Cynthia G. KuhnBesprekingen

This series started out strong, as a great cozy without the cutesy vibe, with strong writing and clever mysteries. I think, though, with number 5, I'm done. The author broke one of my personal cardinal rules by creating character relationships and dynamics that I like, and then breaking them up and shuffling them about, and then doing it in a manner that was clumsy and awkward.

The mystery plotting was complex enough, but tried to be too clever, so that by the end it felt like a Ginsu knife commercial: But wait! There's More!. Had the author - or the editor - pared it down just a bit, it might have offered a more suspenseful ending.

It wasn't a bad mystery, or story; it just wasn't great and certainly didn't match the caliber of the earlier books. While it might be a blip, the relationship shuffle has left me uninterested in finding out.

Good, but not great; I thought the first book showed a lot of potential because I liked the setting, I liked the characters and I liked that the author wasn't trying to make everything cute. It exceeded my expectations, which have, admittedly, been lowered dramatically by the dreck published en masse the last few years.

What I liked about this, the second one:
* It's a mystery, but not a murder mystery. This isn't uncommon in the mystery genre, but it's not mainstream either so it feels fresh.

* The continuation of a narrative that doesn't feel overly melodramatic: Lila is just trying to get through her days.

* No TSTL stuff. Lila isn't running around trying to act like Nancy Drew and interrogate everyone; she just pays attention and thinks.

* I liked the plot twist; when I read it I started to think "same old, same old" but she did something a tiny bit different that really didn't matter much in the scheme of things, but again, gave it that tiny bit of freshness.


What wasn't so great about The Art of Vanishing
* What's up with this trend of needing to have an over-the-top nasty nemesis? How is it that in the current age of anti-bullying authors seem so hot to include cartoonish bullies in every book? And Lila gets two of them - two nemesis (nemesii?) is surely two too many.

* Love triangle setup. 'nuff said.

These are short and I think, better written than most of what's out there currently. I hate the cliche of the love triangle but I'll give it one more book to see if - hopefully - the author is just dangling it there as a red herring.½

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2021/10/foodfic-please-welcome-cynthia-kuhn.html

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2021/10/foodfic-please-welcome-cynthia-kuhn.html

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2021/10/foodfic-please-welcome-cynthia-kuhn.html

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2021/10/foodfic-please-welcome-cynthia-kuhn.html

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2021/10/foodfic-please-welcome-cynthia-kuhn.html

Things start going wrong for Professor Lila Maclean when she is sent to interview author Damon Von Tussel - warning received, items go missing,and accidents start to happen.
Disappointed as I didn't find the mystery very interesting or any of the people.
A NetGalley Book

Lila Maclean is an English Literature professor at Stonedale College. She's taken a sabbatical at the home of Bibi Callahan, whom Lila has recently discovered is her favorite author, Isabella Dare. While no one knows the secret but her, Bibi was so taken with Lila that she asked her to stay and help organize her files during her sabbatical.

But when Lila accidentally comes across an old manuscript of Bibi's that has never been published, she doesn't expect it to cause problems, she merely wants Bibi to publish it. But while Bibi insists it's a work of fiction, there's some truth to it. It's the tale of the night her only sister Ilse disappeared, and her own thoughts as to who could be involved. Unwittingly, Lila lets it slip that the manuscript exists when the Larks visit - three women who have been friends with Bibi since childhood - and when one of them is later found dead and the manuscript is missing, it now becomes a murder investigation.

While the police are looking into the murder, they don't believe the manuscript has anything to do with it. Bibi asks for Lila's help in finding out where the manuscript is, and who could do something like this; but when Lila starts finding answers, they aren't the ones Bibi and her friends want to know. And without anyone to help her searching for clues, she must depend on herself - and maybe the reluctant detective assigned to the case - to ferret out a killer who might just get away with murder...

This is the fifth book in the Lila Maclean Academic Mysteries, and as such, is just as good as the others, which is saying something. Lila's life has always been a bit stressful; not just being a professor who's trying to achieve tenure, but her recent breakup with another homicide detective still has her reeling. While she's found a moment of peace with Bibi, the murder changes all that.

Still, Lila seems to thrive on mystery in her life. She's intelligent, thorough, can manage her professional life and her personal one even while one or the other isn't going the way she'd like it to go. Lila is a woman I think I'd like to have as a friend. Her intensity, dedication to her work and friends, and generous nature are all part of this book.

But the story goes deeper than what Bibi wrote in the manuscript. For of course, she only has her version of what might have happened to work with. When the ending comes, the murderer is revealed, more than the truth comes out, it's both sad and horrifying, in a way; yet when there's closure - in more ways than one - it allows people to move on with their lives and decide what they truly want.

Ms. Kuhn's ability to tell a story that pulls the reader in from the beginning and keep them there through the end is shown in this book. She brings you easily into Lila's life, the people around her, and you get to experience her thought process as she investigates. It's a captivating tale of murder that leaves you wanting more. Highly recommended.

Lila MacLean is an assistant professor of English at Stonedale University. She's at the Malice in the Mountains literary conference, and while there is finally going to meet her publisher and discovers she's also up for an award. But it's not going to be easy - her colleague and nemesis Simone Raleigh is there for the same reasons, and Lila discovers that Simone has a sister - Selene, who is Simone's twin. They are alike in almost every aspect, right down to picking at Lila every chance they get. It doesn't help that the Raleighs seem to be friends with the publisher; and what's worse - she's just discovered that their own book proposal is on Isabella Dare.

Lila has been passionate about the author for as long as she can remember, and is writing a book on her. But when the Raleighs decide that their own book will be comparing Charlotte Bronte's work to Isabella Dare's, she can hardly believe her ears. It's obviously an attempt to undermine her, and she's furious, even though she's keeping her emotions in check. She also knows that the Raleighs know she's been writing a book about Isabella since she works at the same university.

Later that night, Lila is asked to sit at the press table, along with her editor Meredith, and other members of the Fairlake University Press: managing editor Richmond Haskin, Hanover Jones, computer expert, Ellis Gardner and Candace Slaten. While all seems to be going well, there is a book signing, and Lila is joined by others in line. But then she hears a scream...and discovers Meredith and Hanover bending over the body of Ellis, who appears to be dead.

Cue the arrival of Detective Lex Archer of Stonedale PD, who is also Lila's boyfriend and was at the conference to be with her. Now he's on the job, and since it's an academic conference, he and the department need Lila's help. It's not the first time she's helped the police, but it's the first time she's actually been added as a consultant, and she's giddy over it.

Then there's golden boy Flynn McMaster (gee, I love that name for some reason); an author who has taken both the book and film worlds by storm. There's a new book coming out which focuses on his work - and is going to be published by her own house. When Flynn is introduced as the keynote speaker, he decimates the book and the publisher, and everyone is stunned.

What later ensues can only be described as a disaster. The press is trying to do damage control because of Flynn's unauthorized - and devastating - speech about the book; Lila sees Selene - an engaged Selene - coming out of Flynn's suite the morning after a party; Lila discovers another body; and she learns something about Lex that threatens their budding relationship. Now Lila has to figure out how to get her book published before the twins and help find a killer who might kill again if they're not stopped...

I have always enjoyed Ms. Kuhn's books and this one, I am glad to say, was just as enjoyable as the others. There is a lot going on, so you have to keep on your toes to pick up the clues as they come. Although I didn't understand why Lila kept her emotions to herself (I'm not one to be a doormat for anyone), I am glad to say that her 'gumption' finally won out in the end. Faced with everything that was happening, it was bound to, sooner or later. Lila is a wonderful character; she's intelligent but not without insecurities which make her likable.

The story goes in several different directions from Lila's intense desire to get published so she will get tenure, to avoiding the Raleighs, to trying to find a killer. Yet all threads come together in the end, and the journey is a gratifying one. The mystery is done beautifully, and you never quite know who the killer might be until near the end, which is how it should be.

When all is said and done, the reasons for the murder is rather sad; yet there is a delicious surprise at the end which leaves us longing for more. This was a captivating story that pulls the reader in quickly and keeps them absorbed throughout and I thoroughly loved it. I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended

2.5 stars

I guess this book was okay, but I found it kind of condescending and not nearly as tightly-told as it could have been. There were a lot of extraneous details that the author though should be included to flesh out the characters but that didn’t do much for the story and I didn’t really think they were necessary.

The police were made to look like imbeciles. I’m not sure if that was the intention. There were also quite a few melodramatic plot elements that I had to raise an eyebrow at e.g. secret societies, daggers with symbols, the bad guy confessing while threatening to kill everyone… .

It probably didn’t help that I came off another cozy mystery that I thought held together a lot better even though there were still some elements that I suppose I could have taken exception to ([b:A Pint of Murder|16038690|A Pint of Murder (A Madoc and Janet Rhys Mystery)|Alisa Craig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348241367s/16038690.jpg|659425] by Charlotte MacLeod).

I’m giving it an extra half star because the feminist themes in the book have merit although I don’t think they were presented in a particularly interesting manner or utilized as well as they could have been.

As with 95% of all Henery Press books, I enjoyed Semester of Our Discontent. Served with a dash of crazysauce, this mystery was a very fast read.

Lila Maclean is a new professor at a prestigious university, learning the ropes and trying to avoid crossing the wrong people. Unfortunately, one of those not-to-be-crossed ends up dead, discovered by poor Lila herself.

She ends up being the focus of the police detective on the case, and for once, he does not turn into a romantic lead. Not that I mind that terribly, just that when he appeared on the scene, I thought that is where the story was headed.

Some of the supporting characters were kooky, others lacked a touch of depth, but everyone remained consistent, which I appreciate.

A very fast and enjoyable read.


**eARC Netgalley**

I'm a little surprised I requested this book from Netgalley. That cover looks an awful lot like the style used on so many not-to-my-taste cozy mysteries – I really don't like that style. It might have been the "Academic Mystery" that got me – and I'm glad it did, because I really enjoyed this. The main character, Professor Lila Maclean shares several of the characteristics cozy mystery authors often give to their characters – she's klutzy, smart, and beleaguered by her boss for no reason that is sensible to a sensible person. She has a colorful (to put it mildly) mother, with a past that serves as a great basis for this and future stories. What differentiates this book from others I've seen is that it's believable. It's – what's that really annoying adjective? Organic. Lila isn't klutzy to further the plot, or to make her an Extra Quirky Cozy Heroine – she just is. In fact, it makes sense that there's a psychological basis for it. Her boss's antagonism is somewhat out of the blue, but there is a seed of "because" in there. He hasn't taken against her randomly – and that antagonism feels really familiar. We've probably all known, and God help us worked for, people just like him. and beleaguered by her boss for no reason that is sensible to a sensible person.

The story is twisty and – yay! – unpredictable. At one point I was just waiting for one character to get knocked off – I was sure of who the next victim was going to be – and I was completely wrong. And the author did that on purpose. It was a great fakeout.

It was just a lot of fun. And I will absolutely read more by this author. This is Netgalley doing what Netgalley's supposed to do.

"You should pat the gryphon too."
"I’m not going to—"
"Pat the gryphon, Lil," she commanded sternly.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

This is lovely cozy mystery where nobody dies. Instead, there are shenanigans taking place in the cut-throat world of academia. The stakes are raised when the ivory tower intersects with personalities from the literary world. The book’s plucky hero is required to navigate the mine-field of campus politics and save the day—not to mention her career.
This is an easy book to get absorbed into. The writing style is crisp, the story engaging, and the characterizations are nicely done. There’s a lot going on, and at times I was tempted to keep notes just to keep up with who was doing what to whom. Then I surrendered and simply let the story take me along for a most enjoyable ride and a satisfying conclusion.
Recommended for lovers of cozies who want something little different.
Why 4 stars instead of 5? To me, 3 stars indicates something worth reading, 4 stars indicates that a book that has something special going for it in addition to being a good read, and 5 stars is reserved for books with a richness and depth that totally blow me away (eg. "Dune" or "Lord of the Rings").
DISCLAIMER : I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review as part of Mystery Thriller Week.

**Some spoilers ahead**

When Lila Maclean, a professor at Stonedale University in Colorado, is requested by the school chancellor to interview Damon Von Tussel, she's reluctant but has no choice but to agree. So she attends a book reading by the reclusive author, who, on this particular night, does what he does best - is rude and belligerent, cutting the question and answer session short. Unable to see him before the reading, she attempts to do so afterward, only to find that he has apparently vanished into thin air. While she's not looking forward to explaining her failure of her task, she's going to have to - since Van Tussel is the featured author for Stonedale's Arts Week.

Damon Van Tussel is famous for only one book written decades ago and has been living off that laudatory fame since then, But now he's managed to write another celebrated book and the university considers it a coup to even get him to speak. Since no one can find him, it's soon discovered that Lila's mother, famous artist Violet O, once dated the man, so she's put in charge of seeing that he shows up. After reluctantly asking her mother for help, he agrees to appear.

But then Lila receives a threatening email stating not to let Van Tussel speak "or else" and it seems the entire English department received the same but are, for the most part, blowing it off until during a featured panel discussing the author, one of the guest speakers is 'accidentally' hit on the head with a stage light, sending him to the hospital, and a loaned manuscript of Damon's famous novel is stolen from the library.

It doesn't help that Lila's mother shows up and decides to renew her relationship with the churlish author; a colleague does her best to sabotage her in front of everyone; and it's close to Valentine's Day and she begins to notice everyone around her seems to be coupled except her. What's worse, she's worried about eventually getting tenure and is feeling the pressure to publish her dissertation, and soon.

While this isn't your typical mystery in that nobody dies, it is still a very good one. It gives the reader an inside view into academia and the push to 'publish or perish' in order to gain tenure. There is an intense desire to be recognized in the academic world, and that depends not only upon your teaching ability, but your ability to create something others will want to read - and find a university press willing to publish the same. (One look at the giant e-tailer Amazon and you can see the massive collection of books published on various subjects). It is this world that the novice professor is trying to navigate, and her insecurities show throughout the book.

Of which this is a very good thing as it makes Lila quite a believable character, watching her try to navigate her career and still manage her personal life, which sadly seems lacking when she looks around her; and while I do believe it is a good thing, in future books I wouldn't take it amiss if Lila were to develop a bit of a backbone and bite back at certain people (I'm looking at you, Simone). There is a very cute subplot regarding this, and gives a nice break while we try to find out who wants Damon dead (and why). We also learn more about her mother, who is a delight, and their relationship. I do hope to see more of her in other books.

When we find out the reason for the many 'accidents' surrounding Damon, it comes together nicely. Even though we are not given a murder to investigate, the book is so interesting and so involved that we stop looking for a body and just enjoy the process. I think the nicest way I can summarize the end of the book is: when it rains it pours; but I implore you not to peek because the journey is as much fun as the destination. Highly recommended.

Lila Maclean is a first-term professor at Stonedale University in Colorado, and happy to be there. After a contentious meeting with her department chair, Roland Higgins, wherein he basically told her to keep her mouth shut and listen, while still expecting her to publish on a regular basis in order to eventually - perhaps - receive tenure. Afterward, her cousin Calista James, who is another professor, tells her not to worry about it and continue on. But a short time later when Lila and her assigned mentor, Judith Westerly, enter department library for a scheduled faculty meeting, they find Roland dead - with a knife embedded in his chest.

It is not too long after that the murder weapon is discovered to be the same one which was once in the possession of her cousin. And when Calista is arrested and charged with the murder, Lila knows she's not guilty and decides to help her any way she can. Then Judith is attacked and left unconscious in her own home while hosting a faculty party, and Lila notices the same design on both weapons: the knife and a very heavy book that was used to hit Judith; and starts to question people, although she doesn't get anywhere, and even though she's convinced Calista knows something, no one will tell her anything.

It isn't long before, as they say, the plot thickens, and she's convinced someone is trying to either frame her or kill her, too. With a detective that's suspicious about her involvement, Lila finds she's in a race against time to save her cousin and her own neck...

For myself, I didn't like either Roland or his brother, their misogynist attitudes grating on me to the point where I wanted to slap either of them on the back of their heads; a testament to the writing ability of Ms. Kuhn; who brings us a new protagonist I hope to see more of in future books. The ending was enough of a surprise with a twist that fit believably into the plot, and giving us a satisfying conclusion to a good mystery. Highly recommended.

Full Review: http://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-semester-of-our-discontent-lila.htm...

This is a shorter-length novel, coming in at only 227 pages, but it was a great read; rather than feeling like it was too short or sparsely detailed, it felt tightly written and evenly paced.

Lila is a newly-minted Ph.D. starting her first semester as a junior English Lit professor at a posh University in Colorado. Her desire to introduce a course focusing on the Mystery genre brings her the ire of her department chair - a man so far up his own backside he makes Entitled White Males look tolerant. So of course, he ends up dead. But soon there are more attacks and more deaths, and the wrong person(s) arrested, so Lila finds herself searching for answers.

This is the kind of mystery I like best: the protagonist doesn't go all Nancy Drew on our butts, but just does what she does best. She listens, she researches, she might, possibly, go down in the basement, but in fairness, it wasn't in the middle of the night.

The author did a fantastic job with the setting and with the characters; I could keep track of them all and I could see the story unfolding movie-like through bonfires, costume parties, jails, etc. So far there's no love triangle, although I was a smidgen disappointed with the direction the almost non-existent romance went in.

The murder plot was fun (if you know what I mean); it was well done and I SO did not see that ending coming, but there were some elements here that were a homage to old-style murder mysteries. The throwbacks are what made the story fun.

Really an excellent start from a new author and I'm really looking forward to getting the second one.½

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Give me a cozy mystery with a literature professor as the protagonist, and I'm in, especially when it's one who is researching mystery authors and teaches a Gothic Literature course, going as the woman in the wallpaper (from The Yellow Wallpaper) to a faculty Halloween party.

This was a really fun read, full of unique and differentiated characters, a mystery that began almost right away and didn't let up, and lots of great literary and teaching references.Kuhn captures both the fun and the work of being in the teaching profession, and highlights the sometimes-cutthroat (quite literally in this book) world of academia.

Lila Maclean, a very likable and strong protagonist, is a new hire at a college, and is immediately thrust into a mystery when she stumbles on the body of a colleague. The mystery is unpredictable, and well-written, and as the bodies pile up, the stakes get higher.

This is a series I definitely want to read more books in.½

The Semester of our Discontent by Cynthia Kuhn is the first book in the new Lila Maclean Mystery series. Lila Maclean is a new assistant professor at Stonedale University in Stonedale, Colorado. Lila just graduated from NYU the previous spring. Lila is going to a faculty meeting with her faculty mentor, Judith Westerly. They enter the conference room to find Roland Higgins dead on the table! He was stabbed with a knife with a pattern on it. Roland Higgins was not well liked (he was pompous, egotistical, rude, and down on women) so the suspect list is long. However, Detective Lexington Archer (Stonedale Police Department) seems to have narrowed it down to Calista James, Lila’s cousin (Lila’s mom raised both girls). The knife (decorative) belonged to Calista. Then Judith Westerly, English professor and Lila’s faculty mentor, is attacked with a book (a very big and heavy book). The book has the same decorative pattern as the knife. The police find the pattern on Calista’s computer and she is arrested. Lila knows Calista did not commit the murder (or attack Judith) and sets out to prove her innocence. Someone, though, does not like her poking around. Lila’s office is trashed and then bookshelves are sent tumbling down upon her in the library. The killer means business. Then Eldon Higgins (Roland’s brother and has the same attitude problems) is murdered (and Calista has a great alibi). Can the killer be apprehended before more people are murdered?

The Semester of our Discontent was not as good as I was hoping it would be. The book contained too much about academic life. Professors have to publish or perish which was repeated a few times in the novel. It also discusses the politics of academia which dominated the book. The murder occurred in the first chapter (within the first few pages) of the book which was too early. There was really no lead in to it and then we have the whole novel to get through as the main character tries to find the killer. I thought the killer was extremely obvious. I knew the identity of the killer when the body was discovered. The writer did try to distract the reader and lead them down the wrong path with different theories. The Semester of our Discontent contains many literary references and quotes (from classic literature). I think the book was a little overdone (with the academic life and literary references). The average reader might not enjoy all the references to classic books. I give The Semester of our Discontent 3 out of 5 stars. I think the series has potential. I will be interested to read the next book in the Lila Maclean Mystery series to see if there is improvement.

I received a complimentary copy of The Semester of our Discontent from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of the novel.

Lila is learning the hard way way that being a junior professor at an exclusive college isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. Her department head is an elitist misogynist. Academic politics are more politics than academia, and, oh yeah, someone is attacking professors at the college with items emblazoned with the symbol of secret society that, of course, no one will talk about. When Lila’s fellow professor, and cousin, is accused of the crimes, Lila sets out to find out who the real culprit is. Of course now the police think she knows more than she does and her boss has indicated that being the first to come across a dead body, is not really behavior appropriate to someone who wishes to gain tenure at some point down the road. I mean really, who does that?

Okay so this was a great novel. I dearly loved reading about the staff discussing their pet authors. The setting was fantastic and the insight into the life of the average college professor was profound. The characters, even the unlikable ones, were quirky and fun to read. One has to wonder though why it took so long for someone to do something about the department head, (okay not really, but he was insufferable). The dialogue was witty and the relationships between characters was fun to unravel. I loved that it had a feminist slant without becoming feminazi. It was a fast easy read that was quite enjoyable.

This story is a mystery and Lila is a pretty good sleuth, but I have to admit that this mystery had a Poe-like finish. Though I was beginning to suspect the actual killer, it was only because this person seemed to be written as a more important character than made sense in the story. I read it twice (just as good the second time around) and I still don’t see how the clues tied together to end up at that person. Plus lets face it, This “secret” society wasn’t really worth going to jail over and keeping it secret hampered the investigation more than it should have.

I am looking forward to more from this author and Dr. Maclean. This story was interesting and kept me reading to the end.



4 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review