Murder by the Book - by Amie Schaumberg (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Two dead students. A coded reference to Shakespeare. And the promise of darker things to come.

Near a small college campus, a student is found strangled in an abandoned barn on the outskirts of town. She's been posed to look like a painting of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet, the scene taunting the police with a message they don't understand. Detective Ian Carter is known as a straitlaced cop, but seeing the girl's body leaves him shaken and uncertain of where to turn--until a chance meeting with a charmingly awkward literature professor ends with her accidentally seeing, and solving, a clue left by the killer.

Professor Emma Reilly knows that the books she loves might hold the key to unraveling the killer's crimes now that a second murder has been discovered, with the victim posed as the Lady of Shalott this time. However, when the murderer strikes too close to home and kills a third student, one from Emma's classes, she realizes that the safety of her insular life might be nothing more than an illusion. She must find the strength to confront a killer who is turning the stories she loves into lurid scenes of death.

Amie Schaumberg has crafted a smart, thrilling and utterly compelling mystery that will have you trying to figure out whodunit right up until the end.

Review Quotes

"Amie Schaumberg's Murder by the Book is a smart and completely captivating page-turner that's sure to delight mystery fans and book lovers alike. If you're looking for a dark academia thriller or a bibliomystery puzzler, you can find the perfect cross right here. A winning debut!"
--David Bell, New York Times bestselling author of She's Gone

"Bookish nerds, rejoice, for Amie Schaumberg has done the impossible, crafting a fast-paced, contemporary murder mystery with thriller and whodunit vibes. If you love your Karin Slaughter and your Christie, but you also love your Shakespeare and assorted Victorians, then this is the mystery for you. It certainly was for me. I couldn't get enough of this feast of literary delights."
--Kemper Donovan, USA Today bestselling author of Loose Lips

"Amie Schaumberg's debut reminded me why I love the dark academia setting. Smart, atmospheric, and tense, Murder by the Book will keep you guessing until the last page.
--Lauren Nossett, author of The Professor