Death by Committee

A Susan Lombardi Mystery, Book 2

By: Carole B. Shmurak

Narrated by: Barbara Benjamin-Creel

Faculty squabbling at a large state university turns deadly when Professor of Education Susan Lombardi joins a committee to make a tenure decision about Abby Gillette, a controversial faculty member. After one colleague is hospitalized following a suspicious fire and another is found dead in Abby's office, Susan must try to figure out who is doing what to whom...without becoming the next victim. At the same time, she must deal with her husband's highly dysfunctional family and help a friend handle a questionable romance.

©2006, 2011 Carole B. Shmurak (P)2014 Carole B. Shmurak

Good Cozy Mystery Set in University Setting

Any additional comments?

Death by Committee is another good cozy mystery written by Carole B. Shmurak. Like the first book, the story centers on Susan Lombardi who is an education professor at a Connecticut university. Shortly after earning tenure, she is asked to join a committee to make a decision about whether to grant tenure to a controversial faculty member. Shortly thereafter one member of the tenure committee is killed and another one is severely injured in a suspicious fire. The same supporting cast of characters is back, including Susan’s husband, her best friend, and her former PI student. With their help, Susan solves the murder and arson fire quicker than the police.

Unlike other books in a typical series, I don’t believe you must read the first book in the series, Deadmistress, prior to reading this one to appreciate the plot and main characters. Sufficient background is given to fully understand the various characters and enjoy the ride. Think of this book as pure brain candy.

Barbara Benjamin-Creel ‘s narration was great. She maintained consistent voices from the first book, differentiating the various characters. She also exhibited the right amount of “spunk” and cheekiness needed in a cozy mystery. I’d listen to another one of her narrations any time.

Quick entertaining and to the point

This is a very quick and entertaining book. This book is very focused and stays on point. There are no pointless plot twists The story is very focused and entertaining. I wish the rest of the series was available.

Narration truly brought characters to life

If you could sum up Death by Committee in three words, what would they be?

Twisty and great characters

What did you like best about this story?

The storyline

What about Barbara Benjamin-Creel’s performance did you like?

She truly brings the characters to life in your ears

Exciting MysteryThriller About Campus Politics

I really enjoyed listening to Death by Committee. It was fun and easy to listen to. The story revolves around the main character of Susan Lombardi who after seven years received tenure at Metropolitan University where she is asked to become a member of the department evaluating committee. There are many fun and interesting characters in the story including Abby who currently has tenure and in the end remains in tenure. Everyone on the committee including and especially Nannette wants Abby out and will stop at nothing to rid her of the position. There is much political squabbling and deception taking place and also a group of radical students who decide to go on a hunger strike. I like how the book begins with Susan having a sign taped on the front of her computer saying "Tenured means never having to say yes, I'll serve on that committee". Another fun character in this story is her best friend Elaine and her boyfriend Jon Henninger who is an author but Elaine is unable to find any of the books he's written and suspects he writes under a pen name so she has him investigated by a detective friend of Susans named Mark Golden or Private Dick as she sometimes refers to him. What he learns is interesting. And Swash, Susan's husband whose Aunt Rose has died reunites with his family. They are jealous of his past inheritance and are always bickering back and forth but then decide it's time to get together and become closer as a family. This book was just overall a fun listen. I had no idea throughout how this story was going to end. Great job by the author Carole B. Shmurak. Also I can't even begin to say what a terrific job Barbara Benjamin-Creel did with the character's voices. She has fantastic voice characterization and I loved her accents. She also kept the story at a perfect pace. I look forward to listening to more from both her and the author. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great mystery thriller.
I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review.

Book 2

Any additional comments?

Professor Susan Lombardi promised that she wouldn't be on any more committee at the college. Unfortunately she gets asked to be on the committee to decide tenure for Abby Gillette. Abby is a very controversial teacher. Susan's will be the deciding vote. This is a good follow up book. I'm glad the narrator is the same as with book1. She clearly portray the different characters.

Great second book in the series

Another great quick mystery in the series. I really enjoy the characters and the steady flow of the story.

Susan is once again in the middle of things and can not help her curiosity! I love her hubby Swash, he is one of my favorite supporting characters.

The mystery this time wasn't to complex, definitely solvable if you are on the ball. There are also a few extra things going on in the lives of the supporting characters.

This is a clean mystery and gore free. It moves along at a great pace and keeps your attention throughout. It is a really quick read, filled with plenty of intrigue. I am just a bit disappointed that there are many loose threads at the end. Perhaps they will flow into the next book, but they are troubling. I hate having questions left unanswered.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Barbara Benjamin-Creel. She does a great job with the movement and flow of the story. She has a fabulous pace that goes along with the action of the story. I enjoyed her energy and consistent voices. Her men are just enough to be clear that it is a man talking but not so far that it is a caricature. She is a great choice for cozy mysteries!

I can not wait for the next book in the series and hope that it will be a touch longer!

A Fun Read

Any additional comments?

I listened to the audio version while on the train. I had no idea throughout how this story was going to end. The superb vocal nuances of Ms. Benjamin-Creel really brought life to the story Anyone who loves academic mysteries will find this a delightful read and will want to pick up the others in the series. Looking forward to the next book in this series by Carole Shmurak.

When Tenure Turns Deadly

Would you consider the audio edition of Death by Committee to be better than the print version?

Both the print and audio versions are good, but there's a special enjoyment to hearing the characters speak, especially when the book is as well read as this one.

What does Barbara Benjamin-Creel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Barbara Benjamin-Creel makes the characters come alive and adds intonations I would have missed in the print version.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me shudder at the politics and smile when Swash's family situation was resolved,

Any additional comments?

Fun mystery - excellent audiobook. Carole Shmurak takes us inside the university tenure approval process and shows us that politics reign even in the halls of academe. When members of the tenure committee become victims, Susan Lombardi has to figure out who and why, or risk seeing more deaths. Ancillary to the tenure mystery is an emotional conflict in the family of Susan's husband, Swash, that also needs resolution. By the end of this very satisfying, short novel, you will have insight into the lessons - and dangers - of the past. Enjoy!

A cozy little mystery ...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would highly recommend this book to my friends who are looking for a short but satisfying mystery. At just over 4 hours, you could listen to this book in a day. It would be perfect for those longer car rides or days where you are just stuck in the car doing errands.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Death by Committee?

One of my favorite moments of Death by Committee was where we find out the connection between the killer and their intended victim. While it didn't come out of left field, I was surprised by it.

Any additional comments?

Death by Committee is book 2 in the Susan Lombardi mystery series. It takes place at the university where Susan is a professor. As a young and controversial professor comes up for tenure, members of the Department Evaluation Committee are targeted by someone who wants to make sure the professor doesn't get tenure. Susan once again investigates the situation and helps to solve the mystery. A nice secondary plot with her friend Elaine, also mentioned in book 1, rounds out the story.

Over all, a nice cozy mystery.

Exactly What I Expected

if you need a break from books about dysfunctional families, etc., this is just a simple light hearted mystery that you can read and not think about too much. These books are really valuable to me, because I need some brain drain time and love the cozy mysteries as the remedy. I can't give it a higher rating because it is not the caliber of writing or depth of story to get more. I still recommend it.