Robert Barnard makes fun of academic life in Death of an Old Goat. An elderly visiting lecturer from Oxford University has his throat slit in his motel room. The police suspect that the murderer is a member of the Dummondale University faculty. Barnard shows the professors to be catty, jealous, and constant drinkers. If you’re interested in a satirical, acidic academic mystery, Death of an Old Goat delivers.
Great choice George – I really like Barnard’s humour and one gets the impression that he was certainly writing from experience!
Sergio, Barnard knows College politics!
Definitely. He wrote a few books like that. I haven’t read this one.
Jeff, Barnard’s wicked wit is very evident in this mystery.
I have this, but haven’t read it yet. I like both Barnard and academic settings, so it should be a double treat.
George, I thought of this one, but decide on the Bronte instead. I have it, the edition on the left, and will get to it eventually. Sometimes these academic mysteries work, sometimes not.
Kelly, you’ll enjoy DEATH OF AN OLD GOAT. Barnard’s portrayal of the academic setting is spot-on!
Rick, I think you’ll find Barnard has captured both the ethos of academia and provided a compelling mystery in DEATH OF AN OLD GOAT.
Humour is another reason I intend to read more books by Robert Barnard. He is a new author for me.