BLUNT INSTRUMENT

AMY BLOOM

Blunt Instrument, by talented writer Amy Bloom, has a first novel in a projected private investigation series. The private investigator, Dellarobia Chandler, has an academic background that does not aid her in her new occupation. A very much disliked professor has been killed, and the University's president wants to keep it on the down-low, which is why she calls in a private investigator. There are numerous suspects, making the case difficult for the novice investigator. However, she does uncover people of interest who might benefit from the death of the victim. As befits a mystery set at a university, all the suspects are academics, which, in and of itself, invites obfuscation and less-than-forthright responses. Blunt Instrument moves along quickly and reminds the reader of various television and or features. University-placed private investigation novels have long been a staple of mysteries, and this certainly is worthy of joining that prestigious genre.