Lev Raphael

Still reeling from having escaped a mass shooting on campus, English professor Nick Hoffman finds himself on the receiving end of confessions by one colleague after another. All of them have good reason to hate the new department chair, Dr. Napoleon Padovani, who throws his weight around capriciously and cruelly. Resentment mounts on campus—with an inevitably fatal result. Chaos and confusion reign among the faculty, which then turns on its own. Can Nick and his spouse Stefan restore order and save the day? Raphael has described the university as "a unique combination of the vanity of professional sports, the hypocrisy of politics, the cruelty of big business, with a touch of organized crime thrown in."

“In Raphael’s entertaining ninth [Nick Hoffman] mystery… the distinctive characters and authenticity of the setting keep the story moving forward. Series fans will hope they won’t have to wait years to see Nick again.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A finely-honed tale of vengeance and death, this is a satirical whodunit full of delicious plot twists, witticisms, criticism and abundant glimpses of bizarre academic behavior.”
—Lansing State Journal Rave Review

“Satirical, amusing, scalpel sharp and relentless, this Nick Hoffman murder story will engage most academics, offend a few and, in the bargain, offers up a classic whodunit.”
—Buried Under Books

“This is a mystery first, with a secondary, very prominent gay relationship. The mystery helps to define and enhance the relationship, which I greatly enjoyed... Though Nick’s trust is shaken to the core, Nick doesn’t give up on Stefan, and it becomes an emotional roller coaster for both men.”
—Kristin F., Gay Book Reviews

Buy it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or IndieBound

Detroit Legal News Profile/Review

Kings River Life: Review/Giveaway/Interview

Lansing City Pulse Interview: Former MSU professor Lev Raphael retells university horrors

Radio Michigan Interview

Between the Lines Interview

Grand Rapids Public Radio Interview

Inspiration for State University of Murder (Guest Blog)

 

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