"Lila Maclean is one of my new favorite detectives. She's smart, she works hard, and she just solves a crime when it's needed." - When Professor Lila Maclean is sent to interview celebrated author and notorious cad Damon Von Tussel, he disappears before her very eyes. The English department is thrown into chaos by the news, as Damon is supposed to headline Stonedale University's upcoming Arts Week. The chancellor makes it clear that he expects Lila to locate the writer and set events back on track immediately. But someone appears to have a different plan: strange warnings are received, valuable items go missing, and a series of dangerous incidents threaten the lives of Stonedale's guests. After her beloved mother, who happens to be Damon's ex, rushes onto campus and into harm's way, Lila has even more reason to bring the culprit to light before anything--or anyone--else vanishes. "Cynthia Kuhn is phenomenal at conveying the tension-filled atmosphere that inundates higher institutions, where one's fate rests entirely on a few out-of-touch, pompous faculty members." - "The best cozy debut I've read this year. An engaging heroine, a college setting that will have you aching to go back to school, and a puzzler of a mystery make this a must-read for cozy lovers." - Laura DiSilverio, National Bestselling Author of the Readaholics Book Club Mysteries (on ) "A very intricate, cool story featuring the depth of an institution where everyone is dying to climb the ladder of success." - Related subjects include: women sleuths, cozy mysteries, amateur sleuth books, murder mysteries, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), academic mysteries, book club recommendations. THE SEMESTER OF OUR DISCONTENT (#1) : Cynthia Kuhn writes the Lila Maclean Academic Mystery Series. Her work has appeared in and other publications. She teaches English at Metropolitan State University of Denver and serves as president of Sisters in Crime-Colorado. For more information, please visit cynthiakuhn.net.