Summer Session: An Academic Thriller

by Sid Stark

Sometimes summer flings turn deadly serious.

Russian professor Rowena Halley’s life finally seems to be taking a turn for the better. She has a job for the summer AND the fall, her family dramas of the past spring have settled down, and she’s got a promising romance going with Alex, a fellow academic and actual American.

But the course of true love rarely runs smooth. Rowena’s weekend of fun and good times with Alex is disrupted when one of her students goes missing, in a town that’s already had more than its fair share of missing young women. Simple flakiness, or something more sinister?

Rowena teams up with the student’s annoying new boyfriend to try to track her down, even as she wonders if he’s really the culprit behind her disappearance. Rowena’s research skills are finely honed. Hopefully her survival skills are too.

Summer Session is a shorter book, as befits a work set during an intensive summer program. It starts right after the end of Permanent Position, the second book in the series, but can be read as a standalone.

*Content warning: Adult language. Soooooo much adult language.*

Genres: Mystery

124 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2019

About the author

Under her other name, Sid lives a life very similar to that of her characters, although with more tedious grading and fewer exciting chase scenes.

Reviews

[Deb (D L) Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I have a relationship with Rowena. Sid sent me this as an ARC. I am under no obligation to review. With that said, I give this book 6 stars. Her characters are so well developed you feel as though you know them. I found myself cheering and booing at appropriate moments. I haven't spent any time on campus in many years and found myself wanting to back to school. I love a story that is comfortable containing many genres, but yet one never takes over the other. There is a mystery, there is crime, there is romance. That checks all of my boxes. I am anxiously awaiting the next appearance of Doctor Rowena.

[Mick Dubois · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rowena teaches a summer course at Indiana University and looks forward to the weekend when her boyfriend 's coming over. But on Saturday morning she has a meeting with Ruth, one of her students. The girl doesn't show up for this appointment and as she 's nowhere to be found her friends and teachers start to worry and look all over the city for her. In previous years, other students went missing or were found murdered ...
I had not read any of the previous books in this series and was a bit disappointed because after reading the flattering reviews I had expected something more. I still have another book of her on my reader and will read that anyway when I've got time.
This book had a very long introduction for a novella. I took half of the pages before they realised that something was totally wrong with their friend. But once there, the story flew at 1000 miles an hour and no more time for character development or background stories. The long introduction would have worked perfectly in a longer book. But in this setting, it feels a bit as if the writer grew bored halfway and quickly knitted an ending to the story. The idea and story itself are enjoyable and more than good. I loved how she described the squalid circumstances in which well-educated people are forced to live because of undesirable financial situations!!!
I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Doug Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this novella Dr. Rowena Halley is back at her alma mater, Indiana University, teaching Russian at an eight-week Summer Language Institute. At the end of the first week she is approached by Ruth Brown, the shyest student in the class, who wants to talk about something in private. They make an appointment to meet at 10 the following morning. Ruth comes early for the appointment, but she has disappeared by the time Rowena arrives. Rowena and her boyfriend, Dr. Alex Miller, then begin a search for the missing student.

The campus and college town setting are captured well here. I find it far-fetched that Rowena and Ruth made an appointment rather than talking right away. In the summer time there would be lots of private places to talk in an academic building.

[Cynthia Gould · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining short read about our favourite academic

Well, Dr Rowena Halley just can't help attracting trouble like a magnet, even while she teaches over the summer. If you've read Foreign Exchange, Campus Confidential and Permanent Position, this is a little fix until the next book comes out. If this is your introduction to the series about a Professor who becomes over-involved in her students' drama, don't be fooled; her adventures usually involve risk to (her) life and limb!

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun! The Summer Session is a delightful little change-of-pace book. I recommend it, especially to those who need a breather from all the violence we hear about these days. Oh, there’s a tense scene. There are differing points of view. And yet, the kindness to others with whom we disagree is refreshing.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery, but such a fun read......are educators real people? Certainly some students don’t think so but you will find these two certainly are. This author has well fleshed out characters and it was a delight to read.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. It was a short easy to read book. This is the first of the series that I have read and I would like to read more from this author.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Kept my interest all the way!

[Susan Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. This book was a fun and enjoyable read. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to more stories with them.

[Joyce Lorenzen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Frequent coarse language