I read this because I'm going to see the author speak at a panel discussion tomorrow (Doing Time with Sisters in Crime at the Deerfield Public Library). Set at the prestigious (hoity-toity) Rothbert University just north of Chicago, this crime novel follows Professor Amelia Emmett's first semester back at work after being shot in a bizarre attack outside her office, after which the gunman killed himself. The chapters are narrated alternately by Emmett and her graduate assistant Nath (pronounced Nayth. Sidebar: I found this pronunciation extremely distracting, as, in my head, I would rhyme his name with "math" and then mentally have to correct myself. Every. Time.) 
 Amelia's and Nath's characters were very well developed, and they each had their own distinct voices. The descriptions of Amelia's residual physical pain and disability were excellent, as was her mental anguish. Plot-wise, this could have been a little tighter. The author tried to throw a few too many issues into the mix and it didn't quite gel for me. Overall, though, this was pretty good for a first novel, and I look forward to more from this author in the future.