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Overview
St. Thomas, the small college north of New York City where Professor Alison Bergeron teaches, has had its share of scandals involving both its students and its staff, not to mention Alison herself, so when a resident director goes missing the administration wants to keep a lid on it. With only five weeks left in the semester and no time to interview replacements, Alison is tapped for the job. An alumna of the college, Alison knows all about living in the dorms. Even a short stay is like doing hard time, and she will do anything to avoid reliving her college days any more than she has to.
Her only way out: Track down the reluctant RD and drag him back kicking and screaming if need be. Luckily, she doesn’t have to look further than the drugs he had hidden in his bathroom to get her boyfriend, Detective Bobby Crawford, on the case.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Going back to dorm life isn't much fun for Alison Bergeron in Barbieri's uneven fourth puzzler to feature the reluctant crime magnet (after 2008's Quick Study). Alison, an English professor at St. Thomas University in the Bronx, becomes the temporary resident director of Siena dorm after Wayne Brookwell, its popular RD, fails to return from spring break. Det. Bobby Crawford of the NYPD, Alison's faithful boyfriend, helps her move into her new digs, Wayne's small, less than spotless “suite.” When the toilet overflows after Alison flushes it, Crawford cleans up the mess—and discovers a brick of heroin hidden under the bathroom floor. Adding spice is a love triangle involving Wayne and Amanda Reese, a Siena RA who's engaged to a Princeton student. Less entertaining is a subplot about Alison's bitchy best friend, whose estrangement from her detective husband has gone into overkill. (Dec.)Library Journal
When a resident director vanishes from St. Thomas College in Westchester County, NY, Alison Bergeron (Quick Study) takes his place to mind the dorm, but she can't resist looking for the missing man. VERDICT In her third outing, Barbieri mixes chick lit with a cozy mystery for a lively tale that fans of Susan Kandel will appreciate. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 9/1/09; library marketing campaign.]\Kirkus Reviews
English professor Alison Bergeron (Quick Study, 2008, etc.) gets stuck with dorm duty when a residence director goes AWOL. Having best friend Max Rayfield moping around her house while recovering from a busted-up marriage has Alison on the verge of looking for new digs. But the residence director's "suite" (one bedroom, plus a bump-out "living area," plus a bathroom with nonworking toilet) is not her idea of grown-up quarters, especially not with a curfew that prohibits overnight visits from her sexy guy, Detective Bobby Crawford. So Alison, assigned by smarmy Dean Merrimack to take over Wayne Brookwell's stint at Siena Hall, is frantic to find the missing RD so that she can go back to the 'burbs. What she finds instead is a huge stash of drugs, enough to pique Alison's curiosity about why all Wayne's resident assistants think he's the coolest thing since rap. Is it his small-business sideline? The fact that he let Bart Johannsen snooze through desk duty? Or his winking at Michael Columbo's after-hours visits from scantily clad Mary Catherine Donnery? Whatever his appeal, he's got Amanda Reese questioning her commitment to her Princeton fiance Brandon Tsagaris, and Amanda's stepdad Costas Grigoriadis foaming at the mouth. Will Alison find the missing Wayne before the police-and before Crawford arrests her for frustrating an officer?Though the puzzle her author sets has all the suspense of a Shakespeare sonnet, Alison has enough charm to earn Final Exam a passing grade.From the Publisher
Praise for
FINAL EXAM
“Cute and cozy… Barbieri, the daughter of an NYC cop, has a nice, light touch with a procedural.”—Daily News (New York)
“The secret to a good mystery series is an appealing character…Maggie Barbieri came up with a winner in her first book, and her amateur sleuth, Alison Bergeron, is still provoking laughs and sympathy in the fourth entry, Final Exam…What follows is a romp, a serious situation, and a study of what it’s like to be young and stupid. Barbieri aces this exam.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Barbieri mixes chick lit with a cozy mystery for a lively tale that fans of Susan Kandel will appreciate.”—Library Journal
Quick Study
“Barbieri scores again with this high-octane blend of romance, laughs, and chills.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Mystery, romance, and humor blend seamlessly…Reminiscent of the Plum series, this one is not to be missed.”—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (Top Pick!)
Extracurricular Activities
“Barbieri’s in top form as she delivers her smooth sequel to her witty debut.”—Publishers Weekly
“Quirky, romantic…fashionable, free-spirited [and] intense ”—Tampa Tribune
“Will please readers who like action and romance in the same package.”—Booklist
“Alison’s still a charmer.”—Kirkus Reviews
Murder 101
“Sparkling…romance, humor, and suspense blend perfectly in this exceptional cozy, the first of what hopefully will be a long series.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A romantic ending and the furthering of a girlfriend bond that we hope to enjoy in murder mysteries to come.”—More
“An entertaining debut.”—Booklist
“With wit and verve—a spot-on rendering of the jungles of academia.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch