River Road by Carol Goodman

The main character in this novel is Nan, a college professor at a small college in upstate New York. As the story opens, Nan has just left a college gathering where she learned that her application for tenure has been denied. She imbibed several glasses of wine, got into an argument with a fellow professor and left the gathering in a huff. She takes the long, dark, winding road toward home. Enroute, she hits a deer and gets out to see if the animal is alright. She cannot locate the animal and gets back in the vehicle and continues on her way. She leaves her car at the bottom of her driveway and trudges up to her home. She has a restless night and in the morning, is awakened by a policeman at the door.

A good intro to a fairly well-written mystery. Although I am not an avid reader of this author's work, I believe I read one of her previous novels entitled, The Drowning Tree. Her characters and plot are plausible and since Ms. Goodman is very familiar with the academic setting, the story flows well. This is not a cookie-cutter mystery, although some aspects of it seem familiar. I'd have to admit I found myself surprised as the plot was revealed which is a good indication of an author who has thought things out.

Worth the read!

Ladybookbug!