The
University
A
Kevin Gibson Mystery
Jeffrey
Leever
Capital
Crime Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9799960-6-6 (0979996066)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9799960-6-1 (9780979996061)
Publication Date: November 2009
List Price: $14.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Ah, college life at Tremont University. A place for
learning. Partying and dating. And murder.
When investigative journalist Kevin Gibson lets his cousin, a former
cop, talk him into looking into a student's disappearance at Tremont
University, he gets more than he bargained for. A former student
— injured in a brutal attack two years ago and in a coma
— may hold a critical piece of information that can solve the
mystery. Meanwhile, an attractive coed continues to hide a very dark
secret.
Tremont junior Brett Duncan is determined to find out what happened to
his best friend, who's gone missing. Along with his girlfriend Ciera
Kindle, Brett is drawn into a cunning world few know exist -- a
conspiracy involving faculty, students, and some well-connected people
in high places.
Beneath the campus’ Hallmark-card exterior lie many secrets,
and a pulse-racing mystery with plenty of chills along the way.
Review:
Indianapolis investigative reporter Kevin Gibson travels to an elite
college in Nebraska to look into the disappearance of a student in The University,
the second mystery in this series by Jeffrey Leever.
Kevin's cousin ("former cousin-in-law", as he puts it) Deswood Graham,
an ex-cop from Tremont, Nebraska, relates a story of mysterious
goings-on at the local university, eventually piquing the reporter's
interest. "Think about it," Desmond says, "[an] unsolved murder in a
college town, a two-year-old mystery, an inept police investigation, a
missing student." Dead is a co-ed, shot in the face two years ago, her
boyfriend also shot, but not killed, and who remains in a coma. The
missing student is James Reed, who seems to have simply vanished one
night. His friend, Brett Duncan, seems to be the only one concerned
about his disappearance. The police have no interest in looking into
the matter, and even his family seems resigned that he's gone for good,
though why is unknown. Kevin travels to Tremont and learns of a secret
organization, one with possible occult leanings, that may be operating
in the town and using the university as its base.
For a purported suspense thriller, The
University
suffers from not being terribly suspenseful or thrilling. The problem
lies not in the subject matter, but in the way it's presented. The
narrative is excessively choppy with too many characters participating
in rapidly shifting points of view. The author also frequently uses
mini point-of-view cliffhangers as a means of generating suspense. ("He
slit the seal and saw a piece of paper, which he took out and unfolded.
Need
help on this one! Instantly
he recognized the handwriting. He glanced back in the envelope.
Professor Howard couldn't believe what he saw next.") Finally, so much
is known to the reader about what's happening in Tremont and on the
university campus that Kevin's investigation, which should be a means
of tying everything together, seems almost redundant.
The
University tends to fall into
the movie-of-the-week category of novels, one with some interest and
appeal, but in the end, one of little substance.
Special thanks to Jeffrey Leever for providing an ARC of The University for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The University? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Dark
Friday
Capital Crime Press (Trade Paperback), September 2007
ISBN-10: 0-9776276-3-2 (0977627632)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9776276-3-9 (9780977627639)
The University
Capital Crime Press (Trade Paperback), November 2009
ISBN-10: 0-9799960-6-6 (0979996066)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9799960-6-1 (9780979996061)
Omnimystery
keywords for The University
...
Location(s) referenced: Nebraska.
