A Nick Hoffman / Academic Mystery, Book 1 - Nick Hoffman has everything he's ever wanted: a good teaching job, a beautiful house, and a solid relationship with his lover, Stefan Borowski, a brilliant novelist and writer-in-residence at the State University of Michigan. But when Perry Cross shows up, Nick's peace of mind is shattered. Not only does he have to share his office with the nefarious Perry, who managed to weasel his way into a tenured position without the right qualifications, he also discovers that Perry played a destructive role in Stefan's past. When Perry turns up dead, Nick wonders if Stefan might be involved, while the campus police force is wondering the same about Nick.

Originally published in 1996, this first book in the Nick Hoffman Academic Mystery series is now back in print, with a 2019 foreword by the author.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS:

"Deliciously wicked... The perfect book to take away for a weekend in the country... a genuinely funny modern comedy of manners." - Washington Post Book World

"The Borgias would not be bored at the State University of Michigan, that snake pit of academic politics." - New York Times Book Review

"Clever and sharp social satire." - Los Angeles Times

"Lev Raphael skewers academic pretensions with wicked glee [and] Dickensian flair." - Chicago Sun-Times

Lev Raphael offers "a delightful take on death in academe." - San Francisco Chronicle

A "witty and devastating backstage view of college life." - San Diego Union-Tribune

"Some of the most pointed and funny put-downs of academics in my memory." - Detroit Free Press

Raphael "elegantly skewers ivory-tower pretensions, petty politics, incompetencies and hypocrisies." - Booklist

Lev Raphael combines "stylish literary mystery with an intimate look at the jungle of academia... witty, impeccably written." - The Mystery Review

"Marvelous humor and satisfying mystery... wickedly fun." - Drood Review of Mystery

"Bright, breezy, and laugh-aloud funny." - Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine