What do you think?
Rate this book
A Lesson in Murder
When a wealthy benefactor and alumnus of Eastern Friends School in Pennsylvania is found murdered, details at the scene prompt Lt. DiSalvo to introduce himself at a faculty meeting. There he meets Maxwell Hunter, an English teacher who likes to lecture about the mysteries of literature. At first, DiSalvo brushes off Hunter’s offer of help, but when the second EFS-connected murder is discovered, he changes his mind.
- GenresMystery
188 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 2007
19 people want to read
About the author
Augustus Cileone
8 books17 followersI was born in South Philadelphia. I attended Temple University. I have a Master’s Degree in English and teacher certifications in elementary and secondary education. My latest novel, The Bigger Picture, the sequel to Out of the Picture, is, like the first work, a mystery for movie lovers. The latest novel also has a #MeToo theme. My author royalties for Out of the Picture are being donated to an animal shelter, Kitty Cottage, where I volunteered. The royalties from the latest novel go to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. I won a fiction contest sponsored by Oak Tree Press which published my first novel, A Lesson in Murder. I won first prize for fiction at the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference in 2007 and a short story award at the same conference in 2010. I was cited for honorable mention for one of my plays in the Stage Play/Script category of the Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. I was one of the winners in this category in 2014. One of my short stories has been published by Don Ron Books, and is included in their volume entitled South Philly Fiction. I also had a short story published in the Fall 2014 edition of Schuylkill Valley Journal. Another short story is included in the Sisters in Crime collection, Death Knell V. In addition to writing and reading, I enjoy taking courses in film studies and traveling. Cookies and white chocolate mocha always put me in a good mood.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 14, 2011
After receiving this book in the mail last week, I put off all my other currently-reading books in order to finish this over the weekend. I love any mystery book and this goes true with A Lesson in Murder. It is a quick and easy read, though there were times I got confused with the names of the characters and had to do some back reads to refresh my memory. Ahh, but that has been my personal dilemma ever since.
A Lesson in Murder starts a little slowly in the first few chapters as the main characters, Professor Maxwell Hunter and Lieutenant Frank DiSalvo, are introduced into the story. Gradually, the pace begins to pick up after the discovery of the second murder and this is where Hunter and DiSalvo really tightens their team-up in order to predict, and prevent, the next probable killing.
I like Mr. Augustus Cileone’s idea of using literature to piece together the evidence in a murder investigation. I am fascinated with the little detective game played by Hunter and Patricia Delvecchio and the Situations game, too. Mr. Cileone created enough suspense to keep one guessing on who might be the real killer until the very last chapter, and I have been tempted many times to sneak a peek at the few last pages just to find out who the murderer is.
A Lesson In Murder is not just your typical detective/ mystery story, but it also contains a trickle of social commentary on the disparity between the rich and the poor and how far one can go to amass wealth for himself.
All in all, A Lesson For Murder is an interesting read. Time for me to read The Great Gatsby!
Also posted in It's A Wonderful Bookworld
A Lesson in Murder starts a little slowly in the first few chapters as the main characters, Professor Maxwell Hunter and Lieutenant Frank DiSalvo, are introduced into the story. Gradually, the pace begins to pick up after the discovery of the second murder and this is where Hunter and DiSalvo really tightens their team-up in order to predict, and prevent, the next probable killing.
I like Mr. Augustus Cileone’s idea of using literature to piece together the evidence in a murder investigation. I am fascinated with the little detective game played by Hunter and Patricia Delvecchio and the Situations game, too. Mr. Cileone created enough suspense to keep one guessing on who might be the real killer until the very last chapter, and I have been tempted many times to sneak a peek at the few last pages just to find out who the murderer is.
A Lesson In Murder is not just your typical detective/ mystery story, but it also contains a trickle of social commentary on the disparity between the rich and the poor and how far one can go to amass wealth for himself.
All in all, A Lesson For Murder is an interesting read. Time for me to read The Great Gatsby!
Also posted in It's A Wonderful Bookworld
June 29, 2018
More like 2.5* This was a fast, easy read but I found myself getting distracted. Because of the distractions I had a hard time keeping the former students straight in my mind. None of the characters were especially engaging. The dead bug and animal collector who was a doctor was not surprising as the killer (see, I don't even remember what his name was). I will probably not be reading anymore from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2021
I enjoyed this quick-read mystery. I liked the link to literature and Maxwell Hunter is a character who is fairly diverse and I found his mystery solving tried to his profession as an English teacher in this novel interesting. I thought his character was consistent and easy to follow. There were some parts where it seemed to be slightly repetitive or redundant and fairly predictable, but never the less I enjoyed this book!
October 26, 2017
This book unfortunately wasn't that good. It was a mystery that kind of meandered around, and didn't really hold my attention. It had its moments where I was intrigued and wanted to find out the solution, but I ended up finishing it because I had already committed to it and it was short.
March 8, 2021
This book had me lost most of the time. Not even sure I understand it now that I’m finish.
February 19, 2010
A Lesson in Murder - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
'George Wheeler sat in the driver's seat, looking as lifeless as the car in which he was sitting. On the seat next to him, was a stuffed animal which looked like Walt Disney's Pluto. A large, flat, hardback book lay open in his lap. Wheeler's usual black horn-rimmed glasses had been replaced with large, bright yellow-framed spectacles. Barnum again peered in the window quickly. Wheeler's tan, healthy-looking face had been smeared with what appeared to be charcoal ashes.'
George Wheeler usually met with his advertising agent at 6:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for their jogs in the park. During this time, Wheeler who was in the pharmaceutical business would pitch ideas to Barnum as they ran. But as Barnum soon found out, Wheeler had performed his last job and pitched his last idea. Someone had murdered him.
Maxwell Hunter is an English teacher for Eastern Friends School in Pennsylvania. Eastern Friends School (EFS) was originally a private school for the wealthy but had started adding a few students, through grants, that were exceptionally intelligent. Hunter has a passion for mystery solving and is a stickler for details. That and Hunter's familiarity with the people involved prompted Lt. Frank DiSalvo to ask Hunter for his help in solving the murder of George Wheeler. But, as it turns out, Wheeler wasn't the only one to be murdered and each murder is in some way connected with the school.
As I read A Lesson in Murder I found myself second guessing my own ideas as to who the killer was. And I have to say that I was surprised with the ending. I had several suspects in mind but never really narrowed it down to one. I really enjoyed reading A Lesson in Murder and recommend it to anyone who would like a quick read mystery.
1st Edition 2007
Oak Tree Press
185 pages
ISBN 978-1-892343-03-1
'George Wheeler sat in the driver's seat, looking as lifeless as the car in which he was sitting. On the seat next to him, was a stuffed animal which looked like Walt Disney's Pluto. A large, flat, hardback book lay open in his lap. Wheeler's usual black horn-rimmed glasses had been replaced with large, bright yellow-framed spectacles. Barnum again peered in the window quickly. Wheeler's tan, healthy-looking face had been smeared with what appeared to be charcoal ashes.'
George Wheeler usually met with his advertising agent at 6:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for their jogs in the park. During this time, Wheeler who was in the pharmaceutical business would pitch ideas to Barnum as they ran. But as Barnum soon found out, Wheeler had performed his last job and pitched his last idea. Someone had murdered him.
Maxwell Hunter is an English teacher for Eastern Friends School in Pennsylvania. Eastern Friends School (EFS) was originally a private school for the wealthy but had started adding a few students, through grants, that were exceptionally intelligent. Hunter has a passion for mystery solving and is a stickler for details. That and Hunter's familiarity with the people involved prompted Lt. Frank DiSalvo to ask Hunter for his help in solving the murder of George Wheeler. But, as it turns out, Wheeler wasn't the only one to be murdered and each murder is in some way connected with the school.
As I read A Lesson in Murder I found myself second guessing my own ideas as to who the killer was. And I have to say that I was surprised with the ending. I had several suspects in mind but never really narrowed it down to one. I really enjoyed reading A Lesson in Murder and recommend it to anyone who would like a quick read mystery.
1st Edition 2007
Oak Tree Press
185 pages
ISBN 978-1-892343-03-1
November 28, 2010
A quick and fun read with a twist using classic literature as an integral part of solving the mystery. And I just love the game that Max and Patricia play with each other - "Situations"!
May 11, 2014
Felt like the author was struggling to tell the story and get to the end to solve the mystery. Nothing seemed to quite fit together as it should.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews