If P. G. Wodehouse lived today and wrote a cynical, contemporary murder mystery set in an exclusive boys school, Murder by the Book might be the result. Murder by the Book is a humorous mystery novel, perfect for a beach read or a rainy afternoon by the fire with a cup of tea.

 

Protagonist Eugene Puce has a problem, and when Eugene has a problem, people die. The administrators at Chester A. Arthur Academy have no idea that their new, impeccably mannered writing teacher has a lethal method of getting what he wants, and what he wants is the respect of his privileged teenaged students, acceptance of his thesis that the Lancelot known in Arthurian legend was a charlatan, not a hero, and most of all, the love of the local librarian, the Guinevere to his Arthur, Annie Snow.

 

One complication that simply won’t go away is Blanche Dubinsky, a middle-aged, platinum blonde, stiletto-wearing, vodka-swilling throwback to the bygone days of Hollywood who spends her time in the library doing research for her book Death of a Muse – The True Story of the Murder of Marilyn Monroe. Blanche is convinced that the only person who could do her book justice as an editor is Eugene and she is willing to stalk him until he consents or until he finds another way to rid himself of this annoyance.

 

When Eugene learns that another man is vying for the affections of his beloved Annie, he taps into his years working in father’s pharmacy stocking headache medications, digestive remedies and even poisons. Fortunately for the intended victim, Eugene’s skills with chemicals are rusty. Not so fortunate is Annie’s former flame, the man who broke her heart, or the administrator who names another teacher the new head of the English department.

 

How many people in the small town will have to die in order for Eugene to get what he believes is rightfully his?