Review of Tenure Track

[Sam Ibeh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tenure Track" by Robert Cote.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Your first impression of Griff Thayer does not last long. A retired, laid-back individual who seems to spend most of his free time on building renovations. His niece, Erica, has other ideas about what her uncle should be doing and has taken it upon herself to digitize her uncle's archaic paper-based records. Erica's exertions unearth a long-forgotten piece of the Thayer family history — something that will change the way everyone in Quabbin, Massachusetts, looks at Griff Thayer.

Tenure Track by Robert Cote is an exciting book. It is a crime mystery waiting to be solved but with enough romantic tint to keep the reader puzzled. The storyline is very believable, and the characters sound like people we meet in our everyday lives. There are some exciting sequences during the build-up to the climax that will take the reader unawares. Using the beautiful scenery of San Francisco as the setting, Robert Cote unleashes Griff Thayer's master sleuthing skills for us to appreciate. Combining the world of high-stakes business with the drama of international money laundering leads one on a non-stop, mystery-filled classic. The drudgery of routine police procedures is interestingly romanticized in this book. The author makes an impressive effort on the mystery angle of this piece. As the book plays out, there may not be enough questions, but the main character makes up for that with his analytical methods.

If there were anything I did not particularly like about this book, it would be that the character development seemed a bit too brief. It seemed like the author was trying to summarize each characters' backstory for want of space. The book's latter stages were somewhat predictable, and the big reveal didn't feel so big at the end. It left me wanting so much more from the novel. There were not as many suspenseful scenes as I was expecting to find in a classic mystery novel. All these dampened my enthusiasm a little while reading it.

Despite the perceived flaws, this is still a delicious crime mystery. True crime buffs and mystery novel lovers will enjoy this book. Aspiring authors will learn a thing or two about creating a captivating plot. I recommend they put it on their reading list as soon as possible.

In conclusion, Tenure Track was well worth the reading pleasure. Beyond the issues, the effort that went into the storyline was worth a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. The book was also not adequately edited, as there was an avalanche of errors. Though not a Dick Tracey classic, it would hold its own in the crime mystery genre.

******
Tenure Track
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Luchris_michael]

I don't like books interlaced with romance. I like the plot of the book and I would love to read it. Thanks for your review.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like en engaging mystery, so I hope the author does proper proofreading to avoid distractions for his readers. Thank you for your great review!

[GNerd]

Romantic crime mysteries are always fun to read. It keeps readers less tensed. Great job