head who may have once again been stepping out on his wife. The same department head who is soon found very much dead in the art exhibit. When the local police seem to be ignoring key pieces of evidence it is left to Dr. Sally Good to solve the crime in Murder Is An Art: A Mystery by Bill Crider.

If you have read very many of author Bill Crider’s books, you will notice that he often starts with something relatively minor that either directly or indirectly leads to a murder. This is especially true in his mysteries based in academia whether it is the Carl Burns series or this one. He also blends in some misdirection with characters that are a bit out there. There is more than one such character at work here and Dr. Good’s observations about them are very funny.

My favorite in this one was Perry “A. B. D.” Johnson who goes ballistic over just about anything on a daily basis. The “A. B. D.”  nickname stands for “All But Dissertation” as he has done the entire graduate coursework and everything else required except for finishing the dissertation. Every campus has at least one. Back in my days at the University of Texas at Dallas there were at least two such people I knew of in the Literature and History Departments. Both were very strange guys. One in fact, who did lose his mind regarding a chair, so when reading the opening pages of Murder is an Art: A Mystery where A. B. D. Johnson becomes quite agitated over a chair it made this reader laugh out loud.

Laughing out loud is always a frequent danger with any work by Texas author Bill Crider. Published in 1999 the book may annoy some readers who expect the first body to fall by the third paragraph at the very latest. Instead, that will come later as the author introduces us to our fictional companions and sets the table for the mystery meal to come. First in the Dr. Sally Good series, the read is occasionally funny while taking numerous twists and turns to solve a murder or two and quite a lot more. Murder is an Art: A Mystery is a solidly good read and one very much worthy of your time. 

Murder is an Art: A Mystery

Bill Crider

http://www.billcrider.com

Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin’s Press)

http://us.macmillan.com/thomasdunne

April 1999

ISBN# 0-312-19927-9

Hardback (e-book available)

256 Pages

$21.95

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016