Book Review: Irregardless of Murder

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Irregardless of Murder     Amazon US TPB Amazon Canada TPB
Ellen Edwards Kennedy
Class/Genre:   Mystery
St. Kitts, Jan 2001, $14.00, 275 pp.

Every Thursday evening, long time high school English teacher, Miss Amelia Prentice goes to the public library to mark her students' papers. However, this week Amelia trips in the copy room, banging her head and lying on the floor unconscious. When she reawakens the police among others are there. Detective O'Brien asks her questions until he realizes that Amelia is unaware that she tripped over the corpse of a former student Marguerite LeBow.

Amelia refuses to accept some cretin coach as a substitute. Instead she heroically goes to her classroom with her goal to pretend no involvement in the case. As the police keep questioning on why she was making 67 copies in the library's copy room, Amelia concludes that she is a prime suspect. Accompanied by the nephew of a friend, Amelia sets out to prove her innocence and demonstrate that those who teach English can catch the murderer that is if the culprit does not kill her first.

Regardless of sub-genre preference mystery fans will enjoy IRREGARDLESS OF MURDER, an engaging amateur sleuth tale starring an eccentric heroine. The endearing lead character will remind readers of a dedicated teacher from their salad days who quoted Shakespeare and Dickens and called out your name in Pig Latin. Ellen Edwards Kennedy provides a strong who-done-it because of the cast that feels like a small town ensemble, but in the end Miss Prentice steals the show and turns this novel into an A+ paper.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner