Death by Degrees — Robin Scott Wilson

At the end of the Cold War, the CIA downsized and Peter Haas was suddenly left in the cold.
Fortunately, his old mentor Harold Piggott was now President Piggott of Monterey University, and Piggy needed a troubleshooter on his staff - but neither he nor Peter ever expected that murder would be among those troubles that needed shooting.
It certainly seems, however, that murder was the chief cause of Albert Steener's demise, even though there doesn't appear to be one possible motive for this campus casualty.
Swimming with red herrings and double entendres, Death by Degrees marks the first case in the promising career of an unusual and engaging detective.