Burning Down the House (Nick Hoffman Mysteries Book 5) (English Edition) [Kindle-editie] beoordelingen het boek quotes

Evil Stalks the Halls of Academe! Welcome to the hothouse world of academia where egos bruise as easily as peaches and vendettas grow like weeds. Cheerful, sarcastic professor Nick Hoffman never wanted to be a sleuth, but circumstances at the outwardly bucolic State University of Michigan keep forcing him to solve crimes and save himself from prison--or worse. Now, at Christmas time, he's caught between rival factions in his department over who should be the next chairperson and even over what kind of Christmas tree the office should have. His life spirals out of control thanks to an unexpected sexual attraction, and a blur of anonymous threats, stalking, and assault. Is murder next? “Lev Raphael is one of the most sophisticated mystery authors alive, and his latest, Burning Down the House, is witty and charming.” —The Cleveland Plain Dealer “This series has always been distinguished for its irreverent academic wit and hip social observations.” —The Washington Post Book World “Lev Raphael’s Nick Hoffman books [are] wickedly funny.” —The Seattle Times “Raphael continues his assault on the pretensions of academic careerists in his newest tale featuring scholar Nick Hoffman, caught in a maelstrom of campus strife….The most entertaining scenes center on faculty meetings during which I repeatedly laughed aloud. These educators with exalted egos get their knickers in a twist over such earth-shattering issues as whether to install a White Studies program to help foster diversity at the school, or whether setting up a small, non-denominational fir tree in the office during the Yule season somehow represents a violation of church-state separation. Readers unaware of scholarly eccentricities may find the humor exaggerated. I find it utterly realistic.” —Chicago Sun-Times “[Lev Raphael] is defining a new genre.” —Booklist “Filled with clever humor as well as sophisticated comments about food, wine, current events and contemporary fiction. [Raphael’s] satirical observations make this a light-hearted illustration of mystery writing that is entertaining and amusing.” —National Jewish Post & Opinion “If conditions on university campuses really are as bizarre and insidiously political as depicted in novelist-critic Lev Raphael’s new Burning Down the House, higher education must be at an all-time low. As the author amusingly presents it, the faculty at State University of Michigan is an assortment of eccentric, conniving, self-promoting, not to mention homicidal, half-baked do-nothings.” –Los Angeles Times