The Edith Wharton Murders

Nick Hoffman #2

by Lev Raphael

Chaos hits the State University of Michigan when two bitterly rival Edith Wharton societies are brought together for the same conference. Its reluctant organizer, Professor Nick Hoffman, is desperate to get tenure, and when there's a murder, his only chance of saving his academic career is finding the killer.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, LGBT, Queer, M M Romance, Gay Fiction, Romance

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

I've wanted to be an author since I was in second grade and fell in love with "The Three Musketeers", which I read to pieces. It hasn't been a swashbuckling life exactly, but one full of surprises, including recently selling my literary papers to Michigan State University's Libraries.

Since second grade, I've loved all sorts of books and have ended up writing nineteen books in many genres: memoir, mystery, short story collections, a children's book, and more. I've been an academic, a radio DJ, had my own talk show, and currently have three terrific giugs.

I write a monthly column for Bibliobuffet.com called Book Brunch. I blog at Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lev-rap...). And I do a monthly "Under the Radar" book review for WKAR 90.5 FM in East Lansing, MI. I'm always on the lookout for beautifully written books in any genre, but I more and more favor books from smaller presses, because they need more exposure.

I love reading my work and have done hundreds of readings on three different continents. Readings are performances, and I practice, practice, practice.

Reviews

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
All academic circles are characterised by extreme & unprovoked bitchiness, developed to distract inhabitants from the better-than-evens chance of murder by poisoned sherry / defenestration / clubbing with the marble bust of a benefactor. I enjoyed this proof of my theory enormously. Nick Hoffman is a sympathetic PoV narrator, and the plot is not too far-fetched (for a given value of suspended disbelief).

This was the first Lev Raphael I read, and to understand the relationship between Nick & his partner I should probably have read book 1 first. For me, the dry logic of a detective plot has to be leavened by some sort of emotional yeast - YMMV, ofc.

[Trin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A more successful $1 bookshop find than the last: a very '90s queer mystery set at an academic conference for Edith Wharton scholars. The gentle academic satire is the most enjoyable part here -- in contrast, the mystery is a bit too convoluted and our protagonist barely does any detective work. But I still had fun with the late '90s atmo of it all -- though I could have done without, and didn't miss, the biphobia.

[Ulysses Dietz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lev Raphael published his Nick Hoffman mysteries back in the 1990s, and has recently reintroduced them as e-books. These books do something that is hugely important to me: they offer murder mysteries with interesting characters and superior writing, and feature a longtime gay couple as the centerpiece of the stories. There are other couples and other relationships swirling about in the atmosphere around Nick and Stephan, but these two men are at the core of the story.

“The Edith Wharton Murders” is the second of eight Nick Hoffman books, and takes place in the fictionalized Michigan university town where Nick is a writing professor and Stephan is the writer in residence. There are sly little joking references to Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher in the story, but there is also a strong overlay of the English writer David Lodge, whose best known novels revolve around the internecine politics of university life in the UK.

Surely there is a conscious reflection of Raphael’s own life in academe here, but his portrayal of the absurdity and tragic pettiness of the world of Edith Wharton scholars (an author whose work I personally love, to a point) is delicious. As Nick desperately tries to control the Wharton conference he has been forced to organize, and as he continues to manage the hurt he feels from Stephan’s emotional betrayal in the previous (first) book, we feel alternating waves of sympathy, disbelief and comic giddiness as the entire procedure begins to spin off its axis.

And, as I said, at the hub of this swirl of personalities and college life, are these two men, in their mid-thirties, settled, happy in their life together in spite of the inevitable pain and hurt that longtime relationships often embrace. There is no overt sex in this book, and there doesn’t need to be. There is nothing in this book to make the straight world queasy-except, of course, the sharp focus on the gay men themselves. This intense visibility, Nick and Stephan’s motivating force at the core of this novel, is probably enough to ensure that a large part of the mystery-reading audience won’t touch it. For all the advances in politics in the world – right up to universal recognition of same-gender marriage this year – our visibility still makes the other 95% squirm.

So, for all their charm and their readability, Lev Raphael’s Nick Hoffman books are important to me for this reason. How lucky I am that they’re so good.

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this second book in the series, we are just getting familiar with the foibles of SMU (or as Nick tells him new office mate "I think I should warn you [...] my previous office mate was murdered"), and more into the realization it takes a special person to be a teacher ... and that "special" isn't always a complimentary descriptor.

During a committee meeting, it is decided that a conference about a woman writer will give SMU a step up in their lackluster efforts to get more women faculty and TAs. Anais Nin? Too passe. Gertrude Stein? Too lesbian. Toni Morrison? No black faculty members in the department. Edith Wharton seems the perfect compromise and since Nick is the foremost Edith Wharton bibliographer, it falls to him to organize the conference. Hilarity ensues .... plus, of course, murder(s).

The major strength of this series is Stefan and Nick's long-term (10+ years and counting) relationship which is mature and comfortable. I love how each accepts the others' quirks:.

Stefan was surprised. "They asked you to run a conference?"
I nodded dumbly.
"I don't understand." He frowned. "Do they want to sabotage it? Don't they know how scattered you are?"
I started to laugh. Why is it that someone you love can openly tell you your faults and it seems funny, affectionate?"

The resulting conference is amazing - there are two warring factions of Edith Wharton scholars, and an insufferable bisexual Pulitzer prize-winning author Chloe DeVore who has moved on from her early collections of short stories to a 700-page book called Empire of Sin about Justinian and Theodora. Or as Nick and fellow teacher Priscilla quip: "What the hell would Chloe DeVore know about the Byzantine Empire?" "I guess she spent a weekend in Istanbul once."

All the characters here are beautifully fleshed-out and this is one of those books where you will either bookmark every other page, or drive your friends and family crazy by reading aloud to them line after witty / funny / charming line.

The murder / mystery is also well done, but there's just so many other wonderfully fun things happening that, for me personally, that element was only a small part of the joying of reading this book. 4.5 stars.

[Mila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[PaperMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming from an academia work environment, I’m already attuned to the politics and tensions inherent within the lay of hallowed University grounds – and am quite willingly prepared to sit through another of Raphael’s solidly written tales set at the State University of Michigan’s Department of English, American Studies and Rhetoric. The writing style is as usual infused with witty barbs and sardonic descriptions of almost larger than life characters who inhabit the lecture halls, conference rooms and campus buildings of Nick Hoffmann’s world – academics, writers, publishers, students, senior University administrative beaurocrats, extreme right wing homophobic fundy-religious types. As further incentive – the reader gets invited into Nicky’s tasteful home (which he shares with sexy hirsuit boyfriend of 12 years, Stefan) to partake of their remarkably taste-bud tempting meals … the early-on description of preparing Pasta Puttanesca (translated whore’s pasta) made me stop reading to dash to my pantry to see if I had the ingredients on hand to make up a batch of my own – yumm!

This second volume in the series sees Nick and Stefan’s relationship stabilised at a new equilibium (with some reservations) more than a year post the saga of Stefan’s ex-lover appearing on the scene and then being knocked off. Tensions and high drama arise when Nick’s department votes to stage/host a major literary conference celebrating a female author to counter socio-political cries of sexism and anti-discrimination within University ranks. Nick is blackmailed into planning and running the conference – especially since he’s the resident bibliographic expert and know-it all about this chosen writer – Edith Wharton. One would be forgiven to think such a conference would be easily run and quite tedious to sit through but no … there are two rival Wharton literary camps – members of each whom detest each other – such is the high feelings aroused regarding literary interpretations of the lady’s writings as well as of the lady herself. Throw in a couple of controversial best selling pop-writers with attitude galore, declamations of plagiarism, viciously nasty book reviews, a couple of cases of extreme writer-rivalry/jealousy, some clandestine bisexual bedroom affairs, stalking lesbians, anti-gay campaigners out to rid the campus of gay libertine corruption of the young student minds – naturally murder most-foul would be attending harassed Nick’s Wharton conference! Copies of Wharton’s books are found with each body – is there a twisted serial killer at work?? I started second-guessing which Wharton novel would be found alongside the next victim.

Several characters from the first title in the series make a comeback, and on a welcome and positive note would be the re-appearance of Nick’s nemesis – campus police inspector Valley who projects a less hostile / homophobic air this time round. For the foodie lovers – we get Steak Dianne, spinach linguine, basil tomato penne, crabmeat mousse with dill, various chardonnays, Mandarin Napoleon, Vietnamese restaurant fare, breakfast waffles etc etc etc. For movie buffs – there are references and allegories made to films/characters such as Bringing Up Baby, Island of Lost Souls, Fatal Attraction, Laura, Chariots of Fire …. Marlene Dietrich and Margaret Dumont! The heightened air of danger or menace seems less in this novel compared to the first book in the series – at no time did I feel Nick was endangering himself through his sleuthing work and determination to save his academic hide from being fired.

I appreciate the continuing detailed evolution of Nick and Stefan’s relationship and domestic life but was rather thrown emotionally when one of the main characters was killed off. As an aside, I cannot believe the number of Wharton-based movies I’ve actually viewed over the past decade – some of whose main characters were quite emotionally torturous to follow (I really did want to reach into the TV monitor and slap Gillian Anderson’s Lily Bart in The House of Mirth or administer the chloral myself at the end). Having just finished this whodunnit – I am resolved not to start reading Ethan Frome or Age of Innocence etc anytime soon LOL!

[Sharon Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read the Nick Hoffman series a number of years ago when I had them as paperbacks. I really enjoyed them then and when I was offered the chance to reread 'The Edith Wharton Murders' as an e-book I jumped at the chance.
The murder/mystery was interesting and I really like Nick and Stephan. It's nice reading about an established couple who don't have major problems/hang-ups in their lives. This is not to say that they don't have problems but they are a team and they do compliment each other.
'The Edith Wharton Murders' has been republished by ReQueered Tales and contains an introduction written by Gregory Ashe.
I will be rereading this series.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please note, this is not a romance novel. This is foremost a mystery with a supporting, established gay relationship. For myself, I quite enjoy this dichotomy - so many m/m romance books cover the dating or beginning stages of a romance, not so many delve into the nuances of a mature couple and I appreciate this aspect. While this could be read as a stand-alone, reading the series in order will help explain the relationships established in book one.

This is an enjoyable cozy mystery. Nick, directed to organize an Edith Wharton conference for the university under a subtle threat of no tenure if he refuses, reaches out to two rival Wharton groups. While antagonism is expected, the murder of a well-known – but not well liked – celebrity author comes as a shock to everyone. Events surrounding the conference spiral out of control, the local detective is not pleased to see Nick involved in yet another mystery, and Nick is left wondering if he could find employment elsewhere after this debacle.

This was also a rather convoluted mystery with a substantial cast of characters – the celebrity author and her French wife, the well-known author and her publisher, the president of the college and her husband (also Nick’s new office mate), the department head, Nick’s coworker and budding friend, Nick’s coworker and co-conference organizer, the two rival Edith Wharton presidents, a former student of Nick’s, and Nick and Stephan. The author didn’t need much in the way of ‘red herrings’ – he had so many people moving around it was a whole school of herring causing misdirection.

This was also an unusual mystery in that the first half of the book is about establishing the conference and the murder/mystery didn’t happen until nearly halfway through. Anyone having attended, or help run, a conference will fully empathize with the trials and tribulations Nick is going through. The fear of not having anyone show up, the concerns about the celebrity dramas, the conference space not working as planned, a job is on the line… this was all incredibly well conveyed and nearly overshadowed the primary purpose of the story.

NOTE: This book was provided by ReQueered Tales for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

And again, I really liked the mystery, but the characters... they seemed worst than in the first book, sorry. They are self-centred, superficial and absolutely selfish. The whole time, even with two women dead (one of them an acquaintance) and a dangerous climate of homophobic behaviour and discrimination, the main character's only worry was how this would affect his chances at tenure, and how his conference was ruined and would be remembered as 'the killer conference' or something like that.

And the rest of the characters? All of them are the same, except for Angie, but then she was a student. Hell, is that's how academics are in the US? Pedantic, childish, vacuous? *shudders*

I'm sorry, but even when the mysteries are interesting, I simply can't read a book in which I despise the main character :/ And yes, I know this series is supposedly a satire, but it doesn't feel like one. There is no humour here, just a dispiriting portrait of University politics, professors behaving badly, and professional and personal backstabbing.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

In trying to stay with my Wharton theme for 2013 I checked this mystery out as part of the Summer Reading Program for the local library.

It was a very fast and entertaining read. The setting in competitive academia was something I related to. I also really enjoyed the main character.

But, like the story highlights itself, not all books get positive reviews. This book got 3 stars from me, mostly because of the made-up university that always reminded me it was fiction, because characters other than the narrator all felt one dimensional and necessary to move the plot along, and because the story had laughably little to do with Edith Wharton, scholarship about her, or her stories.

I do have to say that this was a light and diverting read after my first 6 months of heavy Wharton material this year. But, I don't highly recommend it.

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a disappointing entry into the series. The satire is funny, I guess, but the mystery itself is poorly integrated and the main character does little to nothing to further the investigation. The whole thing comes off meandering and a little pointless.

[Neet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the Nick Hoffman mysteries. Nick is forced to arrange an Edith Wharton conference at SUM. What could possibly go wrong? This is another good mystery and a good read.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Dena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Nicholas George · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay literary mystery taking place at a fictitious college in Michigan. The plot is too convoluted (too many suspects) and the snarky dialogue and old movie references grow a bit stale.

[el_quijote · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Nick Hoffman Mystery that I have read by Lev Raphael. Regretfully, I seem to be reading them in reverse order. This occasionally can be confusing as Mr. Raphael repeats his main characters and makes references to previous adventures; however each book is a stand alone mystery.

These are laid back stories to be read more for Mr. Raphael’s acerbic wit and running commentary about his characters than for the rather tame mysteries. The main protagonist, Nick Hoffman teaches at a mythical mid-western university, so readers involved in university academics may recognize the bureaucratic angst. Mr. Raphael is gay and Jewish, as are his main characters, perhaps this is why they ring with life-like authenticity. At times, the main character Nick can get a bit prudish and his stinging retorts can become tiresome. But he can also be a rage with his comical descriptions and putdowns of his fellow characters.

This book was a wonderful little break from pot-boiled, hyperbolized, best-seller paperback mysteries; delightful to read, well written, with intellectual leverage and just enough comic relief to keep your interest.

[J.A.V. Simson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Normally I don't go in for mysteries, but this one has a novel, academic twist. I'll need to check out some of the other Nick Hoffman mysteries. This is an amusing, languid spoof of the academic environment and its preoccupation with trivia--while life, with its gory details, comes crashing down. The protagonist bumbles his way through two murders, not really solving them, but bringing the reader along with the plot until the mystery is solved (perhaps too neatly), partly with the help of an enthusiastic student.
As a former Michigander, I also enjoyed the parody of the climate and culture of one of our country's virtually unknown backwaters.

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lev Raphael's style. The main hero's - Nick Hoffman's - inner monologue is simply hilarious. The author's description of the academic life is acerbic and sarcastic and that makes the book highly enjoyable even though the murder itself doesn't occur until almost 100 pages in. I loved the scene where Det. Valley spotted Nick - right in the middle of yet another murder investigation!

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny, biting look at academia. However, it seemed like the author was just using the premise (an Edith Wharton conference) as a way to bitch about university life, scholars, writers, and homophobia. Got a little grating after a while. I admire the intention, but the reality was a little overwhelming.

[Maryellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Cozy mystery, don't need to do alot of thinking. Sometimes the main character was self indulgent and the writing wasn't the greatest but it was interesting for its look into academia and publishing. I had no idea writers hated each other so much.

[Estelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a spoof - of writing and publishing, and academics and academic life! Lots of references to literature - Raphael has a PhD in the subject. Throw in a gay couple, a scattering of lesbians and a conservative preacher. It's a funny and quick read.

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like mysteries. I like Edith Wharton. I still didn't like this book.

[Kestrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would definitely read other books in this series; it really does include some literary chat in the mystery.

[Marie Burton]

Newest author on my never-to-read list
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lev-rap...

[Elizabeth m · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this book from one of the little free libraries in the neighborhood. Very enjoyable and will be passing the book on for someone else.

[Molly]

Clunky dialogue and uninteresting characters --

[Robin Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light murder mystery series takes place at a university - sleuth is a professor of literature.