Murder at the B-School
By Jeffrey L. Cruikshank

    The prestigious Harvard Business School (The "B-School") has a problem. One of their students is found dead on the hallowed grounds of the campus; is it a suicide or a murder? Eric MacInnes is found floating face-down, alone and after-hours, in a campus hot tub. Eric appears to have it all; brains, good looks and family money. The Dean of the "B-School" worries about this incident tarnishing the reputation of the school. So he appoints Assistant Professor Wim Vermeer to act as a liaison between the school, the police, and the MacInnes family. Suicide is ruled out early on and the case becomes a murder investigation.

    Boston police Captain Barbara Brouillard is assigned to the MacInnes case. During the investigation, she finds evidence and hears gossip that leads her to believe that there was more to the relationship between Vermeer and MacInnes than teacher-student. As a result, Wim finds himself at the top of the suspect list. Despite the mounting evidence, Captain Brouillard believes that Wim is innocent and she also finds herself infatuated with him despite her better judgment. Wim knows that someone is framing him. He decides to help solve the case in order to clear his name and at times it is unclear whether he is an asset or impediment to the investigation. The clues lead Wim to Upstate New York and Vieques, an island off the eastern portion of Puerto Rico. As the case unravels, the number of dead bodies increases, which adds to the level of suspense in the novel.

    Jeffrey Cruikshank has an established reputation writing non-fiction books and "Murder at the B-School" is his debut in the mystery genre. He leverages his association with Harvard Business School and his knowledge of business to develop a descriptive setting for the book. Cruikshank also introduces a unique partnership between Vermeer and Brouillard that combines outstanding investigative abilities with a simmering romance. The combination is an excellent starting point for what I hope will be a mystery series in the future. I highly recommend this book and look forward to other mystery novels from this author in the future.