Radical Equations

Bonnie Pinkwater Mystery #4

by Robert Spiller

Math teacher extraordinaire and inveterate busybody, Bonnie Pinkwater is at it again. When she and her Wiccan sidekick Rhiannon Griffith are out hiking and find the body of Bonnie‘s boss, Vice Principal Clarence Murphy, their day takes a decided turn for the worse. But when that same body disappears then reappears seated at his desk, amid the wreckage in a tornado-ravaged high school, Bonnie proclaims things downright weird and decides to nose around. What show up are killer motorcyclists, suspicious preachers, tyrannical dwarves, high-stakes poker games, land-grabbing CEOs, and a damaged math genius desperately needing her help. As Bonnie and Rhiannon sort through a rising body count, Bonnie comes to a disturbing conclusion. Whoever is murdering the good citizens of East Plains, Colorado, has decided to eliminate one meddlesome math teacher.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published December 12, 2011

About the author

Robert Spiller lives in Colorado Springs with his wife Barbara. Napier's Bones is the fifth in the Bonnie Pinkwater adult cozy mystery series preceded by The Witch of Agnesi, A Calculated Demise, Irrational Numbers, and Radical Equations. A mathematics teacher for thirty-five years, Robert recently retired to write full time.

Reviews

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 4 out of 5]

In short: Math teacher Bonnie Pinkwater gets caught in a murder mystery centered around a tornado and a dead vice-principal. Despite being the fourth book in a series, new readers shouldn't have problems jumping in. Four stars.

This is a good, solid mystery. I hesitate to call it a cozy, but I suppose it is: an older woman/amateur sleuth solves mysteries in a small town. To me, Bonnie's character always carries out a satisfying rebellion against the educational bureaucracy as embodied by Principal Divine, sometimes getting her licks in, sometimes having to grovel in order to keep her job and to defend her students. I have a soft spot for characters who defend kids without belittling them, and Bonnie hits the spot. Fast-paced, realistic, and a little goofy, a good put-your-feet-up and enjoy-the-small-victories kind of book.

[Georgeanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is the fourth in a series that I'm unfamiliar with, I had no trouble jumping right in! I loved the small-town characters and cozy feel of this book. Bonnie Pinkwater, math teacher and amateur sleuth, was endearing and sometimes funny. She comes across as real person with only her human abilities, not a superhero ninja crimesolving savant. She's smart and compassionat--and a smart aleck :) I loved her attitude and I'll be catching up on the preceding books, and on the lookout for more adventures.

[Warren Bull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlikely as it seems Robert Spiller combines math and mystery in Radical Equations. His mathematical puzzle had me tracing islands and a river to try to solve the riddle. His heroine is interesting and the story kept me involved to the last page.

[Kaye Lynne Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review of "Radical Equations" here: http://www.examiner.com/literature-in...

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonnie Pinkwater makes a great detective-mature yet mouthy, logical yet emotional. The other characters are well developed also. Although I have not read the first books in the series (yet), I had no problem following the various relationships. The Colorado countryside is almost a character in itself, which adds much to the plot. The mystery itself kept me guessing. All in all, a very enjoyable book from Robert Spiller. I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.

[Sarah Schattman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logic prevails

Mathematician, educator and super sleuth Bonnie Pinkwater brings justice to East Plains. Moving corpses and a tornado do not deter Missus Pinkwater in her quest to find out who killed her colleague Clarence Murphy.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent mystery with the estimable Bonnie Pinkwater. She just gets better with every book. I honestly don't understand math and it was always a bone of contention way back when I was in high school, but I might have done better with a teacher like her. I'm not sure what the biggest draw is for me: Excellent mysteries, or the chance to learn about another incredible mathematician :)

Mr. Spiller: As long as you keep writing these books, I will keep reading them.