Speaking of Murder by Edith Maxwell was originally published in 2012 using the pseudonym Tace Baker. Lauren Rousseau is a linguistics professor at Agawam College. She lives in a condo with her dog, Wulu, a cockapoo. Lauren has recently obtained tenure along with her colleague and friend, Ralph Fourakis. She has been dating Zac Agnant, a Haitian American videographer. Lauren is Jamal Carter’s faculty advisor for his thesis which has her approval, but it has it a roadblock with department chair, Alexa Kingston. Lauren finds Jamal dead on campus one evening. She does not know why anyone would kill her top student, so Lauren sets out to learn more about Jamal. The mystery was multifaceted. There is the death of Jamal, the fire at the boat shop, a missing friend, break in at Lauren’s condo, and Lauren’s dog is taken. I liked all the action which kept the story moving forward. The whodunit was interesting with a variety of suspects and misdirection to throw off readers. While I liked that aspect of Speaking of Murder, I was not a fan of Lauren Rousseau. The book begins with her sleeping with her star pupil. Lauren did not find this wrong nor the aspect that she was cheating on her boyfriend, Zac. There was too much focus on Lauren’s love life. I was baffled as to why Zac stayed with Lauren. She is unable to make a commitment, rude to the man, judgmental, and cheats on him. Lauren did not hesitate, though, to call him when she did not want to be alone (or when she wanted to do the horizontal hula). I did not understand Lauren’s dogged persistence in searching for a friend who did not want to be found especially if your life is in danger. I wish the main character had been Officer Natalia Flores (I liked her). In addition to frequent mentions of jiggy jiggy, the book contains foul language. I was disappointed that I was left with unanswered questions at the end. I wish there had been a better wrap up of the various storylines. There were also inconsistencies. Lauren’s life is in danger, so she makes sure to lock doors and windows. She even tells Officer Flores when she is going off to visit her aunt. But then she goes off jogging alone at night or walking across campus on her own in the dark. While I enjoy Edith Maxwell’s other cozy mysteries, Speaking of Murder was a miss for me. Speaking of Murder has an intriguing mystery with an unaccounted for chum, a slain student, a poached pooch, a blazing boat shop, a dubious department head, and a persistent professor. ( )

Lauren Rousseau, a linguistics prof at a New England college and a Quaker, leaps into the fray when a promising student is killed. This is the first book by Baker (who is also Maddie Day and Edith Maxwell) that I've tried. Her protagonist seems to have very little sense, repeatedly putting herself into dangerous situations, even after she's been attacked. She's apparently supposed to be able to read people well by the way they speak, but I'm not sure how useful that proved. ( )

I normally do not read a lot of mysteries, but I was intrigued about a novel written by a Quaker with a Quaker protagonist. I would say the book is entertaining. I did want to keep reading to see what happened and find out “who did it.” But the book is quite unrealistic in the behavior of the main character. She is a linguistic professor who takes it upon herself to try and solve the crimes and is constantly getting herself into trouble. I surprised by how often she put herself into precarious situations and everyone she meets seems to be connected to the crime or in solving the case. Her Quaker faith was mentioned but did not seem to play a bit part of her life or was showcased in the book.

Overall, if you’re looking for a quick, fun mystery book, I’d recommend this book, but if you’re looking for something more, you may be a bit disappointed. ( )

As always, when I learned a Quaker had written a novel I wanted to read it. And unfortunately, as usual, I have been disappointed.

Baker has written a story about a widely disparate group of people who somehow are all linked by drugs, poverty, child abuse, and finally, murder. Oh, and yes, by familial relationships, too!

Linking everyone together is the local college linguistics professor, who speaks at least a half dozen languages. Being a Quaker means she pauses for a quick moment of silence before meals, drinks, falls into bed with her boyfriend and also with a student, and doesn't believe in a personal god. She is also incredibly stupid: continually going for runs with her yippy-yappy dog to deserted, unlit areas; confronting dangerous suspects alone; and leaving home without a charged cell phone, even though she is continually being chased, conked on the head, and taken at gunpoint!

The book is short, but is filled with so many runs, my legs hurt. And to compound it all, the book needed a simple copy-editor. ( )