My thoughts: Having lived many years in a college town and rubbed shoulders with academia, it has been easy to see the characters in author Donn Taylor's works. Having worked as a college professor himself, he has most likely encountered a host of personalities with a bevy of individual quirks. Professor Preston Barclay personifies a highly intelligent college professor who is valued for his knowledge and expertise in his field. So let's look at Preston. He hears a variety of music in his brain and it seems to be triggered by numerous incidents. Most folks hear familiar tunes run through their minds from time to time. Preston has a lot of tunes. And that is not surprising when you consider that the academic, intellectual community ranks high in their pursuit of classic, orchestral, symphonic music.
What triggers such? This is not addressed in the Preston Barclay Mystery series, but Preston has lost his long time wife whom he loved and who was a classic musician. So perhaps this is the author's way of helping Preston deal with his loss yet keeping his memories of his beloved wife.
On to the story in
Murder in Disguise....... It is summer and Professor Barclay is a visiting professor at a college that is undergoing radical change and is not particularly friendly to the Christian beliefs of the professor. He seems to get tangled into an investigation that is not an investigation of his friend's death that has been ruled suicide. But you see, Preston doesn't believe his friend would have been suicidal. As the story proceeds he runs afoul various situations revealing more than murder and suicide taking place in the community in which the campus resides.
For readers wanting murder and mayhem in its most disgusting form,
Murder in Disguise is not the read for you. If you want a bit of suspense, characters with sense of humor in their flawed personalities, oddities such as hearing Beethoven's 5th when confronted with a situation and all done without the rawness that is prevalent in secular works, then you'll enjoy Donn Taylor's book. Frankly, I thoroughly enjoy his wit and his development of characters and his presentation of the college scene.
A good book to read and share.
About the book: Official verdict: Suicide. But why would that vigorous department chairman commit suicide? And did he kill himself to avoid disgrace from the impending exposure of his activities on the dark side became known? When visiting professor Preston Barclay questions his long-time friend's suicide, he receives threats. Press has enough problems already in proving his competence to students and faculty in the newly-hostile environment of the state university. For the new department chairman and campus radicals do all they can to undermine him. And the sexy female siren assigned as his student assistant creates problems there and with Press's courtship of his colleague Mara Thorn.
Press's questions don't find adequate answers, rumors accuse his friend of involvement in disgraceful activities, and Mara's researches reveal a wide range of criminal activity stretching from the community onto the campus itself. The more things don't add up, the more dangerous the threats become, and the more determined Press becomes to clear his friend's name and find the truth about the alleged suicide.
But can Press and Mara's stumbling efforts to find the truth prevail against the entrenched forces of the police, the campus radicals, and an unseen criminal organization that increasingly puts their lives in danger. . . ?
About the author: Donn Taylor led an Infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. Afterward, he earned a PhD in Renaissance literature and taught literature at two liberal arts colleges. His publications include three suspense novels, one historical novel, and a book of poetry. He lives near Houston, TX, where he writes fiction, poetry, and essays on current topics.
GIVEAWAY
Begins November 2
Ends November 16 @ 12:01 a.m. EST
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Litfuse Publicity Group on behalf of the author and publisher to facilitate a review. Opinions are my own and freely given. Giveaway copy is provided by the author and mailed by him directly to the winner.
