Murder at the College by P.H. Turner is a smart, gripping mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. With intriguing characters and an academic setting full of secrets, it’s the perfect pick for fans of clever whodunits.

At the beginning of Murder at the College, private investigator Quinn Kane, who works for a prestigious law firm in Denver, is asked to look into the death of one of the firm’s clients, a flamboyant and controversial drama professor at one of the local colleges, when it looks as if his brother will be charged with his death. The first red flag for me, unfortunately, came almost immediately upon their meeting, when this supposed professional began lusting after the attractive, charming client. This continued throughout the book to tiresome effect, at least for me. Although the author’s bio on Goodreads says she writes “mystery and crime fiction,” some of her book covers look more like romance, which might explain this, but it’s not a genre I personally favor.

The quest to find the killer was interesting and the mechanism used by the killer, which allows Quinn to finally crack the case, was certainly original, but on the whole I found too many things that strained my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. These include the Javert-like obsession of the chief police detective on the case with bringing Quinn down; the extent of his corruption, along with our heroine’s convenient friendship with another investigator who is easily able to expose it; the constant references to what seemed to be her near-poverty (evidently even prestigious law firms barely pay their investigators); and finally the solution to the mystery, which came out of nowhere. One source of the enjoyment of mysteries for me and others is trying to figure out the solution, which was impossible in this one. The connection in the book’s present of the killer with one brother and especially the person’s discovery of his relationship to the other also depended on coincidences that I couldn’t buy.

It seems like the potential for something I might enjoy more is there, but unfortunately it wasn’t realized in this book.

I received a copy of Murder at the College from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Usually I don't read mystery/thrillers with some detective or police officer POV, but now and then I get happily surprised. Not the case here. And honestly, the private detective here was the least of my issues.
Turner's writing totally failed to keep my attention, and the plot seemed to be dragging on and on and going different places with no clear and ultimate goal.
That was not cool.
I believe this book might have its right audience, but I'm not part of it.

I enjoy a mystery with an academic institution as the backdrop. This setting has the possibility of so many motives and the characters from the world of higher education can be quite unusual. So, naturally, I anticipated that I would enjoy P.H. Turner’s book Murder at the College. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I wanted to.

Murder at the College is sort of a mish mash of ideas. The writing is choppy and the story itself seems to jump around. There’s a romantic angle of sorts that seriously stretches the bounds of believability and, quite frankly, I found unnecessary and distracting. Meanwhile, the ending seemed to come out of nowhere.

The author has a lot of good ideas and scenarios but she tried to use too many of them in this book. Overall, I think Ms Turner could be a good mystery writer. Certainly, she has the imagination. But, I don’t think Murder at the College reflects her true potential. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

Murder at the College by P.H. Turner starts off with the murder of a college professor. Unfortunately this professor isn’t really a likeable guy, he seems to take advantage of his young female students, so when he ends up dead, there is a list of suspects. Top of the list is his twin brother, who hires a lawyer who employs a private detective to find out who did it. Of course Ben, the suspect and Quinn the detective, fall in love. But then the story goes haywire.

This book is all over the place. Not much of it makes sense, especially the ending which seems to be an afterthought that wasn’t thought out at all. It was just kind of oh, so this is who did if. Huh? The storyline itself doesn’t flow, there are a bunch a red herrings thrown around, but none that really lead anywhere. I think this book needs some polishing to make it make sense.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In “Murder at the College,” P.H. Turner introduces us to Quinn, a private detective still reeling from her last case and relationship. When the charming Ben becomes her client, sparks fly, but so do suspicions; he could be a murderer. Despite her reluctance to partner up, Quinn is drawn into proving Ben’s innocence, even as the evidence mounts against him.

The book’s title evokes the classic whodunits of Agatha Christie, setting the stage for a mystery that promises—and delivers—twists and turns. Turner’s latest entry in the mystery genre may have a few rough edges, but her storytelling prowess shines through, weaving a tale rich with red herrings that test the reader’s sleuthing skills. The narrative cleverly plants clues for a truth that’s as satisfying to discover as it is surprising.

True to the spirit of escapism found in many great novels, ‘Murder at the College’ asks readers to indulge in a bit of suspension of belief. The romance unfolds with haste, and coincidences abound, but isn’t that the joy of reading? To lose oneself in a story’s embrace?

While the book stands alone, it leaves one wondering if Turner has more mysteries up her sleeve. The potential for a series is undeniable, and I am eager to see where Quinn’s investigations take her next.”

I was a little confused throughout this read. The plot was clear but the execution was all over the place.

I was very excited to read this book!

I felt this book was all over.

--- where the book is set up is confusing and just not well written.
--- The flow of the book doesn't seem very well and seems to be all over the place.
--- The ending was good and after guessing the whole time never figured it out so that is a great thing in a book. That part was well done.

I feel that with a little more editing this could be a good book. I will read more and give the author another try in the future.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

This is a fast and easy read, good entertainment despite the simplistic story and the improbable action.

The insta love in this book really felt weird to me. They fell in love so quickly it made me queistion their sanity and made this read quite unlikeable to me

3.5 stars, rounded up

Quinn, a private investigator who has sworn off men for the time being, is hired by the twin brother of a murder victim. Sparks fly between them, but, as much as she would like to prove him innocent, there’s plenty of evidence pointing instead to his guilt.

This appears to be the author’s first foray into mystery books, and while it didn’t number in my favorite reads so far this year, I didn’t find it nearly as bad as some GR reviewers would indicate. It took a while to warm up to Quinn, the MC, but eventually I came to like her. I’m never a fan of insta-love in any book, let alone a mystery, but since most of the author’s previous books are romances, that it happened here isn’t a great surprise. I did like Ben, the surviving twin brother, but like Quinn, I wasn’t sure I could trust him.

While the police focused their investigation on just one person, there were actually several viable suspects worth looking at. I kept changing my mind about who the killer was, but I never did have the actual culprit very high on my list. Given the character, the motive made sense, but it still left me shaking my head.

There is nothing to indicate that this is the first book of a series, but I will keep my eye out for a follow-up, just in case. If there is another book with these characters, I would like to read it.

Hmm...Yikes...Ouch.
Wow, I don't really have words.
I guess we have entered an era where everything can be published?
This book, felt like it was written during the author's lunch break, while riding home on Public Transit and maybe on the porcelain throne (Basically whenever this she had a spare moment to write down a scene) It was incredibly choppy, and illogical.
--Yikes that was kinda mean--
Just being honest, the story jumped from plot point to plot point, so many red herrings are thrown at the reader that lead no where and are left dangling. When you finally reach the end it is so far out of left field you could never have guessed the ending. Personally I think it is not fair for an author to do that to the reader. You pretty much slog along for 90% of the book being led down dead end after dead end and suddenly WHAM you get hit by a 2 x 4 that you never saw coming.
During the numerous "leads" our main female character who is PI rapidly falls in love with the main suspect of the murder. The insta love was so sudden it didn't make sense. Again these were just scenes and interactions the author conjured up and randomly added them in.
Frankly it was pretty boring and a very weak conclusion.

Sorry but I cannot recommend you read this book.......and there goes my approval for future books by this author.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to review this advanced copy read of Murder At The College. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for this honest review.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley... thank you!

I was excited to read a murder mystery with a college setting. However, there were several things that kept me from rating it higher. The author would do a good job of setting up a scene, but the follow through was often choppy. Dialogue didn't seem to flow very well. The end was certainly a surprise, out of nowhere. I honestly don't think anyone will figure it out at all, but that's kind of the fun of a mystery- piecing together clues to figure out who dunnit. There were no clues leading up to the ending on this one.

Murder at the College is the story of a female detective. She falls in love with a man - who may just be a killer. She is trying to solve the mystery of the murder of his twin. He insists that she let him work as his partner, but as her search deepens the clues point to her loved one.

The book is engrossing and the mystery interesting enough that it kept me turning the pages.

In this modern-day detective story, an investigator working for a law firm is put to work investigating the murder of a local college theater professor. The case is complicated by her mutual attraction to the law firm's client, the brother of the deceased and most-likely suspect for his murder. Another complication is that the detective leading the police department's investigation has a grudge against Quinn, and has both the motivation and the means to ruin her professional reputation for his own gain.

The plot is entertaining enough but not particularly riveting. The twist near the end felt like it came out of nowhere, and I feel like I probably forgot some details that may have built it up earlier, since I went a week or two at a time not reading the book, though I was interested enough to keep coming back to it. The ending of the book leaves the main character in a somewhat precarious position that will probably make later installments in the series pretty interesting. If the author continues this series, I'll probably make a point to read the sequels.

Murder at the College was strange and a bit disjointed. Two of the main characters fall in love very quickly and plan to get married after barely knowing each other. I enjoy a good love at first sight book but the author told us the couple had a lot of chemistry and not a lot of showing the chemistry. Another big problem was the murderer and his/her problem with the deceased came out of nowhere. Almost felt like the author decided they were done with writing so they plucked a conclusion out of the sky. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for this ARC. My feedback here is based on my reading of this story.

The title of this book is old fashioned reminded me of the Agatha Christie books. And it stays in the mind true to expectations. This is a a good murder mystery.

I have been taking up reading the works of newer authors (new for me not necessarily debut writers) expanding my bandwidth of writers whose works I read and identifying new favorites. Turner here has put up a well packed novel.

The story follows Quinn Kane's (our protagonist) investigation into a murder. Quinn is an investigator working for a top lawyer who puts her up to investigate the background and murder of a Professor. It all seems clean and above board till she starts reaches the institute and starts finding out about the man, a player of sorts. There is a light romance with the brother of the murder victim, a certified bad boy and possible suspect for the murder. Quinn's attraction could create issues in the investigation with crooked cops a part of the overall picture.
There are suspects galore and help complicate the story. Commend Turner on a well prepared story.

Initially a bit slow but nothing that affected appreciating the story.
Recommended.

Murder at the College was a good murder mystery. It seemed to me more like a procedural type of mystery as we follow Quinn Kane's investigation into the murder. There is a hint of background romance between Quinn and the victim's brother who is also a suspect. A dirty cop puts Quinn's job on the line, too.

Overall it was a well-written enjoyable read, but I will say I don't like the title. it's amateurish, like a file name for a work in progress.

Thank you PH Turner, Wild Rose and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

I like the title of this book…intrigue and murder…family and friends..do not try to guess too early the ending…red herrings and secrets make that difficult…realistic characters keep this story moving quickly. This talented author has written a page turner. The academic setting adds to the plot…keeping the reader wondering if someone at the college is guilty or?? Thanks Netgalley.

Overall a good murder mystery. Quinn is an investigator for a high powered lawyer in Denver. When she goes to find information after a music professor is killed she has plenty of issues. Finding the killer, dealing with crooked cops, and so on, plus being attracted to the twin brother of the murdered victim, and it is probable he is the murderer too. What is a girl to do? Liked this one, but did wish the romance would have been a bit stronger. Seemed to be mainly physically attracted, which doesn't seem that it would be a solid foundation. Other than that, would recommend this book and author.