I was initially put off by the different voices of the chapters-sometimes that device works well and sometimes it doesn’t and the neutrality of Her was a bit forced I thought. I understood the premise but didn’t find it added anything to the story. Overall the red herrings were many, as an academic I thought the author captured the trials and tribulations of a tenure track position in the humanities quite well, and setting this in Georgia seemed how shall we say just the right amount of southern Gothic although Athens would never consider itself part of that genre. The twist at the end was shall we say spectacular. So a solid effort although I’m not sure I’d recommend it to others as the writing style was sometimes choppy.

It's not actually promoted as such but this is a sequel to The Resemblance - a great thriller by Lauren Nossett.

Marlitt is still recovering from burns, living at home and trying to forget the humiliation of her the ruin of her career as a detective when her mother's colleague is brought in for questioning. Police believe that Verena Sobek, may be involved in the mysteriously killing (or is it suicide?) of college student Ethan Haddock.

Marlitt's mother begs for her help and with little else to do, she thrusts herself into the investigation. The problem is that she keeps running up and into former colleagues who very much disapprove of her and her methods. When Marlitt takes it one step too far, she finds herself deeply embedded in Ethan's old life and that of his roommates. Peppered with chapters featuring the POV of Vereena and a mysterious man, this tense story is all that you can want in a cool autumn thriller. It helps to read the first novel, as many of Marlitt's regrets and shame are further explained in the previous books. If not, do not fear, this book is incredibly engaging and you will catch on quickly. I only hope that Marlitt sticks around and more things happen on and around campus!
#flatironbooks #TheProfessor #LaurenNossett

Lauren Nossett has made “The Resemblance” a series by again featuring Marlitt Kaplan, now a former disgraced police officer turned research assistant, in another story about dark academic life in the Deep South. In “The Professor,” Marlitt is still adrift after the disastrous investigation that ended her career months ago and left her arms and face burnt and disfigured. She’s just reaching out and desperately wants forgiveness or at least a connection with her former police partner Teddy, but that seems impossible just as her mother, a German professor at the university, implores her to assist Verena, a junior professor and mom’s mentee, who has been accused of an improper relationship with a student that has led to his suicide. However, Marlitt doesn’t have the resources or contacts she had before, so her assistance will be difficult. Her former workmates seem hostile and not the least sympathetic.

This can be read as a standalone, but since I “knew” Marlitt from the first book, I perceived her in advance as a sad character, having been fired and disgraced, losing her home and health to the previous book’s arsonist, at odds with her parents, yearning for forgiveness or minimal contact from her former partner, and unsure how to move forward. She gets involved because “Maybe helping Verena will prove I’m a good person”. Marlitt is a good person and a dogged investigator — it takes a few twists (and a surprising epilogue) to move Marlitt from sad to hopeful. I hope we get to see a more confident and hopeful Marlitt in a future book. 4 stars.

Reassurance alert: the dog is OK.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): SORT OF Marlitt, our main character, has green eyes, but I only know this from reading “The Resemblance.” This time her eye color goes unmentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But the state of the flowers in Verena’s window boxes is a clue about the inhabitant within.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I did not realize this was a sequel/continuation of another book. I loved the summary and the setting and was intrigued. Luckily, this book read very well on its own and I didn't need to have read the first book to appreciate this one.

Overall, I enjoyed the book very much! I especially enjoyed the "race against time" feel as Marlitt works to uncover the truth behind Ethan's death. The pace was just a bit off for me. It took a while for me to get into the story and the first half of the book was quite slow. Once it picked up, I was totally invested and eager to figure out the mystery.

I also liked the anxiety portrayal, both in the students and in the professor, Verena. It was an interesting perspective to see a professor at an esteemed university could suffer from imposter syndrome and burnout.

Excited to recommend this to friends and also looking forward to reading the prequel!

Lauren Nossett performs the most amazing sleight of hand in this follow-up to her award-winning The Resemblance. About 50 pages from the end, you realize that something you've been assuming all along isn't the case at all -- and the realization is staggering. The narrative technique she employs to accomplish this is crafty and clever yet completely organic to the story.

Marlitt, the disgraced police detective from The Resemblance, returns as an amateur investigator this time, attempting to clear the name of a young female professor rumored to have been having an affair with a student who may or may not have committed suicide. In her efforts to understand the mindset of the young man, Marlitt essentially goes undercover as a student herself and moves into the apartment he once shared with his roommates. Her inquiries ultimately place her in mortal danger, and the novel ends with a final twist that is absolutely appalling.

Just as in The Resemblance, The Professor does more than engross and entertain: it tackles serious issues confronting higher education, this time the mental health crisis on campuses, among students and faculty alike.

I enjoyed this mystery overall. It has engaging and mysterious characters that are interesting to follow. I love books set in academia, especially when they have the dark elements hanging over them. I read this quickly, needing to know what was going to happen. Things revealed themselves at a good pace, making this a quick and satisfying read. I did have one issue and that was the author didn’t make me believe the ending revelations. That is often a problem for me these days in mystery/thrillers, but the best find a way to make it work. I liked this book, just not a knockout.

I enjoy reading novels about campus/university life, especially novels that look into the toxicity that resides there. This novel takes place in Athens, Georgia and the university located there. A young man student named Ethan is found dead in his room off campus, questionably by suicide, and there are rumors that he was sexually involved with his German Professor, Verena Sobek.

This thriller/mystery is very intense. Marlitt Kaplan, once a police officer, but now disgraced and kicked off the force, is a research assistant for her father who is a professor. She decides to investigate Ethan's death. In order to get close to the source, she applies to be a roommate in Ethan's former dwelling with his two living roommates. She is accepted by them and moves into Ethan's former apartment.

The novel is told from various points of view. There is the female goth roommate, the male narcissistic roommate, and Verena Sobek. Marlitt is sniffing around all of them, trying to find out what happened to Ethan. Was he hopelessly in love with Verena, then rejected by her so he took his life? Or was it something more onerous? Did someone want to kill Ethan and make it look like a suicide.

I enjoyed the parts about the bored students, the uncaring professors, all the cheating that went on, and the spurious complaints about grades.

Marlitt is an interesting protagonist. She is savvy about investigative work and misses her time on the force. However, she knows that she messed things up so much there that she can never be reinstated.

All of the characters have interesting back stories which are slowly revealed as the novel progresses. My only criticism is that I found the ending too unbelievable. I could not suspend belief enough to but into it.

This one started off slow, but once I got into it I was REALLY into it. I did not attend UGA, but I lived in Athens for 5+ years and it remains my very favorite city in the whole state of GA. “Books set in Athens, GA” are a micro-genre that I didn’t know I needed in my life, but apparently I do! (Will Leitch’s books are similarly of interest to me, for the same reason.) Needless to say, I love the setting and I can vouch that the geography/landmarks are spot on.

Overall, I enjoyed this one more than the previous book featuring Marlitt. She made some boneheaded decisions in the first book, and in this one she actually seems to have learned from some of those mistakes. Hurray for character growth! I thought this book was clever indeed. It gave me Tana French Dublin Murder Squad vibes, and that’s some high praise. I appreciated the alternating narrators, although it did take me aback at first trying to figure out who was the narrator of each chapter.

I’m hopeful that we have more books ahead of us set in my favorite college town and that Marlitt, Oliver, and Teddy have more crimes to solve together. I love the idea of Marlitt opening her own PI agency like Tess Monaghan in Laura Lippman’s books.

In summary, if you like police procedurals and/or campus novels, this one is for you. Hang in there for the first 10% of the book to get your feet up under you and then you’ll be good to go. Perfect for fall!

I was hoping for a combination of Tana French's "The Likeness" and Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" with a dash of Leigh Bardugo's "Hell Bent." I think those high expectations led to disappointment.

The Professor has an interesting premise - a male student dies amid allegations of an affair with a female professor. A former detective, with lots of emotional baggage, sets out to clear the professor's name. But I found the story frustrating because (1) the detective's emotional baggage - a past case gone wrong - was constantly referenced, but never explained, (2) there were many paragraphs devoted to the immense difficulty of being a college student and/or professor that felt very overwrought, and (3) the plot moved sooo slowwllly. There was a clever resolution that I didn't see coming until 3/4 of the way through.

Thank you to NetGallery and Flatiron Books for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty, mystery, thriller-type story. The narrator/main character is a mystery within a mystery herself, and the depictions of academia were pretty spot on (speaking from the perspective of someone in academia).

The only thing I really struggled with was the conclusion. It just was a bit too . . . messy for me. Not enough build up for some of the revelations, or the build up was just too buried in everything else.

I picked it up because of the title, but I really found that the story didn't focus on "the professor" as much as I thought it would. Instead, it was on the world that surrounded her and the issues with Title IX and a question about who/what it serves and how. Recommend if you are interested some in higher ed politics, but more so if you are looking for a story that just has some good mystery elements to it.

The protagonist Marlitt Kaplan was introduced to us in the Resemblance and this is an equally excellent sequel. Marlitt is no longer a police officer after the events of the first book and is working as a college research assistant. When a student dies by suicide, his professor is put into the spotlight for a possible affair with him. Marlitt begins investigating and finds herself right in the middle of a very dangerous situation.

This series is SO good and I really hope it gets the recognition that it deserves. Nossett is a skilled and sophisticated writer and the plot will draw readers in and wanting more. There are several very clever plot twists which I did not see coming. This series will please fans of Edwin Hill and Joanna Schaffhausen.

Thank you, NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the copy of The Professor by Lauren Nossett.I didn’t enjoy the writing style and it took until about 40% to really get engaged with the story because it was a slow starter. I’m really glad I didn’t give up on this book, because the last 25-30% was astoundingly great, so my patience was richly rewarded. This was one of the best reveals I have read in a long time. I think I would have understood more if I had read the first book in the series before I read this one, so I urge you to go get The Resemblance so you're ready for this one to be released in November.

I only recently read The Resemblance and was super excited when I was granted access to the second novel following Marlitt’s life after leaving the force. The Professor immediately sucked in me.

When Marlitt’s mom calls to ask her for a favor, she knows something is deeply wrong. Her mom’s professor friend, Verena is suspected of inappropriate conduct with one of her students, Marlitt is asked to help clear her name. Worse, the student is question is now dead and Verena’s name has been found on the body.

No one can say Marlitt doesn’t commit 100%. Personally, I think she’s a lunatic, but her methods work. I found her to be quite egotistical in the first book and in this novel I saw true character development, but still wasn’t sure if she’d done enough for herself to right her personal path.

The thriller itself was interesting and I wanted to know what happened. I did find it a bit slow at times, but I think this was more slow burn than The Resemblance.

I am hoping there will be a third! I can’t wait to read it!

The Professor by Lauren Nossett is steady, twisty thriller. Professional drama - law enforcement and college professors - combined with evil, vengeful people combine for a very intense story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Gothic, breathtaking, voyeuristic vibes, well done police procedural. Fans of dark academia, and Ashley Winstead put this one at the top of your TBR piles. Don't read this one late on a work night, or on your commute. You'll be sleepless and miss your stop!

One of my favorite types of stories to read... college campus novels. This book was no exception but perhaps it's a bit darker and more of a thriller than what I'm used to. The writing and mystery are solid. The characters were good. Overall I did enjoy this one. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars.

Lauren Nossett continues spotlighting toxic university culture in The Professor, an utterly gripping follow up her gangbuster of a debut, The Resemblance.

After her dogged pursuit of privileged fraternity members left her literally and figuratively burnt, detective Marlitt Kaplan resigned from the Athens police department rather than be fired in disgrace.

Now working as her father's research assistant, Marlitt is asked by her mother to help clear the name of her junior colleague, German professor Dr Verena Sobek. Verena is under Title IX investigation regarding her relationship with student Ethan Haddock, who died by suicide.

Nossett carefully builds tension as chapters switch between Marlitt, and past chapters by 'Him', a student we assume to be Ethan, and 'Her', a professor who we assumed to be Verena. Normally I find flashbacks something that slows the present-day tension, but I couldn't skip a sentence. Every time I'd return to Him and Her, I was struggling to identify who really were the victim and perpetrator.

Tension racks up a notch when Marlitt, almost reminiscent of Tana French's The Likeness, impulsively moves into Ethan's old room with gothic, artistic Sadie and neat-freak, household father figure Spencer.

Feeling adrift from the fallout of her previous case, and missing her former partner Teddy who refuses to speak to her, Marlitt finds herself drawn to student life and regular boozy housemate dinners. I absolutely loved the wonderful way Lauren Nossett writes Marlitt's observations and reflections:

'I laugh. And for the briefest moment, I forget my scars, the smooth patches where hair doesn't grow. I could be anyone. We could be anyone. Just two semi-young people laughing in the sun.'

Marlitt is an interesting character that had me hooked. She's tenacious at pursuing the truth and while that makes her a great detective, the consequences have forced her to reflect on how her actions hurt others, especially Teddy. She admits she was selfish, ignoring the racial microaggressions directed towards him by their colleagues for supporting her.

Where The Resemblance looked at how universities protect privilege, The Professor looks at how it doesn't protect students and staff. Nossett, a former academic, uses her experiences to take aim at university culture and how both students AND staff are shafted by these billion dollar degree factories. Having worked at three universities myself in student services, I've witnessed how cuts to services, such as counselling, leave students falling through the cracks.

Most poignant were the 'Her' chapters, providing astute observations about the struggles dealing with cheating, class sizes and the burnout due to the lack of support for staff and students. This professor cares about her students, but as the mental health clinic tells her 'everyone's depressed' and they're overworked themselves.

This book is a masterclass at building a slow-burn tension while balancing compelling plot developments and featuring a clever, tenacious heroine to champion. Twist after twist, I was ensnared. When I got to the final sentence my jaw dropped. Kudos to Lauren Nossett, I eagerly look forward to your next book, hopefully more Marlitt.

Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC.