C. S. Challinor

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Sun, surf, secrets—spring break can be murder...

Scottish barrister Rex Graves will never understand why the devil his son Campbell chose to go to college in Florida rather than attending university in bonny Scotland. During Rex's visit across the pond, tragedy strikes when a student is found hanging from a rope in his locked dorm room. Did the poor lad commit suicide, or was it murder? With one student dead and his own son in danger, Rex Graves vows to learn the truth. In between trying not to worry about Campbell and trying to please his new love, Helen d’Arcy (while keeping ex-girlfriend Moira at bay), Rex conducts his own investigation. What he finds is a maze of sordid secrets in the university’s not-so-hallowed halls.

"Nothing if not resourceful, Rex focuses on sleuthing and being a good dad."
—Publishers Weekly

"This is a well-paced mystery that plays fair with the reader and provides a satisfying and surprising conclusion. The writing is crisp and dialogue-driven."
—Mystery Scene Magazine

"A cozy with a fair amount of humor and some classical mystery plotting, much like the first two books in the series."
—The Rue Morgue

"Drugs, sex, alcohol, parties—and murder? A quick read full of twists and turns, PHI BETA MURDER is a satisfying whodunit ideal for a plane ride or lazy afternoon."
—Jacksonville Magazine

"Readers meet up once again with Rex Graves in the third mystery to follow the Scottish barrister with a knack for getting involved in the ultimate crime. Rex is on his way out of the beautiful Scottish countryside leaving behind Helen his new woman-friend and his mother to visit his son on the campus of his American college. Campbell Graves is supposed to be enjoying life at Hilliard University in Jacksonville Florida but lately on the phone he's sounded rather distant and Rex wants nothing more than to see his son and make sure everything is all right. Unfortunately for Rex his bad luck continues: the day he steps on campus is the day a young man is found in his locked room hanging from the ceiling. And Rex finds himself immersed in the questions surrounding the young man's death. Murder or suicide ends up being a very hard call to make as a plethora of students teachers and all-round strange sorts seem to come out of the woodwork.

While all this is going on Rex's ex-girlfriend flounces across his already messed-up world. Moira Wilcox is a woman who once had Rex's heart. She is back from a horrible time in Iraq filled with death-defying experiences and wants nothing more than to get back together with the one man she could always count on. Soon Rex must split his time between worrying about his son, solving a crime that seems to involve a million people with a million different agendas, and trying to balance his love life without losing people in the process.

Humor and well-written characters add to the story as does some reflection on the causes of suicide. A wonderful read and great plot for cozy mystery lovers."
—Foreword Magazine

"C S Challinor's sojourns in Scotland and England and residency in Florida, her academic background, ear for language and love of the classic age of whodunits all contribute greatly to the authority of this novel. She writes sympathetically about individuals from one culture adapting to another, about the struggles and stresses of students coping away from home and the bemusement of their elders trying to get to grips with modern mores. And, for the mystery aficionado, she sprinkles the text with clues and red herrings in equal measure in best whodunit tradition. 'Phi Beta Murder' is a fine page-turner given a sense of urgency by predetermined time-constraints and the cloistered and claustrophobic atmosphere of a second-rate college. Add to that a list of dramatis personae and a taster for a sequel and you have a hugely enjoyable piece of bedtime fiction.

A confession: I'm not a great fan of mysteries, even well-crafted ones of the greats like Agatha Christie. In common with many critics I often find characterisation mechanical and the individuals mere pawns in the plot-led story; in this sense their weakness is their strength, exactly as candy-floss, while not providing proper nutrition, nevertheless gives you the pleasure that comes with a sugar-hit. What gives Challinor's tale its real meat, however, is the back story of Rex Graves, Scottish QC and amateur sleuth, and his all-too-human attempts to cope with family and relationships and what fate throws at him. Unlike the mystery plot there are no simple solution to life's conundrums, and one really warms to this well-observed middle-aged male adrift in a sea of emotion."
—Chris Lovegrove, LibraryThing.com