I love campus cozies and always wonder why there aren’t more of them. After all, academia, with its singular personalities and petty grudges, is a perfect setting for murder. Fortunately, Dead of Winter Break comes at the perfect time, just as the winter holidays are upon us. Reading Dead of Winter Break reminded me why I love this series so much.
Cassandra Sato is a relatable protagonist, a transplant from sunny Hawaii to a considerably-less-balmy hamlet in Nebraska. As Dead of Winter Break opens, Cassandra finds that her retired boss has unexpectedly un-retired and returned from the tropics to Morton College, just in time for a Midwest winter. And that’s not the only surprise in store!
The characters are well-drawn, and the plot twists drew me in and kept me engaged. But where this series really shines is in the telling details. Sitting through a sweltering commencement ceremony in heavy academic regalia, tugging at the front of the hood so it doesn’t strangle you; smiling through gritted teeth at a backhanded compliment from your boss’s boss’s boss; confronting the reality of a Nebraska winter (not so much like the cover of a Land’s End catalog after all, it turns out). Author Kelly Brakenhoff is an American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter, and Cassandra’s administrative role at Morton College includes ensuring services for Deaf students. In addition to a behind-the-scenes tour of a real (or at least extremely realistic) college, Dead of Winter Break gives the reader an enlightening glimpse into Deaf Culture.
I highly recommend Dead of Winter Break for mystery lovers, but if this is your first foray into Cassandra Sato’s world, start with Death by Dissertation, #1 in the series.
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