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Paul Turner #8
Nerds Who Kill
Paul Turner is a widowed father of two teenaged boys, one of whom has spina bifida, rapidly approaching middle age, and used to dealing gracefully with all the challenges these things entail. Turner, however, is slightly different from others in his situation - he's openly gay and a homicide detective for the Chicago Police Department. Despite everything, his personal and family life is relatively placid. Until right now.
This time, his life couldn't possibly get more complex and there's a Science Fiction and Media convention in Chicago this weekend - one of the world's largest such gathering - and his sons are both attending. In full costume. And Paul Turner, like any good father, is going with them. If the prospect of that weren't bad enough, one of the convention's guests - one of the field's most successful fantasy writers - is found murdered, mostly likely by the broadsword found rammed through the corpse's chest. In most circumstances, a broadsword would be a unique murder weapon, but this time there are hundreds of attendees carrying similar ones as part of their costumes. Including his own son.
That one gruesome murder is just the beginning - the dead bodies amidst the revelers are starting to pile up - and Turner must sort through a confusing array of suspects in short order if he's to find the killer in time.
This time, his life couldn't possibly get more complex and there's a Science Fiction and Media convention in Chicago this weekend - one of the world's largest such gathering - and his sons are both attending. In full costume. And Paul Turner, like any good father, is going with them. If the prospect of that weren't bad enough, one of the convention's guests - one of the field's most successful fantasy writers - is found murdered, mostly likely by the broadsword found rammed through the corpse's chest. In most circumstances, a broadsword would be a unique murder weapon, but this time there are hundreds of attendees carrying similar ones as part of their costumes. Including his own son.
That one gruesome murder is just the beginning - the dead bodies amidst the revelers are starting to pile up - and Turner must sort through a confusing array of suspects in short order if he's to find the killer in time.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Mark Richard Zubro
48 books50 followersAuthor also writes as: Mark Zubro.
Mark Richard Zubro is an American mystery novelist. He lives in Mokena, Illinois and taught 8th grade English at Summit Hill Jr. High in nearby Frankfort Square, Illinois.
Zubro writes bestselling mysteries set in Chicago and the surrounding Cook County area, which are widely praised as fast-paced, with interesting plots and well-rounded, likeable characters. His novels feature gay themes, and Zubro is himself gay.
His longest running series features high school teacher Tom Mason, and Tom's boyfriend, professional baseball player Scott Carpenter. The other series Zubro is known for is the Paul Turner mysteries, which are about a Chicago police detective. The books are a part of the Stonewall Inn Mystery series, published by St. Martin's Press. Zubro won a Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Men's Mystery for his book A Simple Suburban Murder.
Series:
* Tom Mason and Scott Carpenter
* Paul Turner
I am the author of twenty-four mystery novels and five short stories. My book A Simple Suburban Murder won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Men's mystery. I also wrote a thriller, Foolproof, with two other mystery writers, Jeanne Dams and Barb D'Amato. I taught eighth graders English and reading for thirty-four years and was president of the teachers' union in my district from 1985 until 2006. I retired from teaching in 2006 and now spend my time reading, writing, napping, and eating chocolate. My newest book, Another Dead Republican, is my thirteenth book in the Tom and Scott series which features as main characters, a gay school teacher and his lover, a professional baseball player. One of the keys in my mysteries is you do not want to be a person who is racist, sexist, homophobic, or a school administrator. If you are any of those, it is likely you are the corpse, or, at the least, it can be fairly well guaranteed that bad things will happen to you by the end. And if in my books you happen to be a Republican and/or against workers' rights, it would be far better if you did not make a habit of broadcasting this. If you did, you're quite likely to be a suspect, or worse.
Mark Richard Zubro is an American mystery novelist. He lives in Mokena, Illinois and taught 8th grade English at Summit Hill Jr. High in nearby Frankfort Square, Illinois.
Zubro writes bestselling mysteries set in Chicago and the surrounding Cook County area, which are widely praised as fast-paced, with interesting plots and well-rounded, likeable characters. His novels feature gay themes, and Zubro is himself gay.
His longest running series features high school teacher Tom Mason, and Tom's boyfriend, professional baseball player Scott Carpenter. The other series Zubro is known for is the Paul Turner mysteries, which are about a Chicago police detective. The books are a part of the Stonewall Inn Mystery series, published by St. Martin's Press. Zubro won a Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Men's Mystery for his book A Simple Suburban Murder.
Series:
* Tom Mason and Scott Carpenter
* Paul Turner
I am the author of twenty-four mystery novels and five short stories. My book A Simple Suburban Murder won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Men's mystery. I also wrote a thriller, Foolproof, with two other mystery writers, Jeanne Dams and Barb D'Amato. I taught eighth graders English and reading for thirty-four years and was president of the teachers' union in my district from 1985 until 2006. I retired from teaching in 2006 and now spend my time reading, writing, napping, and eating chocolate. My newest book, Another Dead Republican, is my thirteenth book in the Tom and Scott series which features as main characters, a gay school teacher and his lover, a professional baseball player. One of the keys in my mysteries is you do not want to be a person who is racist, sexist, homophobic, or a school administrator. If you are any of those, it is likely you are the corpse, or, at the least, it can be fairly well guaranteed that bad things will happen to you by the end. And if in my books you happen to be a Republican and/or against workers' rights, it would be far better if you did not make a habit of broadcasting this. If you did, you're quite likely to be a suspect, or worse.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 10, 2014
So what was I thinking right?Picked this book up simply on a whim and because the title made me laugh and I just had to know what made nerds kill and what this book could entail..So I read all two hundred plus of the quirky silly little mystery along the same vein but a cheap knockoff of the Agatha Christie masterpiece "And Then There Were None" and even the more recent murder mystery "Death and The Lit Chick" by G.M. Malliet where a bunch of authors or important people get together and all their secrets, grudges, flirtations, motives and evil intentions are exposed as a murderer shows up and bodies start dropping..In this book a police detective, his gay lover and his two sons all attend a Science Fiction convention to meet authors, actors and all the things associated with aliens, fantasy and the like including costumes..Paul Turner the police detective's own son also joins in the fun and like others is dressed in a costume with a weapon attached. The presence of weapons add a new element to the murder as the costumes and other people with swords complicate the story and add messy characters to the mix alittle confusingly...I must admit there were clever dialogue blurbs at some parts, there were a whole lot of cheesy parts, there was a surprise but it was weak and late and not the best conclusion basically. I cant say that I recommend this novel but it wasnt the absolute worst...just bad :)
May 8, 2010
PROTAGONIST: Paul Turner, Chicago PD homicide detective
SETTING: Science fiction convention in Chicago
SERIES: #8 of 8
RATING: 3.0
A science fiction convention would appear to be the perfect setting for a murder. First of all, you have a higher than usual percentage of, uh, unusual people. Secondly, many of the participants feel compelled to attend in costume, thereby masking their true identities.
Paul Turner, homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department, doesn't really have any interest in attending the World's Ultimate Science Fiction convention. He's only there because his two boys wanted to attend. His 11-year-old son, Jeff, is quite an SF aficionado; his teenaged son, Brian, has fashioned a revealing costume complete with butt flap and is hoping to score with some girls.
Almost as soon as the convention opens, the featured guest of honor, author Muriam Devers, is murdered. Although in her seventies, she is clad in a Xena costume and has been dispatched with a broadsword, obviously the equipment of one of the costumed participants. As a matter of fact, Brian was carrying a broadsword, which Turner finds troubling, as he doesn't want his son exposed to any accusations. Several other convention goers are killed as well; Turner and his partner, Buck Fenwick, interview many people but don't make headway until the killer basically reveals themselves in a dramatic moment. The killer at that moment has targeted Paul's sons; I found that completely implausible.
NERDS WHO KILL is a book that never took off for me. The setting was pretty much limited to the convention hotel. The narrative consisted of a series of interviews with people who might have witnessed something. It felt like there were 103 interviews, all of which played out almost exactly the same. Thus, none of the characters were unique or memorable in any way. The only character in whom I was interested at all was Turner's partner, Fenwick, who displayed a quirky sense of humor. However, even that got old as Turner and others kept commenting on the humor, the fact that Fenwick should manage his humor – which served to make the humor humorless.
Overall, I found NERDS WHO KILL a very average book. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't particularly compelling in any way. I did find the information about the difficulties that authors have in publishing to be somewhat interesting. I also felt that Turner was best portrayed when he was in the role of father, rather than policeman. Unfortunately, there was very little time spent on Turner's personal life.
NERDS WHO KILL is the eighth book in the Paul Turner series. Given the flat characterization and uninspired plotting, it didn't motivate me to search out any of the preceding books.
SETTING: Science fiction convention in Chicago
SERIES: #8 of 8
RATING: 3.0
A science fiction convention would appear to be the perfect setting for a murder. First of all, you have a higher than usual percentage of, uh, unusual people. Secondly, many of the participants feel compelled to attend in costume, thereby masking their true identities.
Paul Turner, homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department, doesn't really have any interest in attending the World's Ultimate Science Fiction convention. He's only there because his two boys wanted to attend. His 11-year-old son, Jeff, is quite an SF aficionado; his teenaged son, Brian, has fashioned a revealing costume complete with butt flap and is hoping to score with some girls.
Almost as soon as the convention opens, the featured guest of honor, author Muriam Devers, is murdered. Although in her seventies, she is clad in a Xena costume and has been dispatched with a broadsword, obviously the equipment of one of the costumed participants. As a matter of fact, Brian was carrying a broadsword, which Turner finds troubling, as he doesn't want his son exposed to any accusations. Several other convention goers are killed as well; Turner and his partner, Buck Fenwick, interview many people but don't make headway until the killer basically reveals themselves in a dramatic moment. The killer at that moment has targeted Paul's sons; I found that completely implausible.
NERDS WHO KILL is a book that never took off for me. The setting was pretty much limited to the convention hotel. The narrative consisted of a series of interviews with people who might have witnessed something. It felt like there were 103 interviews, all of which played out almost exactly the same. Thus, none of the characters were unique or memorable in any way. The only character in whom I was interested at all was Turner's partner, Fenwick, who displayed a quirky sense of humor. However, even that got old as Turner and others kept commenting on the humor, the fact that Fenwick should manage his humor – which served to make the humor humorless.
Overall, I found NERDS WHO KILL a very average book. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't particularly compelling in any way. I did find the information about the difficulties that authors have in publishing to be somewhat interesting. I also felt that Turner was best portrayed when he was in the role of father, rather than policeman. Unfortunately, there was very little time spent on Turner's personal life.
NERDS WHO KILL is the eighth book in the Paul Turner series. Given the flat characterization and uninspired plotting, it didn't motivate me to search out any of the preceding books.
April 2, 2012
2 1/2 stars
Complaints first and foremost: Why do mystery authors feel they have to dump on SF/F cons? Don't they have mystery cons they can dump on? They never have anything nice to say about the people who attend cons and when they do, it's almost always a back-handed complement. Yes, I'm pointing at the author of
too.
And, the only thing on the cover that has anything to do with the plot is the sword by the way.
So, the bulk of this story takes place over the course of a Saturday at a SF/F convention with a large attendee list, including authors, movie makers, wannabees, not-quite-there-yets, and any number of people in between as well as the malcontents who have (possibly legitimate) complaints against a certain author who ends up dead shortly after the con starts. Unfortunately, the method of complaint causes our police detectives, Paul Turner and Buck Fenwick, no end of headaches and, for Paul, anxiety - since his kids are drawn in to the investigation, if only peripherally.
The set up isn't bad for the story and the culprit(s), but the story itself plods as we, and our two detectives, are jerked from one crime scene to another and getting more confused in the process. A competent, if not the best, story by Zubro. Sigh.
Complaints first and foremost: Why do mystery authors feel they have to dump on SF/F cons? Don't they have mystery cons they can dump on? They never have anything nice to say about the people who attend cons and when they do, it's almost always a back-handed complement. Yes, I'm pointing at the author of
too.And, the only thing on the cover that has anything to do with the plot is the sword by the way.
So, the bulk of this story takes place over the course of a Saturday at a SF/F convention with a large attendee list, including authors, movie makers, wannabees, not-quite-there-yets, and any number of people in between as well as the malcontents who have (possibly legitimate) complaints against a certain author who ends up dead shortly after the con starts. Unfortunately, the method of complaint causes our police detectives, Paul Turner and Buck Fenwick, no end of headaches and, for Paul, anxiety - since his kids are drawn in to the investigation, if only peripherally.
The set up isn't bad for the story and the culprit(s), but the story itself plods as we, and our two detectives, are jerked from one crime scene to another and getting more confused in the process. A competent, if not the best, story by Zubro. Sigh.
December 13, 2013
In the 8th Paul Turner mystery, we find the detective taking his sons and friends to the SF Convention.Of course what should be a fun event turns into a murder mystery when one of the authors who is participating is murdered brutally. Detectives Turner & Fenwick are called to investigate the murder, the prominent elderly author is found run thru with a broadsword and wearing a Xena warrior princess costume.The detectives find many suspects that both loved and hated the woman.They also find minor suspicion on Turner's older son Brian, who was wearing a broadsword as part of his costume but laid it down when making out with a lovely young girl and it was promptly stolen.Turner knows his gentle and loving son isn't capable of taking a life and want even smallest suspicion off his son so he's working hard to find the person(s) responsible.The body count rises by one and also attempted murder of a police officer and bloody clothes found in hotel rooms.This is not a good a read as other Turner mysteries. I must admit when the killer was finally revealed, I laughed at the explanation behind the killer's rampage.Such a foolish reason for all this violence, made me disappointed in this book.
August 11, 2012
I liked the setting - a SF convention in Chicago - because it felt familiar and reminded me of cons I've been to in the past. The gay part of it consisted of the main detective who lived with his partner and their two sons - there was nothing explicit and normal, every day affection between the two and had really nothing whatsoever to do with the story and how the mystery was laid out. Not a lot of setting the scene - I could picture things because I've been to events like this but someone who hasn't might not be able to - and a lot of talking. A LOT of talking - this was very dialogue heavy.
This also wasn't a very complicated mystery and a very fast read. You also do not need to read the other books in the series to get a handle on the main characters - it stands on it's own. It was a good, light afternoon read.
This also wasn't a very complicated mystery and a very fast read. You also do not need to read the other books in the series to get a handle on the main characters - it stands on it's own. It was a good, light afternoon read.
October 13, 2021
This is an easy quick read and fits snugly into the mystery genre. In this particular, our intrepid police office, Paul Turner has to find out who is killing a string of people at a Science Fiction convention. The convention was planned to be the biggest and best and people worked hard to achieve that. However, somebody is not who they pretend to be.
To complicate matters Paul has to deal with the fact that while investigating the gruesome murders, he also has to worry about his family. His two sons are at the convention and his older son's costume happens to have something in common with the murderer.
Before it is over, his own family is in danger. And nothing makes Paul want to solve a case as much as having his family under threat.
To complicate matters Paul has to deal with the fact that while investigating the gruesome murders, he also has to worry about his family. His two sons are at the convention and his older son's costume happens to have something in common with the murderer.
Before it is over, his own family is in danger. And nothing makes Paul want to solve a case as much as having his family under threat.
April 16, 2011
"Nerds Who Kill" pits Chicago police detective Paul Turner against a serial killer at a local science fiction convention -- which he is attending with his two teenage sons and an eccentric neighbor.
The investigation itself makes for a detailed police procedural. What I liked best about this book is how it described the family dynamics between Turner, who is gay, his partner Ben, their family and friends. Why? Because the book portrays them as regular people instead of cookie-cutter stereotypes. Turner's conflicts with his sons and partner are believable.
Those looking for a piece of GLBT fiction that puts the characters in a positive light should definitely check this out.
The investigation itself makes for a detailed police procedural. What I liked best about this book is how it described the family dynamics between Turner, who is gay, his partner Ben, their family and friends. Why? Because the book portrays them as regular people instead of cookie-cutter stereotypes. Turner's conflicts with his sons and partner are believable.
Those looking for a piece of GLBT fiction that puts the characters in a positive light should definitely check this out.
May 9, 2013
Paul, his sons, and his boyfriend Ben go to a Sci-Fi convention when bodies start turning up. What do you do when there are over 100k people at the convention and one of them may be the murder? Turner and Fenwick, with a little help from some friends track down the killer before they get too close to his family.
April 19, 2009
K...I tried to finish this book, but found I just didn't care. I have no idea what originally brought me to these books, and how I actually read all of the ones that came before it.
While the Paul Turner series is better than the Tom & Scott series, it still isn't very good.
While the Paul Turner series is better than the Tom & Scott series, it still isn't very good.
July 13, 2009
A mystery at a sci-fi convention. A little ho hum, but the main character is a gay Chicago police detective. There's no sex in the book, which the cover implies and the story is more plodding procedural than thriller, but it was enjoyable.
May 13, 2012
Have read many of his other books--was a fast easy read and I like the characters--the main character is somebody I wouldnt mind having as a friend
May 14, 2015
I like the series. This book felt a little tedious. It took me a while to read it through. Still, it's worth a read.
April 23, 2008
Best part of the book is the beefcake shot on the cover.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews