A Studied Death — Betsy Struthers

No wonder the university administration is worried: a fatal hit and run in the parking lot; a woman jogger drowned in the river. Accidents? Perhaps. But the latest campus death is no accident -- and suicides don't stab themselves several times and then cover themselves up with a raincoat.

Despite warnings from her husband and the police, Rosalie Cairnes feels only she can untangle the threads that will lead to the motive and the murderer. And as she nears the truth, her own life is increasingly in danger.

Child abuse, the crossfire of radicals and reactionaries on campus, and violence towards women are just some of the ingredients in this fast-paced, tightly plotted and beautifully written novel.