Extracurricular Activities

September 24, 2007
Barbieri's in top form as she delivers a smooth sequel to her witty debut (Murder 101
). English professor Alison Bergeron wishes she'd stop getting uninvited visits from her ex-husband, Raymond Stark, “fornicator extraordinaire” and fellow professor at St. Thomas, a small Catholic university north of New York City. Ray's past conquests include Alison's slutty neighbor, Terri, and St. Thomas student Kathy Miceli, whose recent murder shocked the campus. Then Alison comes home one night to find Ray's body in her kitchen, hands and feet chopped off: the slaying signature of “chubby mobster” Peter Miceli, Kathy's father. Peter begins stalking Alison, showing up uninvited in her house to proclaim his innocence. Alison reluctantly turns to her soon-to-be-divorced former boyfriend, Bobby Crawford, an NYPD homicide detective, for help and comfort. The plot thickens when Terri disappears, leaving Alison in charge of Trixie, a scene-stealing golden retriever who makes a gruesome discovery. Barbieri juggles romance, murder and mayhem with stark realism and disarming charm.

December 1, 2007
English professor Alison Bergeron (Murder 101, 2006) is still recovering from her divorce and lamenting the fact that NYPD homicide detective Bobby Crawford, her would-be boyfriend, is still married. Meanwhile, she's also annoyed by unwelcome news from her ex-husband. When she returns one night to find him dead in her kitchen, she becomes the prime suspect and mustcall on Crawford for assistance. Juxtaposing life-threatening crime against ordinary domestic life, Barbieri jumps between Bergeron's amateur sleuthing and her difficulties in finding a suitable dress for an upcoming wedding. This genre-bending combination of chick lit and mystery will please readers who like action and romance in the same package.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)