Death By Suspenders

Spencer University #1

by Laina Turner

The exciting first day of school turns to murder!

Olivia and Polly get to Spencer University ready for the first day of fall classes. They are excited about meeting new students and kicking off a fantastic year when instead, one of their co-workers, David, is found hanging in the academic building.

David wasn’t always the most well-liked colleague, but Olivia and Polly can’t even imagine who would kill him. Is one of their co-workers a murderer? If so, was campus safe or should they be worried about what might happen next time there was a difference of opinion at a faculty meeting?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Novella, Ebooks, Amazon

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2018

About the author

As a child, Laina thought she would either be a truck driver (thanks to Jerry Reed in Smokey and the Bandit) or work at Taco Bell (her favorite restaurant as a child). As she grew older, she realized her talents lay in other areas, and for the last several years has been a college professor teaching business and English.

Through all her career choices, she has continued to have a passion for writing stemming from childhood, where, as an only child, she developed a vivid imagination.

She is proud of her vast experiences in life from barrel racing, to being on the dance team for a semi-pro basketball team, to being a mom of 2 amazing kids.

She decided to follow her dream as an author in 2009 and has worked her way up to having 5 fans (maybe 6 now). She often tells her family and friends that no one is safe from his or her ventures slipping into her books. Her blog, In Pursuit of Fabulous, was launched to share the daily fun in her life as a Real Midlife Housewife of the Midwest.

To find out more information about Laina and her books, check out her website at http://www.lainaturner.com/

Reviews

[Wealie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars - A boring protagonist, a plot holier than a fishing net, an unbelievable conclusion that barely references the central plot, a lacklustre love interest, superfluous secondary characters, barely there antagonist and filled with proofing issues

A mercifully short read this story lacks any of the elements that make a 'cozy mystery' the protagonist Olivia has no real reason to become an amateur sleuth, it's never confirmed by the police that the victim is even murdered, so why she would even begin to investigate is questioned. Her love interest the ex-cop, turned campus security is woefully underused as a possible sidekick and their romance barely explored and the same goes for the best friend/co-worker and her ex-boyfriend.

Lots of plot threads are introduced that go nowhere - a massive motive is introduced around 80% of the way inGrade fixing by senior professors and management which has absolutely nothing to do with the murder and isn't resolved, even though it's WAY more interesting than the actual murderer and their motive. I'm guessing the author is laying ground work for the sequel, but I'll never know as I wont' be buying the next book!

All in this was shoddily written, badly edited and poorly executed. I can make some allowances for the novella format in terms of plot development and character nuance, but instead of focusing on a tight plot and manageable set of characters and motives this novella dives headlong into a messy morass of bland characters and unfulfilling plot threads. Do yourselves a favour and spend your money and time on a classic Agatha Christie short story or a more deserving cosy mystery novella.

[Sharon Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first book of Turner's Read Wine series & that was pretty good, other than the ebook needing some proofreading. This one, on the other hand, really needs an editor. And a good bit more by way of plot & character development.

Needless to say, I won't be picking up the rest of this series.

[M. White · Rating 2 out of 5]

Death by Suspenders

I liked the premise for this story, but was very disappointed in how it developed. A major plot line was just dropped, but that may have been intended as a cliffhanger lead for the next book. Unfortunately, I have no desire to read the next one and find out.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally Olivia loves the first day of the autumn term, but this one is different. A professor has been murdered and, of course, there are a plethora of suspects for the not well-liked man. While it's out of her bailiwick, Olivia feels she needs to do something to bring the campus back to a more harmonious academic climate.

Gosh, this took me back to my university years and how I initially felt about school. For just a moment, I missed the hustle and bustle of new books, new classes, new people. Olivia was a very engaging character, as was her friend Polly and her new lover interest Don. Her ex-boyfriend, on the other hand, was repugnant and I mused along with Olivia what she'd ever seen in him. The story just flowed so nicely and was so captivating until we hit the climax. I felt a little cheated by the motive of the murderer. It didn't feel like the lead-up had introduced the elements we needed to know in order to figure it out. This was followed by a quick wrap up and all was revealed. Overall, this story was engaging and enjoyable. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Dieter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This cozy mystery, characterized by its comfort and ease, falls short in engaging the reader with the main college professor detective and her friend due to insufficiently interesting character details. The conclusion appears abrupt, and the method of the professor's demise appears inconsistent with the killer's prepared weapon. Additionally, the story loses its tension due to the protagonist's relationship issues, and events unfold without clear cause and effect.

I will not continue this series.

[Margaret Yelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC from the author, this is my fair and honest review. I had never read anything from this author before, I found the book to be well written. It was a cute little story and it was easy to follow along with. I would recommend it to those that enjoy cozy mysteries.

[Ramona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

I liked this, though the ending was really rushed and I felt a bit dissapointed about how it ended. I feel like the plot twist should have been bigger

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia is a college professor at Spencer University. Today is the first day of fall classes and she is excited to get the school year off to a great start. On arrival at the University, she discovers police cars blocking her path to the academic building her classes reside in and soon learns one of her co-workers has been murdered. With the help of her best pal Polly and the cute security guard Don, Olivia decides to stick her nose into the investigation and resolve the murder case.

This is the first in the new Spencer University cozy mystery book series. You are introduced to a very headstrong, intelligent, and witty main character (Olivia) who doesn’t think twice about getting a bit nosey and finding herself in the thick of things. The book has a great combination of humor, romance (just a bit), mystery, and adventure for all cozy mystery fans.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Death by Suspenders by Laina Turner is a great cozy mystery with the academic vibe.
Will Olivia figure out who killed David before someone else is murdered?
Olivia Little
Olivia is boyfriend challenged, a professor of psychology, our sleuth, and point of view character. She is a casual type of gal with an unusual amount of curiosity. Once Olivia and the rest of the staff find out that David March was killed, she can't stop sticking her nose into it. 

I like that Olivia is smart, she likes her job, and she isn't really big into being a fashion plate. The only thing I didn't care for was that she went off investigating all by herself without letting anyone know where she was going. I get it; they would try to stop her, but that was risky.
The Mystery
Professor March was killed, and then all of a sudden, there are so many secrets, and everyone keeps telling Olivia. She is a good listener and a psychology teacher, so maybe that was why? I don't want to ruin the plot for you, but it was good. 
Four Stars for Death by Suspenders by Laina Turner
I enjoyed the story, everything kept moving along, and Olivia was right there when it all went down. Good sleuth or just in the right place at the right time? I will let you decide. My rating is for stars for Death by Suspenders. Check it out when you get a chance. 

Spencer University Cozy Mystery Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death by Suspenders by Laina Turner.

This Guest Review is for Baroness' Book Trove. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book on your site and to the author for supplying this marvelous book.

Until the next time,



 

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Jamie Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the first day back for fall term, professor Olivia and her colleagues are stunned to learn that one of their number has been found dead. While details aren't forthcoming for a while, the fact that the police have an investigation leads them to think that foul play was involved. Olivia can't stop her curiosity; while David wasn't well-liked, who would murder him? Soon, Olivia starts her own investigation with the begrudging help of her possible new romantic interest, Don, who is in charge of campus security.

Who murdered the professor? A colleague or student? Someone from his personal life? Will Olivia help get to the bottom of it, or will she just hinder the investigation? Will she and Don continue their flirtation?

I enjoy cozy mysteries, and I love the university setting of this particular novel. Colleges are fishbowls, each their own unique microcosm, and so are the perfect fertile ground for mystery and intrigue. I enjoyed Olivia's interactions with her best girlfriend and Don. The plot had some good twists and turns, and whom the eventual murderer turned out to be was a surprise. The book is very short and can be read in less than a couple of hours.

Unfortunately, the book was marred with a variety of errors. The author misspelled a character's name twice. There were many issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, with the most problematic being commas. They were missing in a variety of places: at the end of long introductory phrases, before the coordinating conjunction in a sentence composed of two independent clauses, and in other places—like before “not”—that actually hindered the proper reading of the sentence.

If you can overlook these sometimes confusing errors, you might enjoy the storyline of the novel and the new characters introduced in this series.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is always cut throat competition in academia - and politics regarding funding, publishing, credit - a lot of drama and energy for things that seem so very important in those small worlds, but probably have little impact on real, hard, life important things outside the walls - unless and until someone crosses lines that have further reaching impacts: misappropriation of funds, affairs, offspring - legitimate or otherwise, to name a few.

and everyone takes sides, leverages secrets and power struggles.

Olivia finds herself caught up in many tangles - and tires of holding so many secrets for so many people - until someone breaks, and is prepared to kill again.

mighty real world lethal for campus escapades !

ironic humor, campus politics to the n-th degree, and twisted romance.

well worthwhile Kindle read!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kat Lebo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death By Suspenders, A Spencer University Cozy Mystery, Book #1
by Laina Turner

While this was a perfectly pleasant little cozy mystery, it also had little in it to make me want to read more about this character. The characters were decently drawn, the plotting and pacing were fine, the editing/proofing was excellent, but still it left me ho-humming. It also left one of the the possible volatile situations totally unresolved, but the main issue was rather unsatisfyingly and uncleverly resolved, so I guess I can't say there was a cliffhanger ending for the basic mystery of the book, but I sure felt like that other situation was purposely left wide open in hopes of enticing the reading of the second book. Sorry, at least for me it didn't work.

So, there's not a lot particularly wrong with this novel, and it was a reasonably quick read. I didn't hate it, but I definitely didn't love it.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death By Suspenders (A Spencer University Cozy Mystery Book #1)by Laina Turner

Olivia and Polly are ready for the new school year at Spencer University. Looking forward to meet their students and have a great year. They do not expect their colleague David found dead, by hanging. The pair do some investigating to solve this murder mystery.

Fast paced, fun murder/mystery. Olivia and Polly are both likable, the make a great pair of amateur sleuths. The University setting made it more original, and interesting. Overall I found Death By Suspenders enjoyable, and feel those who enjoy a cozy mystery will enjoy this as well.

[Doug Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cozy mystery is set at fictitious Spencer University in Picklewood, Ohio, where a crotchety psychology professor is found dead in a classroom building on the first day of class.

Lots of faculty members and students had had disagreements with the victim, meaning that there are plenty of potential suspects. One of them is composition professor Olivia Little, who decides it's in her best interest to do a little investigating. She finds out more than she wants to know about the behavior of some of her colleagues.

Olivia, strangely, is an associate professor who has been at Spencer for 20 years but has yet to receive tenure. That's not something that would happen at an actual American university, where the probationary period for tenue-track faculty tends to be something like 6 years.

[Homegdenpatioplace Johnson]

Olivia and Polly, best of friends have arrived at 1st day for Spencer University classes. The first thing they notice there are cop cars setting in front of their main building. They are asked to stay outside. Soon they find out David on one their co-workers has been found hanging in the building.

David was not well liked, but they can't imagine any one disliking him enough to hang him. Later they find out that he has been hung by his suspenders. It seems the police are questioning everyone, but not reaching any conclusions.

Olivia and Polly decide to help them. So they start asking questions. Buy this book and read a fun, fast moving story that is full of surprises. I think you'll enjoy it.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olivia Little, Associate Professor at Spencer University, is looking forward to the first day of the new college – right ujp until she discovers a body in the main building.
David March was on the college's tenure committee and had been blocking Olivia's appointment for years.
They'd had a blazing row only a week before.
But, as it quickly turns out, she is far from being the only suspect.
Olivia, of course, is determined to investigate.
The identity of the killer isn't actually solved but announced (from the rooftops!)
“Death By Suspenders” isn't particularly good, there's is zero character development and the plot is straight out of 'Murder She Wrote'.
That said it is an easy read, just not very interesting.
2.5 Stars, raised to 3 Stars.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series taking place in a college setting. A department head gets murdered and Olivia and Polly can't figure out why someone would want to end his life. There are many quirks and twists and turns in this mystery including a cute little romantic overture by the head of campus security. When Olivia's curiosity and fear that one of her colleagues might be a murderer and could she or Polly be next, she decides to get involved in trying to figure out what happened. A fast-paced fun read with a good new series that I can't wait to read what adventures will happen next. I received and ARC from the author but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Janet Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder at a Small University
This is the beginning of a new series. It is an interesting cozy mystery. There are lots of moving parts to this story and only one of them gets tied up by the end of this episode. I have read book 2 of this series and none of these other issues gets resolved or even mentioned. As it stands, this book ends with several bad cliffhangers. The story is lacking that depth that lets you get emotionally involved in the story. Perhaps it is the novella length or just the lack of character development. Having read both books 1 and 2, I won't be reading any more of this series. I received this ARC book for free from Booksprouts and this is my honest review.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laina Turner has become one of my favorite authors! Her series A Spencer University Cozy Mystery, is another great series. She keeps the reader entertained throughout the entire book. In Death by Suspenders a professor is found in one of the buildings, believed to be murdered. Granted he isn't the most liked person and has a different opinion than most of the staff and doesn't like change. Could someone have really murdered him? If so, is the killer someone they know? Is the campus safe for faculty and students?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sherri Geisler Locke · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the first book of this series we find Olivia a professor at Spencer university embroiled in the mystery of the murder of David, the head of her department. David was not well liked but did not seem to have any enemies that anyone knew of so who would want to murder him and why? Either I missed something in reading or there were a couple of things left hanging. hopefully the second book in the series will fill in the missing information.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating for this cozy mystery is 3 1/2 stars. It was a fun book to read but it was shorter than I like a book to be and the ending seemed rushed. I did like the setting of the book--Spencer University in Ohio because I am a retired teacher! I wish that Henry (Siamese cat) would have had a bigger presence! I like quirky four legged sidekicks. I did like the main characters, Olivia Little and her best friend Polly. Their colleague, David March, sure wasn't the most popular professor on campus! I want to try other series by this author.

[Lucrecia Tolbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death By Suspenders was a good, but yet quick read for me. It was refreshing to have the setting at an university rather than a bakery or a bookstore. There are a few twists that I did not expect, but apparently working in higher education is cut throat. This is going to be a good series. I can't wait to read more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author is new to me but no longer. This book is the beginning of a new series one that i am already hooked on and can't wait for more. The writing by this author is so fluid because it flows so well and I have been never read a book that flowed as well as this book did Laina Turner is an author to look forward to reading more books from.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the first day of school, a dead body is found at the university. A teacher was hung by his own suspenders. Was it suicide or murder? Could there be a murderer on campus? Could the motive be tenure? Revenge for a bad grade?

This is a simple, who-dunnit mystery. It’s the work of an amateur detective. Overall, it’s okay, but I didn’t like that there were too many names to keep track of. It made it harder to follow the story.

[Debi Paglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the way Ms. Turner writes. Her books have an easy flow and make for an enjoyable read. The college setting was a nice change from the usual bakery and bookstore settings. Her characters are regular people involved in not so regular situations. This book has lots of turns and twists and the solving of the mystery at the end completely surprised me. I would recommend this book to any cozy mystery fan who likes good storytelling, a little romance and likable characters. Can’t wait for the next book!

[Judy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice quick read that you can easily do at lunchtime or between tasks. Twists and turns abound in this college setting in a story that keeps moving at the perfect clip. Likable characters take you on a charming whodunit with a little bit of romance thrown in! This is my first book by this author and definitely won't be the last! Great cozy, super fun!

[Katie Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olivia thinks she's returning for another regular semester only to find out one of the other professors was killed. She figures it couldn't hurt anything to help the police find out who the culprit is. The story is interesting and the descriptions and dialog are good. I enjoyed the book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[D Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and enjoyable read. I was expecting this book to be cut and dry, but it wasn’t. There was lots of twists and turns that added to the mystery and the ending was a complete shock. This is a great start to a new series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something I can really relate to, academia! Politics and backstabbing - oh yes. But back to the book, this is a wonderful read as this author usually presents. I love this story and all of the characters. Great story, difficult to put down, action-packed and with enough twists to keep me guessing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara Brostek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging College Whodunnit!
Interesting new start to the series. Olivia Little sets out to discover who killed fellow professor David March but uncovers startling secrets in her small college as well. Charming characters and intriguing storyline full of suspense, twists, humor and a little romance with a surprising ending. Enjoy!

I received an arc copy and am happy to leave my honest review.