Review — Academic Affairs: A Poisoned Apple by Peter Likins

Jake Moffet, Sheriff of Flintstone County Alabama has a big problem. Jeremy Pilkington, Executive Dean for Academic Affairs at Chickamie Christian College is dead, poisoned by strychnine injected into an apple. "Follow the apple" seems like a surefire way to identify the killer quickly and Moffet rashly promises a speedy resolution which makes him the target of a hostile newspaper editor. Unfortunately, Jake and his small department (son Jackson and daughter Bonnie) find themselves faced with a floundering investigation as the list of suspects grows.

Academic Affairs is a fun little cozy and an enjoyable read. The setting is the mid-thirties in the small Alabama town of Sparta. The author infuses the story with the flavor of the time and place. Jake and his family are "come-heres" having moved to Alabama from Tennessee. In the south, where "who are your people" is a conversation opener, being an outsider can make acceptance problematic.

I want to avoid spoilers here but part of the fun of the story is the parallel —but unknown —investigation launched by some townspeople who just might have a better handle on things than the sheriff. You'll know what I mean when you read the story and for me this is the real heart of the book. I salute the author for this storyline which makes Academic Affairs different.

A minor character that I enjoyed is Kathy O'Halleran an ambitious Assistant Professor of English and Journalism who talked herself into a job as part-time reporter for the local paper. Kathy wants to be a big-time reporter and sees this case as a way to jump-start her career. The author has her using a 35mm camera. My first thought was "wait, I thought the Speed Graphic was the main press camera of the time". A little internet searching and it turns out that Kathy could indeed have used a 35mm camera which is just the thing that someone with her drive would have been drawn to—fast, very portable, no need to change film holders. It's a small detail but one that made me appreciate the author's approach to his story.

If you are looking for a cozy style book without sex and violence and suitable for a relaxed afternoon read then I can wholeheartedly recommend Academic Affairs: A Poisoned Apple. I hope the author follows up with another book.