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Liked It “As a bit of a math/science nerd myself it was fun to see one as the heroine/sleuth in this series premiere. So far I like the characters and enjoyed that for once the main character was not divorced or widowed, but in a happy and seemingly healthy relationship with her ducks in a row. The absence...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Perhaps judging this against such classics as the Kate Fansler mystery series is wrong, but I found Square Root of Murder disappointing. First of all, it seemed as if the author couldn't decide whether to make this a crafting cozy or an academic mystery. Secondly, the character of Sophie's...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“As far as cozy mysteries go, this was pretty good. It is the first in the new Sophie Knowles Mystery Series. As a middle school math teacher myself the title of this book drew me in. I had to find a book with "Something you learned in school" in the title for a challenge I was trying to complete. This fit the bill. A lot of cozy mystery stories create situations that make the local law inforcement look like the Keystone Cops. I was relieved that the author of this series does not do this. The story takes place in the small east coast college town of Henley. There are a variety of character types, those involved in academia -students from all backgrounds as well as professors, a new-agish best friend, a flight pilot boyfriend (whose best friend is a police investigator) and the police themselves. In this story Sophie finds herself intwined in the mystery of the death of a fellow professor and the belief that her teaching assistant, accused of the murder, is innocent. Ms. Madison has developed enough in her characters to continue the series and endear the reader to Sophie Knowles enough to want to get to know her a little more. The murder was well thought out, though I did figure out the identity of the murderer - but not until over halfway through the book.
Teresa G wrote this review Sunday, January 27, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I did have a little pet peeve about this book that bothered me at the beginning of each chapter. The main character is a professor of mathematics at a university, the title is surely meant to engage those of us with mathematical minds. Why then does the author blatantly use wrong math in her chapter headings? I realize either the author or her editor thought it would be clever to head each chapter with a radical sign; for example, instead of Chapter 1, it reads Chapter √ 1. At This I was amused....until I reached Chapter 2. Expecting the chapter heading to read Chapter √ 4 (which equals 2) it read Chapter √ 2, which is approx. 1.41. Each chapter heading bore the ordinal number with the radical (1,2,3,...) instead of the correct square roots. I realize it is ridiculous to let this bother me, but it did. Yes, I am that OCD. My husband just rolled his eyes when I mentioned this, but my daughter completely understood.
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“Didn't love it, didn't hate it. It was sort of middle of the road, not particularly interesting characters.”
danae wrote this review Thursday, December 13, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“As a bit of a math/science nerd myself it was fun to see one as the heroine/sleuth in this series premiere. So far I like the characters and enjoyed that for once the main character was not divorced or widowed, but in a happy and seemingly healthy relationship with her ducks in a row. The absence of whining about dealing with exes and struggling finances made for much better escapism, IMHO.
fibernut wrote this review Tuesday, November 20, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
It is the first in the series so I'm not shouting from the rooftops that this is the best cozy mystery series ever, but I'll definitely be continuing the series if they maintain this standard.”
“The blurb made it sounds as if beading would be an important activity in this novel. No such luck.”
Elizabeth F wrote this review Wednesday, June 27, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Mildly entertaining.”
Michelle M wrote this review Monday, April 9, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Perhaps judging this against such classics as the Kate Fansler mystery series is wrong, but I found Square Root of Murder disappointing. First of all, it seemed as if the author couldn't decide whether to make this a crafting cozy or an academic mystery. Secondly, the character of Sophie's helicopter pilot boyfriend seems to owe a lot to the Sharon McCone mysteries. Thirdly, there seemed to be a rather dull denouement, even for a semicozy. Finally, the promised puzzles and brainteasers are ancient.
Judith A wrote this review Sunday, January 29, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The series has potential. Madison gets the academic details right. Sophie's a likable protagonist. And, the writing style is light and relaxing. There's just not enough there there.”
“Good debut novel in a new cozy mystery series: Professor Sophie Knowles Mystery. The characters are well defined and fun. Obviously there are several mentions of math and statistics within the story. A chemistry professor is murdered in his office and Sophie is trying to discover the killer. Fun Read!!”
ITZME wrote this review Wednesday, December 7, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Great new entre into the cozy mystery genre.”
Deb R wrote this review Saturday, October 22, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Pretty average, not bad, not great. Too much inner dialogue from primary character that really doesn't move the story line forward.”
Cynthia Smith wrote this review Monday, October 10, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
