Motives for Murder

Rating:
Summary: Sexy, philandering 60s professor gets his!
Review: Haven't we all fallen in love with at least one of our collegeprofessors during the emotional, erotic 60s? But how far did we evertake it? And if we did take it anywhere, did we ever consider the far-ranging implications for other peoples' lives? Probably not. Patricia Gebhard, a retired academician, seems to have a firm grip on the intimate battles that always seem to take place around an especially charismatic male in the crowd. Her characterizations of Martin, his long-suffering wife, and his young lover are particularly realistic. This quick read bought back the uneasy jealousy that must have been prevalent, though rarely spoken of, during the height of the sexual revolution, and presented an array of characters with motives for murder.

Rating:
Summary: More Motives than Murderers
Review: Martin Metzger is a charismatic college professor who uses others for his own needs and desires. Lucy falls under this spell as soon as she meets him, as a student in his class. After they are married, she realizes his life does not change, including his sexual liaisons.

Lucy learns she is the chief suspect in her husband's murder the same time as she learns he is dead. Everyone believes Lucy murdered her husband'-including her father and her attorney. She can only clear herself by finding the real culprit.

To this end, Lucy examines each person who might have a motive for Martin's death. Through Lucy's eyes each character's relationship with Martin is explored, providing elements of the dead man's life, his ways of treating others and the way he sees himself and his work. As she studies each character and the relationship to Martin she reveals she is not the only person with a motive for Martin's death.