Murder at the B-School

Rating:
Summary: Good murder story
Review: For a first time novel this is an excellent story. It has a good plot line, and great descriptions.

Rating:
Summary: It held my interest............
Review: Good read. Richly textured with nice portrayals for the Harvard area of Cambridge and vicinity. Richly developed characters as well. The author's familiarity with the business school environment makes for a credible story. Also, the increasing complexity of the tale pulls the reader in. If you like stories with people from different socio-economic strata crossing paths, this one is for you.

Rating:
Summary: (3.5) The enemy of my enemy
Review: Harvard Business School is not a place one usually associates with murder. But when a very rich young man is found floating face-down in a campus hot tub, the Harvard administrators are anxious to keep a lid on any bad publicity. To that end, the Dean of the prestigious Business School personally appoints Wim Vermeer to interface with the police. Vermeer is a strange choice, far off the hot career track and probably not in line for tenure. With diminishing prospects, Wim, a distant relative of the artist, throws himself into the distraction of Eric MacInnes' death.

Boston police captain Barbara Brouillard isn't sure if Wim is an asset or an impediment to her investigation, but decides he may be useful for now. She realizes that the hapless professor may have an inside track on the workings of the financial world, not to mention his willingness to cooperate.

Things get more convoluted the more Wim uncovers and Brouillard intuits, both struggling to assemble pieces that never seem to fit together. Interested in the details of the MacInnes family fortune, Wim forms a quasi-alliance with the patriarch of the family, but the wild card is Eric's younger brother, James, who displays an excess of aggression. Just how James fits into the picture is one of those tantalizing questions.

However, as the body count rises, Wim looks more and more suspect. Is he extraordinarily clever or is this a masterful setup? Although the reader has a good idea about the good guys, the bad guys are much more skillful at camouflaging the motives for murder. From Boston to New York to Puerto Rico, whoever is manipulating events has carefully planned his actions with no intention of getting caught. So much for best laid plans. Luan Gaines/2004.


Rating:
Summary: Murder Shocks Harvard Business School
Review: Harvard Business School student Eric MacInnes is found drowned in a hot tub in the recreation center of the Harvard Business School. The discovery of Eric's body launches a series of questions. How did he gain access to the building? Was his death an accident or murder? Will Eric's death ruin the relationship that Harvard has with his super-rich family?

The Harvard Business School Dean assigns one of his junior faculty members, finance professor Wim Vermeer, to return Eric's belongings to the family. In the process, Prof. Vermeer finds himself sucked into the school and family politics surrounding Eric's death, and ultimately he ends up working with the Boston Police Captain investigating the death, Captain Barbara Brouillard. Author Cruikshank has penned a terrific character in Prof. Wim Vermeer....a "not-quite-good-enough-for Harvard" professor who is basically a good guy.

There are a few plot weaknesses, especially towards the end; however, the story overall was really enjoyable. I hope Mr. Cruikshank writes a second novel featuring the further adventures of Prof. Vermeer and Capt. Brouillard.

Rating:
Summary: Face-paced debut
Review: Jeffrey Cruikshank's Murder at the B-School is an enjoyable and well paced debut set in the financial and academic worlds.

When a wealthy student at Harvard Business School dies under mysterious circumstances, Prof. Wim Vermeer is asked to represent the college and act as liaison with the young man's family.

The powerful MacInnes clan, predictably, shuts Vermeer out. But he soon teams up with a captain on the Boston police force to jointly pursue their investigation. The professor's involvement, along with the detective's willingness to accept his participation, are just two holes in the plot

Fortunately, Cruikshank's characters are interesting, and his descriptions of the internecine battles of academia are well-done. If the story isn't quite as compelling as it could be, at least the author has the skill to keep it moving.

Rating:
Summary: college conspiracies
Review: Rebeccasreads recommends MURDER AT THE B-SCHOOL as a thoughtful thriller, although the protagonists are in need of more passion as they tend to talk in lectures. However, Jeffrey Cruikshank does have a way with words, a fine sense of humor, an aptitude for suspense, & has the makings of a mystery writer to watch out for.

Rating:
Summary: When Murder Hits School!
Review: The background for this murderous tale is Harvard Business School, aka The 'B-School'. Boston Police descend upon the school when the school's golden boy, Eric MacInnes, the son of a wealthy dynasty is found dead in a Jacuzzi after hours in a locked building.

A descendant of the 17th century Dutch painter, Wim Vermeer, is a teacher on The 'B-School' faculty who not only fears his career is on the line, but is stunned when this "freak" accident appears to look like an ingenious murder. He soon finds himself suspect in the case.

Dean Bishop assigns Vermeer the task of liaison between Harvard and the MacInnes who are demanding answers. The lead investigator in the case is Captain Barbara Brouillard, nicknamed by the department as 'Ms. Biz', also known for making up her own rules. She takes a liking to Vermeer, but isn't sure if he's an asset or an impediment to her investigation.

Desperate to clear himself and discover the truth, Wim begins his own investigation into the case.

Corpses begin to pile up, when Libby, the MacInnes' daughter, is found murdered. Both rumors, as well as computer evidence begin to point towards Wim Vermeer. It doesn't take long for Vermeer to realize he's been setup for a devious cover-up. With secrets unraveling, and higher members of the faculty being held responsible, the atmosphere in the halls of the Harvard Business School quickly tense.

Jeffrey Cruikshank's descriptive settings of Boston, Cambridge and the Harvard Campus, New York and Puerto Rico help create an interesting debut novel, although the story is somewhat slow to start. However, there are enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing.

Reviewed by Betsie

Rating:
Summary: well written exciting police procedural and amateur sleuth
Review: The conservative Harvard Business School is one of the most prestigious learning centers in the world; so no one could imagine a murder occurring there. Yet that is what happened to student Eric MacInnes, a member of a very wealthy family. The lad somehow entered a locked area where a whirlpool was located; someone knocked him over the head killing him. Trying to avoid bad PR and wanting to keep on the good side of the MacInnes kin, Dean Bishop appoints Assistant Professor Wim Verneer as liaison between the college and the family.

Wim is shocked to hear rumors that he had an affair with Eric. Police Captain Barbara Bouillard hears the same gossip, which makes Wim a suspect. E-mail proves that Eric and Wim communicated, but the professor denies this ever happened. Things turn worse for Wim when he meets and goes to dinner with Eric's sister Libby; not long afterward she was found strangled to death. Wim knows that someone is framing him. He begins his own inquiries that lead to Upstate New York and Vieques off eastern Puerto Rico.

MURDER AT THE B-SCHOOL is a well written exciting police procedural and amateur sleuth tale. At times adversaries and at times allies, the captain and the professor make inquiries from different perspectives, but draw the same conclusions. They make excellent partners, who deserve co-featuring in future mysteries. Jeffrey Cruikshank will keep his fans satisfied with this winning who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner