Ph.D in Murder (A Cozy Mystery Short)
()
About this ebook
Ph.D in Murder is a cozy mystery short by bestselling author R. Barri Flowers. A doctoral student’s independent study reenactment of the well-known and still unsolved murder of Marilyn Sheppard ends with a modern day murder and killer on the loose.
Also includes a bonus mystery suspense short, “Kill and Say Goodbye.” A woman discovers a dead woman on the beach that bears a striking resemblance to her.
Included as well are excerpts from the bestselling women’s sleuth novel, Murder In Honolulu: A Skye Delaney Mystery, by R. Barri Flowers.
PRAISE FOR MYSTERY AND THRILLER FICTION BY R. BARRI FLOWERS:
“A heart-thumping thriller, this is that rare novel that is downright scary. Pick it up at your peril, because you won't put it down until you've read the last word." -- John Lutz, Edgar Winner and bestselling author of Twist on BEFORE HE KILLS AGAIN
“A masterful thriller set in the dark underbelly of Maui, with lots of fine action, down and dirty characters, and the vivid details of police procedure one would expect from an author who is also a top criminologist. A terrific read!" -- Douglas Preston, co-creator of the bestselling Pendergast series of novels on MURDER IN MAUI.
"An excellent look at the jurisprudence system...will appeal to fans of John Grisham and Linda Fairstein." -- Harriet Klausner on PERSUASIVE EVIDENCE
"An exquisitely rich and masterfully constructed mystery.... A savvy, smooth, and sumptuous read that's as hot as Waikiki beach sand." -- Jon Land, bestselling author of Strong Vengeance on MURDER IN HONOLULU
"It gets no better than this! R. Barri Flowers has written another thriller guaranteed to hold onto its readers! -- Huntress Reviews on DARK STREETS OF WHITECHAPEL
“A gripping and tightly woven tale you won't want to put down. Author Flowers neatly contrasts the natural beauty of a tropical paradise with the ugliness of murder and its aftermath." -- John Lutz, Edgar Winner and bestselling author of Pulse on MURDER IN MAUI
"R. Barri Flowers writes with the passion and knowledge of someone who truly knows his craft. A steamy, non-stop thrill-ride through the seamy underbelly of Hawaii." -- Allison Leotta, former federal prosecutor and author of Discretion on MURDER IN MAUI
“Flowers once again has written a page-turner legal thriller that begins with a bang and rapidly moves along to its final page.” -- Midwest Book Review on STATE’S EVIDENCE
“A model of crime fiction .... Flowers may be a new voice in modern mystery writing, but he is already one of its best voices.” -- Statesman Journal on JUSTICE SERVED
R. Barri Flowers
R. Barri Flowers is an award winning and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of romantic suspense, mystery, thriller and crime novels, with twenty Harlequin titles published to date, such as Honolulu Cold Homicide and Special Agent Witness. Chemistry and conflict between the hero and heroine, attention to detail, and incorporating the very latest advances in criminal investigations, are the cornerstones of his crime thriller fiction.
Read more from R. Barri Flowers
Greeley the Mean Goat (A Children’s Picture Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Phone Call (A Psychological Mystery Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurders in the United States: Crimes, Killers, and Victims of the Twentieth Century Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5ABC’S of Earth’s Creatures (A Children’s Picture Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Toby the Talking Tree (A Children's Picture Book) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Murder Chronicles: A Collection of Chilling True Crime Tales Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Amityville Massacre: The DeFeo Family's Nightmare (A True Crime Short) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Convinced (A Women’s Suspense Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurder at the Pencil Factory: The Killing of Mary Phagan 100 Years Later (A True Crime Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbby Appleton’s Apple Farm (A Children’s Picture Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Aboard the Titanic: A Mystery At Sea Short Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSerial Killer Couples: Bonded by Sexual Depravity, Abduction, and Murder Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Mystery of Christmas Tree Village (A Children's Picture Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mass Murder in the Sky: The Bombing of Flight 629 (Historical True Crime Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pickaxe Killers: Karla Faye Tucker & Daniel Garrett (A True Crime Short) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Missing or Murdered: The Disappearance of Agnes Tufverson (A True Crime Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDark Streets of Whitechapel: A Jack The Ripper Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTerror in East Lansing: The Tale of MSU Serial Killer Donald Miller (A True Crime Short) Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Killers of the Lonely Hearts: The Tale of Serial Killers Raymond Fernandez & Martha Beck (A True Crime Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForever Sweethearts: A Love Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNight Killers: A Crime Thriller Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsState's Evidence: A Beverly Mendoza Legal Thriller Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Murderess on the Loose: The 1922 Hammer Wrath of Clara Phillips (A Historical True Crime Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Jury Has Spoken (A Legal Thriller Short Story) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStreet Kids: The Lives of Runaway and Thrownaway Teens, Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurder in Honolulu: A Skye Delaney Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeen Haunted House Mysteries Bundle: Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay & Teen Ghost at Dead Lake Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dreadful Acts of Jack the Ripper and Other True Tales of Serial Murder and Prostitutes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Ph.D in Murder (A Cozy Mystery Short)
Related ebooks
Dead in the Rose City (A Dean Drake Mystery) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCat Playing Cupid: A Joe Grey Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cold as Ice Cream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stirring up Murder Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Fall That Kills You: Pine Lake Inn Cozy Mystery, #7 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brewing Death Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDanger Before Dahlias: Madis Harrah Mysteries, #5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurvival Can Be Deadly: A Discount Detective Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Murder for Dessert Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Coup de Glace Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Santa Shortbread Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maple Leaf Hunter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApple-achian Treasure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRhythm & Clues: Odelia Grey Mystery, #11 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Note Before Dying (Ghostwriter Mystery 6) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Double Exposure Murder Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAuntie Clem's Bakery 4-6 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCat Cross Their Graves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Sabotaged Celebration and Salmon Snaps: A Maggie May and Miss Fancypants Mystery, #5 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Words Can Kill (Ghostwriter Mystery 5) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Crooked Angel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder is Never Forgotten: Jake and Emma Mysteries, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlo and Maude Christmas Capers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiamond in the Buff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Easy Hunter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurder on Main Street: Jake and Emma Mysteries, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Toast to Murder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cupcake Diaries: Sprinkled with Kisses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsResolution For Revenge: Happy Bear Cafe Cozy Mystery Series, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Mystery For You
Hallowe'en Party: Inspiration for the 20th Century Studios Major Motion Picture A Haunting in Venice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stories of Ray Bradbury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5None of This Is True: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pale Blue Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When No One Is Watching: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Flight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunting Party: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Short Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Big Sleep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Did I Kill You?: A Thriller Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Hidden Staircase: Nancy Drew #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5False Witness: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pieces of Her: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dean Koontz: Series Reading Order - with Summaries & Checklist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Agatha Christie Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kept Woman: A Will Trent Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The People Next Door Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pharmacist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Under a Red Moon: A 1920s Bangalore Mystery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jack Reacher: A Mysterious Profile Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The River We Remember: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Devil in a Blue Dress (30th Anniversary Edition): An Easy Rawlins Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Ph.D in Murder (A Cozy Mystery Short)
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Ph.D in Murder (A Cozy Mystery Short) - R. Barri Flowers
PH.D IN MURDER
A Cozy Mystery Short
By R. Barri Flowers
Copyright 2013 by R. Barri Flowers at Smashwords. All rights reserved.
Cover Image Copyright 2013 by Bekki Schwartz
Used under license from http://www.shutterstock.com
PH.D IN MURDER is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
OTHER BOOKS BY R. BARRI FLOWERS
FICTION
Before He Kills Again (A Veronica Vasquez Thriller)
Dark Streets of Whitechapel (A Jack the Ripper Mystery)
Dead in the Rose City (A Dean Drake Mystery)
Forever Sweethearts (A Love Story)
Justice Served (A Barkley and Parker Mystery)
Killer in The Woods (A Psychological Thriller)
Murder in Honolulu (A Skye Delaney Mystery)
Murder in Maui (A Leila Kahana Mystery)
Persuasive Evidence (A Jordan La Fontaine Legal Thriller)
Seduced to Kill in Kauai (An Exotic Thriller)
State's Evidence (A Beverly Mendoza Legal Thriller)
TEEN FICTION
Christmas Wishes: Laura's Story (A Young Adult Holiday Fantasy)
Count Dracula's Teenage Daughter (A Transylvanica High Novel)
Danger in Time (A Young Adult Time Travel Mystery)
Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay (A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery)
TRUE CRIME
Mass Murder in the Sky: The Bombing of Flight 629 (historical short)
Masters of True Crime
Murder at the Pencil Factory: The Killing of Mary Phagan 100 Years Later (historical short)
Murders in the United States
Serial Killer Couples: Bonded by Sexual Depravity, Abduction, & Murder
The Pickaxe Killers: Karla Faye Tucker & Daniel Garrett (true crime short)
The Sex Slave Murders: The True Story of Serial Killers Gerald & Charlene Gallego
* * *
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ph.D in Murder
Kill and Say Goodbye – Bonus Short Story
Murder in Honolulu: A Skye Delaney Mystery – Bonus Excerpt
About the Author
PH.D IN MURDER
I think that's a marvelous idea, Madsen,
Elliot Arness said with a mouthful of blueberry pancakes.
You do?
I asked, raising a skeptical brow.
Of course. Anyone interested in the dark side of American history would find the notion intriguing.
Elliot was my current beau and a history professor at Everly University in Pearl's Village, Oregon. On the side, he wrote western novels. Like me, Elliot was happily divorced, in his early thirties, and glad to have someone he could bounce ideas off.
In this case, as a doctoral student in criminology, it was my idea to do as an independent study a reenactment of the real life, well-known, and still unsolved murder of Marilyn Sheppard. She had been found beaten to death in bed on the morning of July 4, 1954. Her husband, Dr. Samuel Sheppard, was the fall guy, first convicted of the murder; then after the conviction was overturned, acquitted in a second trial. All along, Dr. Sheppard insisted that a bushy-haired intruder
was the true culprit, though it was never proven.
I doubted I could improve much on what two TV series and a movie of the same name, The Fugitive, tried to do in pointing toward a killer and/or collaborators. But I thought it would be fun and enlightening to stage a recreation of the murder based on Sam Sheppard's perspective that someone else had gotten away with cold-blooded murder. The fact it would move me a step closer to my PhD didn't hurt matters any either.
Nor did having the support of Elliot.
Well, I sure hope my advisor agrees to it.
I don't see why he wouldn't.
Elliot dabbed a napkin at the corner of his mouth. Like most professors, Harrison loves to see students show initiative over and beyond the norm. Trust me, he'll pat you on the back for this one.
I didn't think that would be necessary, but felt a bit more confident about my meeting with Professor Harrison Tucker that afternoon.
Well, as long as he doesn't expect me to actually solve the mystery.
Elliot flashed a half smile. I doubt that. But if anyone could, it would be you, given your amazing sense of timing and intuition.
I chuckled. You give me far more credit than I deserve. Lending my two cents in solving real homicides is something the local authorities would surely have little use for. I'd rather spend my free time walking on the beach, reading, or having fun with you.
The fun with me part sounds good,
he said.
Yeah, I thought it would.
That said, the best laid plans did not always go my way or his. Fortunately, staging a cold case for credits toward my degree didn't seem like it would step on any toes.
I looked at Elliot's handsome face and gave him a sexy smile. So what are you going to do today on your day off?
Oh, I'll write a couple chapters of my latest book, jog a few miles, and hope I can return the favor of breakfast by making you dinner at my place tonight.
That's a great idea! Consider it a date.
What seemed to make things work between Elliot and me for the past six months was that we lived apart and got together when we chose to. Unlike with my ex-husband, Ray, who proved to be way too clingy for me to deal with, leading to the inevitable breakup. There were also major trust issues in our marriage.
But the prospects for a long-term relationship with Elliot seemed very promising at the moment.
* * *
I parked my Subaru Outback in the student lot and began to walk across campus on a somewhat blustery spring day.
Everly University made up the lion's share of Pearl's Village, which was located on the coast, some ninety miles or so from Portland. The campus was filled with beautiful red and white dogwood trees, numerous flowering shrubs, and Ponderosa pines. Bicycle paths bordered meandering walkways that led to buildings rich in architecture and history.
I'd grown up in Pearl's Village with parents who were professors, and I attended Everly as an undergraduate. I returned two