A Blood Stained Ivory Tower

Richard Kelly is a clinical psychologist with twenty-five years of teaching at the university level. He has worked at psychiatric facilities in the U.S. and other countries. He and his wife keep their primary residence in Indiana. Tom Evers is a psychology teaching at a Midwestern university. One of his research assistants is found brutally murdered after spring break. In a town that is not familiar with solving homicides, Tom asks for and is granted permission to conduct his own private investigation when the local police come up empty. The young woman's parents engineer the idea in Tom's mind, and he undertakes his investigation as a tentative exercise. When a second woman is found murdered, Tom steps up to the plate with a new determination: "Beth was suspicious. 'Margaret, I think Tom is going to want to talk with you privately. He's on a mission and a little out of control.' 'Sounds interesting,' Margaret said. 'There's no stopping him. I'll leave you two alone,' Beth said, as she moved away." Dr. Kelly has a clinical style of writing that is precise and factual. His plot is obviously close to home, while expanding his experience to a plausible plot. His characters are well developed, and he gives the reader an accurate bird's-eye view of academic (ivory tower) life. While he isn't a theoretical academic, he still possesses a plethora of experience which contributes to the backdrop of the story. A BLOOD STAINED IVORY TOWER is a classic whodunit that builds to an exciting crescendo and leaves the reader with the feeling that the bad guy got what he/she deserved (I'm not telling). Dr. Kelly has a distinct flair for mysteries, and his background lends even more mystery to a well written story. Keep at it, Dr. Kelly! Tom Evers is a reluctant hero who puts it on the line in a pinch. Shelley Glodowski Senior Reviewer