# Need some help from Mystery fans **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950 "2014-05-21T18:52:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/1 "2014-05-21T18:52:32Z")
I am looking for mysteries set in academia or within the world of publishing. I tried googling first and had no luck. Can you guys help? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/2 "2014-05-21T18:55:25Z")
The very first Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker was _ **The Godwulf Manuscript** _- it’s set in academia. Dorothy Sayers’\*\*\* Gaudy Night \*\*\*is a Lord Peter WImsey mystery set at a women’s college. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/3 "2014-05-21T19:00:27Z")
PD James’ \*\*\*Original Sin \*\*\*has Adfam Dalgliesh investigating murder at a British publishing house. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/4 "2014-05-21T19:01:27Z")
The Ben Reese mysteries by Sally Wright, starting with _[Publish and Perish](http://www.amazon.com/Publish-Perish-Ben-Reese-Mystery-ebook/dp/B003WQBIXM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400698783&sr=8-2&keywords=publish+and+perish)_. That’s the only one that popped immediately into my head. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/5 "2014-05-21T19:04:15Z")
Academia: The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez. Publishing: Foul Matter by Martha Grimes ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/6 "2014-05-21T19:06:52Z")
Toni L. P. Kelner, writing as Leigh Perry, has just published the first of what promises to be a series about an Adjunct Professor who solves mysteries with the help of a skeleton. It’s called **A Skeleton in the Family**. She has a lot to say about the lousy pay and working conditions of Adjunct Professors. > **[Amazon.com: A Skeleton in the Family (A Family Skeleton Mystery): 9780425255841:...](https://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Family-Mystery/dp/0425255840)** > > Amazon.com: A Skeleton in the Family (A Family Skeleton Mystery): 9780425255841: Perry, Leigh: Books I also highly recommend the weirdly-titled **Bimbos of the Death Sun** by Sharyn McCrumb, who’s written a LOT of mysteries. This one is set at a Science Fiction Convention, and pokes a lot of (affectionate, I think and hope) fun at the people who attend such. The title of the mystery is supposedly the title of a book written by the book’s professorial hero, who solves the murder. There’s a sequel (which is harder to find), **Zombies of the Gene Pool** > **[Bimbos of the Death Sun (Jay Omega): McCrumb, Sharyn: 9780345483027: Amazon.com:...](https://www.amazon.com/Bimbos-Death-Sun-Jay-Omega/dp/0345483022)** > > Bimbos of the Death Sun (Jay Omega) \[McCrumb, Sharyn\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Bimbos of the Death Sun (Jay Omega) > **[Zombies of the Gene Pool (Jay Omega): McCrumb, Sharyn: 9780345379146:...](https://www.amazon.com/Zombies-Gene-Pool-Jay-Omega/dp/0345379144)** > > Zombies of the Gene Pool (Jay Omega) \[McCrumb, Sharyn\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Zombies of the Gene Pool (Jay Omega) The original edition of Zombies has a great cover. [https://search.yahoo.com/search;\_ylt=A0LEVw9n.XxT9gYAPV9XNyoA;\_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGJjawNkZmM0YTA5OW5saDJvJTI2YiUzRDMlMjZzJTNEam0EZnIDeWZwLXQtMjgzBGdwcmlkAzNnd1lFTjVuUU15N1JTTG1KSjh5eEEEbXRlc3RpZANBRE1SJTNEU01FNTA4JTI2QURTUlAlM0RTTUU1MjAlMjZBU1NUJTNEUUkwNjUlMjZSQU1QJTNEUk1QMDMlMjZVSTAxJTNEVklQMzcwJTI2VU5JJTNEUkNGMDQ0BG5fcnNsdAMxMARuX3N1Z2cDNARvcmlnaW4Dc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAwRxc3RybAMzMQRxdWVyeQNab21iaWVzIG9mIHRoZSBHZW5lIFBvb2wgaW1hZ2VzBHRfc3RtcAMxNDAwNjk5Mjk1MTQ4BHZ0ZXN0aWQDVklQMzcw?gprid=3gwYEN5nQMy7RSLmJJ8yxA&pvid=OpSifjk4LjHXsIoCU3rEWAGEMjQuMlN8.Wf\_9oco&p=Zombies+of+the+Gene+Pool+images&fr2=sb-top&fr=yfp-t-283](https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0LEVw9n.XxT9gYAPV9XNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGJjawNkZmM0YTA5OW5saDJvJTI2YiUzRDMlMjZzJTNEam0EZnIDeWZwLXQtMjgzBGdwcmlkAzNnd1lFTjVuUU15N1JTTG1KSjh5eEEEbXRlc3RpZANBRE1SJTNEU01FNTA4JTI2QURTUlAlM0RTTUU1MjAlMjZBU1NUJTNEUUkwNjUlMjZSQU1QJTNEUk1QMDMlMjZVSTAxJTNEVklQMzcwJTI2VU5JJTNEUkNGMDQ0BG5fcnNsdAMxMARuX3N1Z2cDNARvcmlnaW4Dc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAwRxc3RybAMzMQRxdWVyeQNab21iaWVzIG9mIHRoZSBHZW5lIFBvb2wgaW1hZ2VzBHRfc3RtcAMxNDAwNjk5Mjk1MTQ4BHZ0ZXN0aWQDVklQMzcw?gprid=3gwYEN5nQMy7RSLmJJ8yxA&pvid=OpSifjk4LjHXsIoCU3rEWAGEMjQuMlN8.Wf_9oco&p=Zombies+of+the+Gene+Pool+images&fr2=sb-top&fr=yfp-t-283) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/7 "2014-05-21T19:11:56Z")
One of Harry Kemelman’s Rabbi Small mysteries is set at a college: _ **Tuesday, the Rabbi Saw Red.** _ Almost all of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse novels are set in or around Oxford- some surely must be set at the University itself. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/8 "2014-05-21T19:28:52Z")
Amanda Cross wrote a series of fourteen well-received mysteries set in a disguised Columbia University. The first: _In the Last Analysis_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/9 "2014-05-21T19:33:31Z")
P.D. James’ \*An Unsuitable Job for a Woman \*has Cordelia Gray investigate a murder in an academic setting. Ellery Queen’s \*The Finishing Stroke \* has a publisher and his heir as major characters. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/10 "2014-05-21T19:58:05Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > . . . I also highly recommend the weirdly-titled **Bimbos of the Death Sun** by Sharyn McCrumb, who’s written a LOT of mysteries. This one is set at a Science Fiction Convention, and pokes a lot of (affectionate, I think and hope) fun at the people who attend such. The title of the mystery is supposedly the title of a book written by the book’s professorial hero, who solves the murder. There’s a sequel (which is harder to find), **Zombies of the Gene Pool**. . . These novels count because both of the main characters teach at a college and one of them wrote a popular science fiction novel. (He did not title it Bimbos of the Death Sun. That, and the salacious cover art, can be blamed on the editor.) Both novels mention academia and publishing, but they concentrate on SF fandom. \*\* Bimbos\*\* explores 1980s fandom and **Zombies** explores, IIRC, 1940s or 50s fandom from the perspective of the 1980s. I think I still have a copy of both of them. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/11 "2014-05-21T20:52:07Z")
[Popular Academic Mystery Books](https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/academic-mystery) [These are mysteries that take place in academia or feature professors, graduate students, etc.](http://www.wppl.org/resources/RecReading/Mysteries/Academic.html) [Book & Publishing Industry Mysteries](http://www.readersadvice.com/readadv/000248.html) [For mysteries set in any major category, check Library Booklists’ mystery section.](http://librarybooklists.org/fiction/adult/mystery.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/12 "2014-05-21T20:57:52Z")
_The Secret History_ by Donna Tartt is a good one set on a college campus among a group of eccentric, intellectual students. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/13 "2014-05-21T21:00:38Z")
Asimov’s THE DEATH DEALERS, aka A WHIFF OF DEATH, is this for a chemistry prof. ---
**Author:** ![FeAudrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FeAudrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeAudrey)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-help-from-mystery-fans/688950/14 "2014-05-21T21:03:09Z")
Mysteries lists site _Stop You’re Killing Me_ master job index (c. 85 categories): > **[SYKM Job Index](http://stopyourekillingme.com/JobCats/index.html)** > > Stop, You're Killing Me! has bibliographies of your favorite mystery authors and series characters. Academics: > **[Academic Mysteries](http://stopyourekillingme.com/JobCats/Academics.html)** > > Stop, You're Killing Me! has bibliographies of your favorite mystery authors and series characters. Books (Book Sellers, Buyers, Publishers, Editors, Agents): > **[Book Mysteries](http://stopyourekillingme.com/JobCats/Books.html)** > > Stop, You're Killing Me! has bibliographies of your favorite mystery authors and series characters. (left rail for indices by genre, location, historical period, and diversity (identity groups), plus “read-alikes”)