Quieter than Sleep

by Joanne Dobson

Paperback, 1997

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Series

Karen Pelletier (1)

Genres

Mystery

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

New York: Bantam, 1998

Description

Karen Pelletier abandoned her life in New York for a professorship at Massachusetts's elite Enfield College. But she quickly learns that New England is not the peaceful enclave she had imagined--and that not even the privileged world of academia is immune to murder.... Professor Karen Pelletier's prime literary passion is poet Emily Dickinson--a passion she shares with her hotshot colleague Randy Astin-Berger. Heir apparent to the head of Enfield's English department, the pompous Randy is the campus Casanova. That is, he was--until he was found strangled with his own flashy necktie. The last person to see Randy alive--and the first to find him dead--Karen knows she must solve the case before she becomes the prime suspect. But to do that, she must first discover the truth behind Randy's final Dickinsonian discovery--a literary bombshell that may well have been to die for....… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member cbl_tn

Hindsight is 20/20. If she had only known that Professor Randy Astin-Berger wasn't going to leave the Enfield College faculty Christmas party alive, Dr. Karen Pelletier might have paid attention to his endless monologue when he had her cornered. Lieutenant Piotrowski is a skilled crime

investigator, but he doesn't have the specialist knowledge of 19th century American literature that may hold the key to the solution of Randy's murder. Can Karen and the Lieutenant work together to catch a murderer?

I've spent most of my life in academic circles, so I always enjoy a good mystery in an academic setting. This book has all the right ingredients -- a small private liberal arts college, just the right mix of collegiality and professional jealousy, and a scholarly puzzle. The momentum wavered in the middle third of the book, but the beginning and ending sections were page turners. There are several more books in this series, and I look forward to future visits in the world Dobson has created.

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LibraryThing member porch_reader

This is the first in a series of mysteries featuring English Professor Karen Pelletier. When Karen's colleague Randy Astin-Berger is killed at Enfield College's Christmas Party, there are plenty of suspects, including Karen herself. But Lieutenant Piotrowski suspects that the killer may have been

trying to keep Randy from disclosing some of his research, so he asks Karen to help him solve the mystery. One might think that an English professor would be uncomfortable in the middle of a murder investigation, but Karen jumps right in and helps crack the case.

This was a great cozy mystery. Karen is an interesting character - tough, but with some insecurities. We learn a bit about her background, and her relationship with Piotrowski has some potential to develop in future books. The plot moved along quickly, and the loose ends were wrapped up nicely. I look forward to the next in this series.

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LibraryThing member thornton37814

Karen Pelletier is a non-tenured member of the English faculty at Enfield College. Randy Astin-Berger, the person most likely to become the new department head, turns up dead, and Karen is the last person to admit seeing him alive. He's not particularly popular, and the motives for wanting him out

of the picture are as varied as the faculty in the department. Lt. Piotrowski is the officer in charge of the investigation, and he eventually enlists Karen's help to flesh out some of the more academic motives he suspects may be involved. The main characters were quite likable. There are some things that are less believable, such as the amount of fraternizing the faculty members seem to have with the college president and the willingness of the police to involve a civilian who is close to the case in the investigation as a consultant. The action did seem to stall in places, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

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LibraryThing member auntieknickers

A very good mystery set in a New England liberal arts college, with all the usual academic back-stabbing but many likable characters. English professor Karen Pelletier, a single mother who has struggled her way to a Ph.D. and a life as a scholar and teacher, is finishing her first semester of

teaching at prestigious Enfield College when one of her more annoying colleagues falls out of a closet on her, dead by strangulation. There are many people who might have wanted to kill him. Literary sleuthing leads to a solution, but only after putting Karen herself in danger. Highly recommended; there are several more books in the series.

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LibraryThing member Aspenhugger

"Karen Pelletier abandoned her life in New York for a professorship at Massachusetts's elite Enfield College. But she quickly learns that New England is not the peaceful enclave she had imagined -- and that not even the privileged world of academia is immune to murder.

"Professor Karen Pelletier's

prime literary passion is poet Emily Dickinson -- a passion she shares with her hotshot colooleague Randy Astin-Berger. Heir apparent to the head of Enfield's English Department, the pompous Randy is the campus Casanova. That is, he was -- until he was found strangled with his own flashy necktie. The last peson to see Randy alive -- and the first to find him dead -- Karen knows she must solove the case before she becomes the prime suspect. But to do that, she must first discovewr the truth behind Randy's final Dickinsoni8an discovery -- a literary bombshell that may well have been to die for ..."
~~back cover

I was amazed to find I was really enjoying this book. Ordinarily I'd rather read English cozies, set in England and bloodless. But this mystery was so skillfully done that I couldn't help adding it to my favorites.

For one thing, it's not formulaic, and Professor Pelletier doesn't decide she can out think the police and attempt to solve the mystery herself. Instead, she finds herself pulled into "assisting the police" by the detective on the case, who also seems to be very attracted to her ... or is he?

Karen is also a very likeable, realistic human being -- besit by worries and doubts. She's a single mother of a remarkable young woman, who's pulled herself up by her bootstraps by grit, determination and a lot of hard work. She doesn't take herself too seriously either. Very realistic and chilling subplots just add spice to the mix.

I can't wait to read the second book in the series, to see what happens to Karen's love life, and to see if the writing continues at a very professional level.

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LibraryThing member judithrs

Quieter than Sleep. Joanne Dobson. 1997. Karen is a professor at a small elite college in Massachusetts whose specialty is Emily Dickenson. Her colleague, the obnoxious Randy Astin-Berger, shares her interest in Dickenson. When Karen discovers Astin-Berger’s body strangled with his own necktie,

and she realizes she is a suspect, Karen decides that she must identify the murderer. The author is an English professor who knows her way around the world of academia. Not sure how many Karen Pelletier mysteries she has written, but they are fun to read.

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