Personal Pronouns

Joe Lehrer Mysteries #1

by David Allen Edmonds

Personal Pronouns is a mystery novel with suspenseful action and crisp dialogue like the classic PI novels of Robert B. Parker. The main character of this mystery, Joe Lehrer, is an amateur sleuth with faith and romance issues, reminiscent of Sydney Chambers in the traditional British amateur sleuth series, the Grantchester Mysteries.
Lehrer blames himself for the death of his wife who was killed in an automobile accident. With the help of his teacher friends and his own dubious faith, he manages to cope with it all until a student dies suspiciously. He launches into a private investigation and discovers a far-ranging conspiracy in suburban Stradford. Local politicians are conspiring to cover up several murders, a prostitution ring and other crimes.
From his investigation Joe realizes he can avenge one murder, but becoming a vigilante means becoming a killer. He must ask himself if vigilante justice will bring him peace or result in his demise. The reader must answer a similar Would you kill the man who killed your wife?

353 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 16, 2017

About the author

I've been a teacher all my life, so I guess it's natural that I write about teachers. Now that I think about it, it's natural for me to write because both of my parents were writers.

My first efforts were short stories about the goings-on inside the faculty lounge of a high school. They were easy to write since I spent a lot of my time there. They are fiction, but clearly based on my experiences. Several of these "Faculty Lounge Stories" are archived on my website,
http://www.davidallenedmonds.com

Personal Pronouns started with the same setting I used in the short stories, but morphed into something else as I wrote it. The length of the novel allowed me to flesh out the characters and hopefully give them some depth. The plot begins in school but is not limited to it. That gave me the chance to extend my themes into the broader community. Personal Pronouns is linked to my website and available at www.amazon.com/author/davidallenedmonds

Reviews

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, starting and finishing it within two days--very fast-paced and intriguing. The main character, Joe, was especially well developed and was an accurate portrayal of a man who lost his wife, and was a teacher, a community member, and friend.

My favorite part was the play on the title "Personal Pronouns." It fit in with the grammar curriculum in Joe's classroom, the loss of his wife (and involvement with Lexan), and the "happenings" in Stradford (the setting of the story). It would make for a fun and engaging class discussion in a literature class (or book club ;)

There were a lot of characters in the novel, so I look forward to seeing those more fully developed in the sequel(s).

[Carole P. Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read involving a grief-stricken teacher who feels responsible for his wife's death in a car accident. He resumes his life, only to find himself drawn deep into a web of danger surrounding a local mayor's election, the school board, and the suspicious death of one of his students. Joe fights the system as well as his growing attraction to the newest member of the staff, a feisty Spanish teacher. He uncovers layers intrigue and a nest of dirty little secrets hiding behind the bucolic facade of his pretty little town. Gripping and fast-paced, Edmonds writes with the right combination of humor, sentimentality, and action for an enjoyable book.

[Nick Geisendorfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Pronouns is a fun, fast-paced sleuth story with a believable, everyday trio of protagonists. The main protagonist, Joe Lehrer-- a high school teacher of German, like the author-- is a well-developed character: grieving, believably flawed, and sympathetic. I was surprised, but not unpleasantly so, to see Joe's Catholicism displayed so prominently, in that Joe goes to his priest for help and guidance in dealing with his wife's death (a role generally supplied by a shrink in stories by authors who might prefer to keep the role of faith at arm's-length). This aspect, in addition to the more obvious reality that Joe is a high school German teacher-- a relatively uncommon occupation, and even less so for a person inclined to do some hometown sleuthing-- made Joe particularly believable for me. Joe's relationship with fellow-language-teacher/protagonist Lexan was a bit back-and-forth, but perhaps realistic for a duo when one party is grieving the recent loss of a spouse and the other can't decide what she wants from the relationship. Both are accompanied and humored by supporting protagonist/guidance counselor Bob McCauley.

The classroom scenes are a hallmark of the author's stories, and serve as pegs around which to hang the story. The scenes elucidated a mixture of amusement, boredom, and nostalgia in me-- all three because I have sat in Herr Lehrer's German class, with Grammarland, German responses in context, and, indeed struggling with German personal pronouns (the language has a pesky tendency to use numerous different words for things which in English we would generally refer to as "it")-- except for me it was Herr Edmonds' German class, and the town wasn't called Stradford. The characters are all the same too-- every German II class has a lovable oaf with abominable language skills, a good attitude, and an effortlessly humorous personality. In future work, I'm hoping the author gives us a peak at Joe Lehrer's German IV or AP class, where the linguistic subject matter is more intricate, the administration of the class less structured, and the students fewer, generally more adult, and with better-defined personalities. Joe Lehrer might be a richer character still if he's challenged in the classroom (normally his comfort zone) with explaining the use of contrary-to-fact conditional statements in the second subjunctive mood to advanced, but nevertheless baffled, juniors and seniors. Lehrer's cynicism toward administrators and educational bureaucracy reflects that of the author's, while his leadership of the teachers during the strike to establish a union, is not (to my knowledge) a mantel the author assumed, but perhaps one he feels he might have/should have assumed.

*** SPOILER ALERT***

In general, the willingness of many adult characters to accept, and even participate in, acts of tremendous evil with apparent casualness I found a bit unbelievable (even the father of one of the child prostitute/murder victims is apparently bought off with a well-paying, part-time security job at the company run by a member of the archvillain's retinue). Even the unfriendly-but-good-guy cop, Kramer, doesn't seem to find a high school prostitution ring and murder spree to be anything really unusual or shocking. The categorical exception to this were the teachers and the students themselves (with the singular addition of the maid, Maria) This trend in the attitudes of most of the adult characters seems to send the message that only teachers really care about kids, which is a bit of a stretch, of course. Having sat for four years in the author's German classroom myself however, I've experienced firsthand the lengths to which a teacher might go to develop positive relationships with students, and can understand the contention that teachers, especially high-school teachers, might be uniquely qualified to not only to empathize with their students, but might also be compelled to great lengths to protect them.

I had a couple questions which remained unanswered by the end of the story. Joe Lehrer encounters some nasty villains hiding in everyday clothing... hometown public officials involved in child prostitution and murder, in addition to an apparently healthy dose of everyday corruption. What was the motivation for all that, beyond just being "the bad guys" or a generic desire for "money and power"? How did the archvillain's keep the lesser-villains in line? Oscar Brummelberger lost his daughter to a horrific car fire arranged by Pedro/Weigel. Oscar is intent on killing Pedro/Weigel until Joe accomplishes this for him...but what is Oscar's resolution? The character Karl runs the day-to-day of the prostitution ring and ordered the deaths of at least five people (and I might have missed some) over the course of the story, but is spending his time fishing in Florida with the newly-retired mayor and his wife? Joe has plenty of leverage over the newly-elected mayor of Stradford, but the story is ambiguous about whether and how he decides to use it. Like any reader, I was hoping to see the bad guys get what was coming to them, but there's still time...

***END SPOILERS***

The closing scene borrows the warrior imagery of St. Michael to suggest that Joe will be taking up the sword and shield of justice in a sequel, and I'm hoping that now that protagonists and setting are established that we can learn more about the motivations and nature of some of the villains, most of whom are alive and still (relatively) well in the denouement, despite Joe's victory in this story. I'll happily pick up the sequel both to see more of these unlikely hero-protagonists and to learn what greater evil they uncover and foil along the way!

Gut gemacht, mein Herr, und Glückwünsche dazu!

[David Edmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally based on the author's actual experiences as a teacher, Personal Pronouns developed into a suburban noir mystery, and the origin story of the Joe Lehrer Mystery Series. Featuring a twisty plot and a large, perhaps too large, cast of intriguing characters, PP gives the reader a look at the ugly underbelly of an upper middle class suburb: Stradford, where the grass is greener on top, but the bodies are buried below.

[Megan Korponic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stradford, a Cleveland suburb affectionately referred to as the ‘Ford, where the houses are large, the doors always closed, and lawns perfectly manicured. The high school sits just off the main street through town, the student lot elevated, a hike from the school and across a creek, where accidents happen daily in autos that are worth more than those belonging to the school staff. The kids have their futures mapped out, drink, party, are clad in their polos and khakis, and seek more money, although they need and want for nothing.

A high school German teacher who sees kids for who they are, frees them of their pressures, connects with who they are and and ultimately wants them to find their passion, just as he has.

This... this is the perfect recipe! No one is trying to keep up, everyone is Mr & Mrs Jones and children. What could possibly go wrong?! In towns like this, the secrets are as large as the houses, but so are the heros! 😀

I loved everything about this book from the feeing of home to the best memories of school I have and the constant rekindling of why I am an educator. I even loved the book club discussion questions! I’ll leave a few here, especially for my friends who were blessed enough to have chosen German!
1. Knowing that the author was a high school German teacher, like Joe Lehrer is, do you suppose any of the events in the novel are true?
5. Is there a standard, either real or perceived, for how teachers should act or speak? If so, what is it and is it fair for everyone?
9. Did you study a foreign language in school? What are your recollections of the experience? Did your teacher approach the class as Joe does?

Every last thing about this book was perfect! Thank you Herr Edmonds! #mygermanteacher #myhero

[C.L. Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your average sleuth!

Joe Lehrer is an endearing character who is charmingly outside the norm for your usual crime novel. Usually those sleuths are bitter, lonely alcoholics who investigate mysteries for pay. Not Joe Lehrer. He's just a teacher. A passionate, involved, thoughtful teacher who is actively engaged in his community and dedicated to fighting for his students. But what do you do when your students are caught up in a chilling plot which involves prostitution, bribery, and government corruption?

When Joe's beloved wife suffers a tragic "accident" as a result of his political involvement on behalf of his students, he finds himself caught up in something that is much bigger and more sinister than he ever could have imagined...

Hidden within the tense and occasionally bloody plot is a story which examines morality, human kindness, and provides a wry commentary on educational politics as only a book written by a real teacher could. Teachers will especially enjoy this book as they laugh and nod at Joe Lehrer's frustration with his prinicpal and school board, but I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about political corruption and small town politics... with a side order of murder.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed following the life of Joe Lehrer, a teacher in a fictional suburban Cleveland area school. David did a great job of showing the struggle of teachers as they balance the sometimes turbulent lives of their students while often dealing with their own personal problems.

Joe, is a dedicated teacher, involved in leadership roles in his teacher's union. The book starts with his return to work after his wife has died in a car accident. While working through his grief, the school is rocked with the death of a student. Joe is caught up in the investigation as other teachers start wondering about the suspicious details of the young girl's death.

David did an excellent job of portraying Joe's emotions as he returns to the classroom raw with feelings from his own devastating loss. I look forward to the sequel and reading more about Joe!

[AlzAuthors · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, David Allen Edmonds, for writing a captivating, action-packed mystery set with school and suburban politics as the backdrop. Main character, Joe Lehrer, is certainly a good guy, one we all wish to emulate. Can't wait to read the sequel!

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series gives the author a larger canvas to work with, but can make new problems. As the first of a series (?), the author has to do some world building. Here we get the back story of Joe and his community. I'm curious to see how this is incorporated into the next book, as there is now a solid set of characters and a community in place to grow on.
The mystery is more complex than many career based crime stories (I'm thinking of neighborhoods sleuths, cozies), and the group of characters work well together to get to their endpoint - which also has some plot lines open for future exploration.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entertaining book was part drama/part suspense. I am not typically a big fan of suspense, but the main characters in this story were well drawn, and the story line was dynamic. I always like a book that takes place in familiar surroundings, so as a Northeast Ohio resident I very much enjoyed the setting. My only criticism of the book is that there were a lot of characters, and it took me awhile to remember who was who.

[Tina Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book from the author. As a retired teacher I could relate to some of the issues teachers face with contract negotiations and strikes. I was interested in reading this book because of the local references to northeast Ohio and Cleveland. This is not typically the type of book I read but it was interesting and a quick read. The main character, Joe, is well developed but there are so many other minor characters it gets a little confusing who's who. I can see the author, David Edmonds, writing future books with these characters solving more mysteries. Overall, a good read for a new author.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, my neighbor and friend, has exceeded my expectations with Personal Pronouns, his first novel. I am so proud of him for achieving the dream of publishing such a great book. I was hooked from the beginning and finished this page-turner in just two days. I found it to be the perfect blend of far-fetched (I hope) entertainment and realistic representations of life as a teacher. The ending left a few loose ends, but maybe that was done deliberately with the intent of writing a sequel or allowing the reader to imagine the possibilities.

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really hit me. David Allen Edmonds’ Personal Pronouns follows a teacher who watched the love of his life die in a car accident and his journey to claw his way along the road to recovery. This is a story of grief, but also one of love and hope. Edmonds’ writing was both inspiring and engrossing and moved me to the core!

[Kate Michaelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This engaging mystery follows high school German teacher and recent widower, Joe Lehrer, who lives in the picture-perfect Cleveland suburb of Stratford. Still deep in grief over the loss of his wife in a car accident, Joe returns to his teaching job only to be drawn deep into the corruption and scandal that lurk beneath the surface of his picturesque town. The book boasts an eclectic cast of characters who come to life through sharp dialogue. I loved that the book didn’t shy away from difficult topics, such as mourning, but also wove in moments of wry humor. The author is a former teacher and writes about education with the wisdom of one who knows the system inside and out. I would recommend this read to anyone who enjoys crime fiction with heart and humor.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read by a local (Cleveland OH area).

[Mark Nuetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Reminded me a lot of my home town.

[Lucky Ringwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of surprises! Won't be disappointed.

[Mellie Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read.

This is the first book I have read from this author, but it won't be the last. Loved every bit of it. If you live a good mystery, give it a read.