Orange Crushed: An Ivy League Mystery

I enjoyed the first two, and this one keeps up the standard. Nikki is a likeable character nd her friends are well described; the mystery was good. But why is she so obsessed with that Dante character??

Murder and mayhem seems to follow Veronica "Nikki" Chase wherever she goes. When we first met her, this Harvard economics professor solved a murder on her home campus. Then, she investigated a death on Yale's grounds. In ORANGE CRUSHED, Thomas-Graham's third book in the Ivy League mystery series, Nikki is on the case when her friend and mentor dies at Princeton. Rumors have been flooding both Harvard and Princeton that Earl Stokes, a noted African-American studies and economics scholar, was on his way to becoming a Harvard department head and leaving his Princeton roots behind. Nonetheless, Earl is the force behind a new African-American Studies building at Princeton that would bring the program abundant success. But Nikki smells a rat in her mentor's midst, and her hunch is confirmed when Earl turns up dead. Nikki sifts through the suspects one by one, searching for motive and opportunity. Thomas-Graham is fast becoming one of my favorite mystery writers. She injects humor into her stories and into her characters, making Nikki Chase and her crew people who I would love to hang out with. She writes extremely well, with fluidity, grace, and poise. Using Ivy League colleges as a fresh backdrop and an amateur investigator as a sleuth, Thomas-Graham keeps me on the edge of my seat until the end. I'm officially hooked on this series, and I am anxious to see which campus Nikki will leave her mark on next. Reviewed by CandaceK of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Writer Pamela Thomas-Graham leads two lives. She's a high power executive at CNBC, and she's the author of three successful mysteries. It's no wonder then that the main character of her series of Ivy League novels, Nikki Chase, is also dividing her time: during the day she's a Harvard professor of economics, but in her free time she's solving crimes like a pro. If the author can do, why not the lead character. Her first book, A DARKER SHADE OF CRIMSON, set at Harvard, introduced Chase. In her second, BLUE BLOOD, Chase solved a Yale-based mystery. Now, ORANGE CRUSHED takes Chase to Princeton, where the plot reads like something right out of the Chronicle of Higher Education: top-ranking professors are being wooed away from one Ivy League to another. In an effort to boost her lapsing credibility (in the wake of too much time solving mysteries in the previous two books and not enough time pursuing tenure), Chase accepts the invitation of Earl Stokes, a respected colleague, to participate in an academic conference at Princeton. Stokes's reputation as a scholar at the forefront of black studies has made him a hot ticket, and he is about to accept an offer to take a powerful position at Harvard. Before he can, the new building for the Center of Black Studies at Princeton is destroyed in a questionable fire, and Stokes's charred body is found in the remains. The suspects are many: his wife, angered by years of secret infidelities; his estranged son, never spoken of by Stokes; his competition at Harvard; and his competition at Princeton. Embroiled again, Chase, with the help of her brother and a Princeton alum, is on the hunt for Stokes's murderer. And the results of her sleuthing are shocking, to those at Old Nassau and to those in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Like Thomas-Graham herself, Chase is a savvy and well-respected expert in her field. She's a black female working in a world of white males --- and succeeding! Chase is an attractive character in a clever mystery that proves you never really know someone. Well worth the read. --- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara

I enjoyed this latest mystery. However, it's been a while since the last book, so I suggest you read the first 2, in order to fully appreciate this eclectic group of people. I didn't, but I should have - and will. I like that they are being developed slowly, although, the Juliet/Dante relationship could use a little speed. This is a wonderfully written series, full of interesting characters and rich with ambiance. Here's hoping it doesn't take so long for another adventure. But, of course, it was well worth the wait.

I highly recommend this book. The storyline is intriguing and the characters are wonderfully crafted. It is a first class mystery with all the thrills and chills one has come to expect from the Nikki Chase series. The detailed description of college life at Princeton is richly woven into the story and unveils an inside perspective of the choices available for African-Americans at this esteemed campus. Nikki's opinions of Princeton, carefully steeped in fact, are adeptly contrasted by Eric's (the lead character's brother) reality of the life he has crafted for himself at Princeton. The novel carefully unfolds the different schools of thought on African-American studies and its value to Ivy League institutions. It is an interesting read from start to finish