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Plan 9 for Murder: An Academic Mystery
Charles and Annie are an academic couple who find themselves in the mystery surrounding a murder at a convention of UFO enthusiasts. They're torn between trying to ignore the entire mess-- though an awkwardly placed corpse makes that difficult-- and doing some sleuthing on their own, in the mode of Nick and Nora or Tommy and Tuppence.
In the process of solving the murder, they deal with mysterious documents that make wild claims and-- more unsettling-- with sinister characters who seem all too interested in keeping them, and anyone who knows about them, quiet. When an alarming interlude with the killer jeopardizes their lives, Charles and Annie wonder if they will manage to survive-- and will they be able to thwart this Plan 9 for Murder?
In the process of solving the murder, they deal with mysterious documents that make wild claims and-- more unsettling-- with sinister characters who seem all too interested in keeping them, and anyone who knows about them, quiet. When an alarming interlude with the killer jeopardizes their lives, Charles and Annie wonder if they will manage to survive-- and will they be able to thwart this Plan 9 for Murder?
299 pages, Paperback
Published January 24, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 15, 2026
Well,well,well. Plan 9 for Murder. I need to first admit that this was the first time i come across an academic mystery genre despite considering myself as an avid reader. What a discovery and blast. The author created an academic narrative that is extremely complex, layered and highly nuanced and academic. The book structure, prose, pacing and tonality is phenomenal. The book is super rich with boundless vocabulary for taking. The relationship of Charles and Annie is terrific and extremely admirable. Each time they sit and enjoy their 'drink' to circumnavigate the mystery surrounding them is pure genius. One gets to effortlessly learn a plethora of critical thinking skill and approach as they would both bring specialized and general problem solving skill sets. The manner in which they both relate to one another exposes the reader to what one would be tempted to call the epitome of a divine relationship. They are primarily friends, lovers, a married couple, intellectual soulmates and to wrap it off, they are accomplished academics (Professors).
Their unusual way of unbridled but sophisticated banter is something one can hardly ever want to miss. The manner in which they go about with what i choose to call salutation cadence, that is they lovingly can switch from their various tittles viz. their first names, professional tittles in their different manifestation (Annie/Charles, Dr Sinclair/Renaud, Prof. Sinclair/Renaud. The stylistic approach is uncharacteristically thrilling, the manner in which they engage with one another is simply otherworldly.
The complexity of the mystery of multiple murders around them brings an unmatched effort to unravel it, the mystery leads them to them committing a crime that by academic standards Charles was bound to have flagged and convinced Annie into a different and licit approach but his love for Annie wouldn't permit a rational thought and he proceeds doing dubious and nonacademic crime thereby making him her partner in crime but all in a good spirit of love. Indeed love is blind and Charles who is notorious of labeling others as 'thick' and muddled should have known better but not at the expense of his Annie. When it was being pointed out by their mutual lawyer friend, they couldn't even concede their oversight simply because it was done out of love and compassion.
The novel forces the reader into mental gymnastics and brain workout without trying. There is no single chapter that suffers a dip, every chapter effortlessly breeds into the other keeping the reader in a trance and immersively consumed by the complexity of the mystery being solved. I completely lost it at the end. What a marvelous ending it was. In fact I can commit right now that this is the type of genre i will prioritize hitherto. I have equally learned that the author has yet another book that demonstrates how Charles and Annie met in the first place. I can't wait to read that book and possibly the continuation, if at all it exists, of Charles and Annie's life beyond Annie's acquisition of her tenure which is the primary genesis of the web of murder mystery that they stumbled unwittingly upon.
This is not a book for everyone but for those with elevated appetite for intellectual nuance and an impassioned love for mystery. The book shall remain in my top shelf as i surely shall be hitting on it from time to time simply to engage my person in some little academic immersion and banter with a spice of sophistry. I encourage everyone out there who wishes to get a taste of a real academic reading outside the confines of a classroom to pick this book and sent it to their friends and relatives as a present. They will love it. A commendable piece of writing it is.
I thank you.
Their unusual way of unbridled but sophisticated banter is something one can hardly ever want to miss. The manner in which they go about with what i choose to call salutation cadence, that is they lovingly can switch from their various tittles viz. their first names, professional tittles in their different manifestation (Annie/Charles, Dr Sinclair/Renaud, Prof. Sinclair/Renaud. The stylistic approach is uncharacteristically thrilling, the manner in which they engage with one another is simply otherworldly.
The complexity of the mystery of multiple murders around them brings an unmatched effort to unravel it, the mystery leads them to them committing a crime that by academic standards Charles was bound to have flagged and convinced Annie into a different and licit approach but his love for Annie wouldn't permit a rational thought and he proceeds doing dubious and nonacademic crime thereby making him her partner in crime but all in a good spirit of love. Indeed love is blind and Charles who is notorious of labeling others as 'thick' and muddled should have known better but not at the expense of his Annie. When it was being pointed out by their mutual lawyer friend, they couldn't even concede their oversight simply because it was done out of love and compassion.
The novel forces the reader into mental gymnastics and brain workout without trying. There is no single chapter that suffers a dip, every chapter effortlessly breeds into the other keeping the reader in a trance and immersively consumed by the complexity of the mystery being solved. I completely lost it at the end. What a marvelous ending it was. In fact I can commit right now that this is the type of genre i will prioritize hitherto. I have equally learned that the author has yet another book that demonstrates how Charles and Annie met in the first place. I can't wait to read that book and possibly the continuation, if at all it exists, of Charles and Annie's life beyond Annie's acquisition of her tenure which is the primary genesis of the web of murder mystery that they stumbled unwittingly upon.
This is not a book for everyone but for those with elevated appetite for intellectual nuance and an impassioned love for mystery. The book shall remain in my top shelf as i surely shall be hitting on it from time to time simply to engage my person in some little academic immersion and banter with a spice of sophistry. I encourage everyone out there who wishes to get a taste of a real academic reading outside the confines of a classroom to pick this book and sent it to their friends and relatives as a present. They will love it. A commendable piece of writing it is.
I thank you.
February 26, 2025
Plan 9 for Murder cause there's no Plan 9 for Outer Space at all! I was legit intrigued by the synopsis before I finally lay my eyes on this book and embarked upon this thrilling journey.
As a sapiosexual myself—I love the perfect pair of Annie and Charles, married couple and the duo. I think that's how the significant other defined. The intellectual synchronized to each other and somewhat look like partners in crime, I love the energy they gave to each other as what I expected in the first place.
But I already grew an imagination the touch of sci-fi yet turns out Plan 9 or UFODARC is a strong motive on the murderous. So it's not containing the conspiracy theory that much but still sit right for me—that mysterious project in interest somehow absorb a bunch of risks to face and dangerous. This is perfectly realistic, suprisingly, where our academicians or researchers oftentimes received a huge pressure from powerful party to 'create something' and got humiliated once they're not 'beneficial' or 'useful' to them anymore.
I very much enjoy the storyline and the twist that fully took my attention through Annie and Charles' conversations. I want to join them so bad, cause they successfully piqued my interest. In the last 50 pages I was anticipated for another twist that might come and would make the ending far from happiness or at least leave me hanging. But I pretty satisfied, not going to lie!
As a sapiosexual myself—I love the perfect pair of Annie and Charles, married couple and the duo. I think that's how the significant other defined. The intellectual synchronized to each other and somewhat look like partners in crime, I love the energy they gave to each other as what I expected in the first place.
But I already grew an imagination the touch of sci-fi yet turns out Plan 9 or UFODARC is a strong motive on the murderous. So it's not containing the conspiracy theory that much but still sit right for me—that mysterious project in interest somehow absorb a bunch of risks to face and dangerous. This is perfectly realistic, suprisingly, where our academicians or researchers oftentimes received a huge pressure from powerful party to 'create something' and got humiliated once they're not 'beneficial' or 'useful' to them anymore.
I very much enjoy the storyline and the twist that fully took my attention through Annie and Charles' conversations. I want to join them so bad, cause they successfully piqued my interest. In the last 50 pages I was anticipated for another twist that might come and would make the ending far from happiness or at least leave me hanging. But I pretty satisfied, not going to lie!
November 14, 2025
REVIEW ON PLAN 9 FOR MURDER by Elizabeth Hildinger and Erik Hildinger
The core themes of the novel, are:
Intellectual Integrity vs. Academic Fashion: The conflict between Annie's genuine scholarly work (medieval manuscripts) and the pressure to adopt "trendy" subjects ("poetry of grunge rock," semiotics of yearbooks) to secure professional advancement (tenure).
The Nature of Truth and Authentication: Annie's expertise in determining the genuineness of historical documents is directly applied to the far-fetched "Regal Five" UFO documents, bridging the gap between serious academia and fringe obsession.
The Unconventional Mystery: The novel uses an unlikely setting—a UFO convention—as the backdrop for a classic murder mystery, suggesting that even in the most eccentric corners of society, high-stakes crimes and cover-ups can occur.
In summary, I would say it's a great choice for readers who enjoy academic mysteries, but with a thoroughly modern and slightly eccentric premise. It promises a fast-paced mystery driven by intelligent characters in a highly unusual setting.
The core themes of the novel, are:
Intellectual Integrity vs. Academic Fashion: The conflict between Annie's genuine scholarly work (medieval manuscripts) and the pressure to adopt "trendy" subjects ("poetry of grunge rock," semiotics of yearbooks) to secure professional advancement (tenure).
The Nature of Truth and Authentication: Annie's expertise in determining the genuineness of historical documents is directly applied to the far-fetched "Regal Five" UFO documents, bridging the gap between serious academia and fringe obsession.
The Unconventional Mystery: The novel uses an unlikely setting—a UFO convention—as the backdrop for a classic murder mystery, suggesting that even in the most eccentric corners of society, high-stakes crimes and cover-ups can occur.
In summary, I would say it's a great choice for readers who enjoy academic mysteries, but with a thoroughly modern and slightly eccentric premise. It promises a fast-paced mystery driven by intelligent characters in a highly unusual setting.
July 4, 2025
Few books are as arresting from the first lines as this one.
An academic, Anne, gets a call from a Saucerian to leave town and get a talk about UFOs. She is no expert at UFOs - only a lecturer who is in search of tenure. The paper that the Saucerian (Saucerian, from the word Saucer, are UFO enthusiasts) cites as the basis for the invitation an old paper that Anne may have written under the influence of alcohol and naivete.
Readers of Dan Brown would recognise this opening as similar to ones whereby Robert Langdon gets a call that alters his day and almost always bring his life within inches of death. In this, the academic couple, Anne and Charles are taken through these motions. On a stylistic level, the dialogue especially between the couple is exceptional.
The adventure that follows is worthy of Dan Brown. He would surely approve. As many readers besides should.
An academic, Anne, gets a call from a Saucerian to leave town and get a talk about UFOs. She is no expert at UFOs - only a lecturer who is in search of tenure. The paper that the Saucerian (Saucerian, from the word Saucer, are UFO enthusiasts) cites as the basis for the invitation an old paper that Anne may have written under the influence of alcohol and naivete.
Readers of Dan Brown would recognise this opening as similar to ones whereby Robert Langdon gets a call that alters his day and almost always bring his life within inches of death. In this, the academic couple, Anne and Charles are taken through these motions. On a stylistic level, the dialogue especially between the couple is exceptional.
The adventure that follows is worthy of Dan Brown. He would surely approve. As many readers besides should.
July 24, 2025
Plan 9 for Murder is about a couple who get tangled in a UFO conspiracy plot, which although looks like a joke to them in the beginning, ends up almost costing them their lives. The premise is interesting and the background (Woburn university) is charming.
I found the main characters a bit snobbish but the plot twist with Gerasimov was well written.
I found the main characters a bit snobbish but the plot twist with Gerasimov was well written.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews