clesbookcorner's review against another edition
5.0
5star+ One of my favorite books of all time. The more I think about it the more i love it. Literally in love with Sophie Knowles. BEST protagonist to ever walk the earth.
Yes. It has a tendency to go off on tangents and the plot isn't anything mind-blowing. So what? IT's A MATH BASED COZY MURDER MYSTERY. I LOVED IT. Come on! There was no way I couldn't give this 5 stars. I love Sophie Knowles, I also loved the references to real life mathematicians--especially Emmy Noether! Such a gem. I will be reading more from this author. She might be my new favorite author of all time.
Ordering the rest of Professor Sophie Knowles right now.
Yes. It has a tendency to go off on tangents and the plot isn't anything mind-blowing. So what? IT's A MATH BASED COZY MURDER MYSTERY. I LOVED IT. Come on! There was no way I couldn't give this 5 stars. I love Sophie Knowles, I also loved the references to real life mathematicians--especially Emmy Noether! Such a gem. I will be reading more from this author. She might be my new favorite author of all time.
Ordering the rest of Professor Sophie Knowles right now.
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
5.0
Math professor Sophie Knowles is teaching summer school on the small campus of Henley College in Massachusetts. While on the job, Sophie uses math games and activities to help students better understand math. A true devotee of mathematics, Sophie’s idea of relaxing is devising puzzles and brainteasers for publication.
Sophie’s assistant Rachel is trying to get accepted to medical school, but doesn’t stand a chance without a recommendation from her advisor. Unfortunately, Rachel’s advisor is the unpopular professor Dr. Keith Appleton who has said he will not give her the needed recommendation. Rachel is understandably furious, but while she isn’t the only person that has issues with the professor, circumstances put her at the top of the suspect list when Dr. Appleton is murdered. Sophie is convinced Rachel is innocent and is determined to solve the murder based on facts and logic, the way she would one of her math problems.
"The Square Root of Murder" is a well-written mystery with an interesting setting and appealing characters. I enjoyed getting a glimpse at life as a professor, both the good (getting the chance to help young people succeed in college) and the bad (academic politics). Sophie is a unique and engaging main character. She is extremely intelligent, caring, and compassionate, even when in the course of the investigation she learns sensitive secrets about another character that hasn’t always treated her fairly.
The primary supporting characters are also likeable. Sophie’s best friend Ariana Volens owns a bead shop and is all about intuition and more mystical things like reading a person’s aura in contrast to Sophie’s practical, logical way of dealing with things. Ariana is constantly trying to get Sophie to loosen up and enjoy things like beading and meeting new people, when Sophie would be satisfied staying home and working on a puzzle. However, Ariana’s encouragements are obviously done out of caring and she’s not pushy or bossy. Their personalities complement each other, and the two friends make a good pair.
Sophie’s boyfriend Bruce Granville is a medevac helicopter pilot and is likeable, but somewhat of an unknown. While I don’t feel I really get to know this character, what I see is that he is a brave, kind person who truly cares about Sophie. If he remains involved with Sophie in future books, his character will need to be further developed in order to make the series even better.
I love the way "The Square Root of Murder" is constructed. Nothing is random in this cleverly plotted book. Different aspects of the characters and events that occur throughout the book are all important pieces of the puzzle which come together in the satisfying conclusion. While the summer session comes to a close at the end of the book, I am looking forward to another “term” with Professor Knowles in the classroom and on another case!
The author’s new series will appeal to fans of the academic mysteries written by Amanda Cross or Maggie Barbieri. Ava Madison is a pen name for author Camille Minichino. The entertaining and intelligent writing style will appeal to those enjoy Minichino’s physics related mysteries or the cozies written under her other pen name, Margaret Grace.
This review was originally written for the "Season for Romance" E-Zine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Sophie’s assistant Rachel is trying to get accepted to medical school, but doesn’t stand a chance without a recommendation from her advisor. Unfortunately, Rachel’s advisor is the unpopular professor Dr. Keith Appleton who has said he will not give her the needed recommendation. Rachel is understandably furious, but while she isn’t the only person that has issues with the professor, circumstances put her at the top of the suspect list when Dr. Appleton is murdered. Sophie is convinced Rachel is innocent and is determined to solve the murder based on facts and logic, the way she would one of her math problems.
"The Square Root of Murder" is a well-written mystery with an interesting setting and appealing characters. I enjoyed getting a glimpse at life as a professor, both the good (getting the chance to help young people succeed in college) and the bad (academic politics). Sophie is a unique and engaging main character. She is extremely intelligent, caring, and compassionate, even when in the course of the investigation she learns sensitive secrets about another character that hasn’t always treated her fairly.
The primary supporting characters are also likeable. Sophie’s best friend Ariana Volens owns a bead shop and is all about intuition and more mystical things like reading a person’s aura in contrast to Sophie’s practical, logical way of dealing with things. Ariana is constantly trying to get Sophie to loosen up and enjoy things like beading and meeting new people, when Sophie would be satisfied staying home and working on a puzzle. However, Ariana’s encouragements are obviously done out of caring and she’s not pushy or bossy. Their personalities complement each other, and the two friends make a good pair.
Sophie’s boyfriend Bruce Granville is a medevac helicopter pilot and is likeable, but somewhat of an unknown. While I don’t feel I really get to know this character, what I see is that he is a brave, kind person who truly cares about Sophie. If he remains involved with Sophie in future books, his character will need to be further developed in order to make the series even better.
I love the way "The Square Root of Murder" is constructed. Nothing is random in this cleverly plotted book. Different aspects of the characters and events that occur throughout the book are all important pieces of the puzzle which come together in the satisfying conclusion. While the summer session comes to a close at the end of the book, I am looking forward to another “term” with Professor Knowles in the classroom and on another case!
The author’s new series will appeal to fans of the academic mysteries written by Amanda Cross or Maggie Barbieri. Ava Madison is a pen name for author Camille Minichino. The entertaining and intelligent writing style will appeal to those enjoy Minichino’s physics related mysteries or the cozies written under her other pen name, Margaret Grace.
This review was originally written for the "Season for Romance" E-Zine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
pagesplotsandpints's review against another edition
4.0
It was a pretty standard cozy mystery. I enjoyed the book, but I suppose the mystery behind the murder could have gone a little deeper. I actually think the reason I'm disappointed was because it said on the cover that there were puzzles included but they were all indexed in the end. I was hoping they'd be smack in the story and I could solve them as the book went along. Pretty silly, but it was what I was hoping for!
deanie's review against another edition
4.0
When a hated colleague is murdered and her own assistant implicated, math professor Dr. Sophie Knowles uses her puzzle solving skills to help the police solve the crime.
I'm surprised by a lot of the low ratings given to this book. I though it was a fun, clever mystery. I don't know a lot about small, Massachusetts liberal arts colleges, but it doesn't seem too far off base to me. I know a lot of math-and-science focused people who are like Sophie. While not everything flows smoothly (like the false confession and sudden reveal of the killer), it's still a good start to series I can't wait to read more of.
I'm surprised by a lot of the low ratings given to this book. I though it was a fun, clever mystery. I don't know a lot about small, Massachusetts liberal arts colleges, but it doesn't seem too far off base to me. I know a lot of math-and-science focused people who are like Sophie. While not everything flows smoothly (like the false confession and sudden reveal of the killer), it's still a good start to series I can't wait to read more of.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
It always feels like damning with faint praise when I say I like a book more than I expected to, but...well, I liked this more than I expected to, especially after putting it down after the first couple chapters and picking it up again weeks later. The university environment felt inauthentic, more like the author was dropping the appropriate lingo rather than actually understanding academia and higher level mathematics, and that really turned me off in the beginning. But I liked that the police were competent, I liked that the protagonist was in a functional and believable relationship before the start of the story, and I liked that she felt kind of like a shitheel for manipulating her friends and withholding evidence from the police because she was trying to run her own investigation.
It made sense for this one novel, because she was defending her friend and because it was said repeatedly that the crime was such a rare occurrence, but I'm not sure how it's going to spin into a series. I think I might leave this one at the one.
It made sense for this one novel, because she was defending her friend and because it was said repeatedly that the crime was such a rare occurrence, but I'm not sure how it's going to spin into a series. I think I might leave this one at the one.
emmylou5's review against another edition
2.0
Almost a three. It's not bad, didn't connect with me I guess.
infairveronaa's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't see the who-dun-it coming so that was interesting I suppose but I couldn't really get into the whole math professor involvement. I mean I get it, solving a crime is like a brain teaser yea but it just didn't seem very realistic to me especially the amount of information Virgil shared and how involved he let Sophie get. Also, though I know it can take the smallest thing to reason to murder someone, as long as it makes sense to the killer its reason enough, blah blah blah...I still thought the motive was pretty slim and far reaching. Who Keith was as a person was also a whole conundrum that I couldn't really get behind.