I really enjoyed this installment of the series. There's always a risk when you set a mystery series in a smaller town. The author constantly has to bring new characters into the small setting and sometimes it can feel very artificial - sort of like the Ensign Smith of Star Trek - you know whenever a minor character is introduced he's going to be gone fairly soon. The small town college setting has allowed Dobson to bring in new characters in a believable manner - this time it's for a Women's Studies crime fiction seminar. Familiar characters do return, though they don't have roles as big as in previous books.

I liked how Dobson skipped ahead to Karen & Charlie already being in the relationship. I get tired of the will they or won't they dance so many book series and TV shows perform. I never would do that in real life, why should I expect the characters I care about to do the same? Despite the existing relationship, there still is some tension between the two, and I think it's realistic and well done. I LOVE how Charlie made up to Karen after they had had a fight!

There are missing books, a suspicious death and a man from Karen's past. I had many theories about how all of these were going to be resolved, and I was pleasantly surprised when I was mostly wrong. I don't know if Dobson needed a new publisher, but I'm glad that Poisoned Pen Press is continuing to publish this fine author.

Karen Pelletier is on the tenure track at Enfield College. She is assigned to escort a famous novelist during a seminar on campus. Sunnye is a writer of novels featuring a female private investigator and Karen has been a fan of her work for years. At the same time, valuable manuscripts and books are missing from the college library. A childhood friend is hired to look into the missing books. When a man is found dead in the library, Karen's significant other, homicide detective Charlie Piotrowski further complicates matters.

I have long been a fan of this series and couldn't wait for this one to be published. I read it in one sitting on the day it arrived. The main character in the series is a college English professor, yet she seems very real and down to earth. The film noir theme of the book is very well done and keeps sneaking in when you least expect it. This novel was and incredibly quick and entertaining read.

While being interviewed by a NYT reporter Dr. Karen Pelletier states her opinion that the best book of the 20th century was an obscure book from the fifties, called Oblivion Falls. It was based on a true scandal in a college town. The author disappeared a few years later never to be heard from again. After the interview, sales of the book skyrocketed, and the reporter searched for Mildred Deakens, the author. He found her and ended up dead in her driveway. Millie was arrested, but claims to be innocent. Letters from her to Karen have been stolen, and there are rumors about her and a visiting writer.

This is a very good addition to the series. All of the characters from the previous novels have been developed more fully and so has Karen's relationship with Lt. Piotrowski. I really loved this one and finished it in one sitting.

Have you read Peyton Place? If so, you will particularly enjoy
Dobson's take on the (by today's standards) mild expose of
small-town sex and scandal and Professor Karen Pelletier's involvement
in the book's resurrection (and its author's incarceration).

If the
series were only concerned with Pelletier's sleuthing skills, I never
would have made it through the first (let alone the fourth)
book. Dobson's real talent is in presenting a genuinely likeable
character who has a great job, fun friends, and intriguing
possibilities for her personal life. Karen Pelletier is such a
compelling character that the reader forgives the occasional bit of
sloppy writing and the contrived plot devices that pepper the
series.

The Karen Pelletier mysteries are as addictive as
movie-theater popcorn. If you like them, try the Kate Fansler
mysteries by Amanda Cross (which set the standard for this genre),
Veronica Stallwood's Kate Ivory novels, and Edith Skom's Beth Austin
novels. I've recently discovered but not yet had the time to read two
other authors in this genre: Carole Bugge and J.S. Borthwick.

College Professor Karen Pelletier sets off a whirlwind when she nominates Obsession Falls, a 1950s sex novel, as book of the century. Before the excitement dies, a reporter tracking down the author is killed and the author accused. Karen doesn't believe the evidence and investigates. Could the mostly forgotten (until Karen reminds the world of its existance) semi-autobiographical novel bare secrets someone didn't want exposed?

Author Joanne Dobson does an excellent job describing Karen's working environment: the strange relationship between faculty and departmental secretary, and the infighting and semi-friendships amongst professors jealous of one another's success. More importantly, she gives Karen a history--broken loves, a family to whom she cannot go back, a daughter now grown and moving out on her own, and all of the little fears that make a person fully human. Once she makes us love Karen, Dobson throws her into danger. How can we help our response? (Answer, we can't--just sit back and enjoy it).

You may guess the killer fairly early but you'll want to stay with the novel to make sure Karen survives and to see how she uncovers the truth.

Highly recommended.

The mix of academic world and mystery--with high-brow elements and down-to-earth humor--in her Karen Pelletier stories should be compelling more readers toward Joanne Dobson. I discovered these mysteries after searching for something with a central female character and experiencing great disappointment from some other, better-selling authors. This is one of Dobson's best!

I enjoyed reading this book. The author captured the world of a liberal arts college, especially the non-academic aspects of this very inward looking environment. For me , the characters and their interactions were more interesting than the mystery plot. Joanne Dobson very effectively captured the pain some students go through with her character Sophie Warzek. This is a book I had to finish reading.

For the past semester, Emily Dickinson scholar, Karen Pelletier has fended off the unwanted advances of her Enfield College colleague, Randy Astin-Berger. At the faculty Christmas party, Randy gets drunk. When a bored Karen goes to get her coat out of a closet, she is shocked as a dead Randy fall into her arms.

The police rule Karen out as a suspect and enlist her help in investigating the case which takes place in the hallowed halls of academia. Soon, a second corpse, a student, is found strangled to death. Karen wonders what is the connection between the two murdered individuals. She soon realizes that the link is Randy's research which he discussed with the deceased student. As Karen investigates the two murderers, she gets closer to uncovering the truth, but also places herself in mortal danger from a killer who wants to prevent Randy's research from being published.

QUIETER THAN SLEEP is an interesting mixing of English literature with a first rate mystery, leading to an intelligent who-done-it. Campus intrigue adds bits of wit to the drama, leaving readers wanting more novels starring Karen Pelletier. Joanne Dobson scores big time with her debut novel.

Harriet Klausner

Readers who appreciate an intricate mystery plot will enjoy Dobson immensely. This book has it all--a tightly-woven, haiku of a mystery; interesting, well-developed characters who act in synchronization with their motives (and whose motives stem from their personalities); and an intimate and realistic exploration of the specialized world of academia.

It's a shame how few mystery writers manage to hit all three targets, but Dobson shows herself to be a master (that she keeps this up through the next two books is nothing short of amazing). Dobson's specialty (in my opinion) is the integration of subplots and side stories with the main mystery. Everything happens for a reason, and the reason always has to do with the mystery (not just to throw the reader off-track).

I'm looking forward to the fourth book in the series this winter.

The Northbury Papers is a good old fashioned mystery. It will not cause your heart to beat faster, but is quite a nice read. I especially enjoyed how she let you in on the not so nice agendas of all the characters. Life is complicated, and she weaves this aspect nicely into her who-dun-it.

Read it through in one sitting--very diverting with interesting characters and you even feel as if you're learning about American literature and academia along the way. My only quarrel is some of the dialog--especially the male characters is a little flat or even occasionally unrealistic. Overall though very good and I plan to buy her next one in hardcover.

Dr. Karen Pelletier is fascinated by the work of Serena Northbury. She was a popular fiction novelist of the 1800's. Other literature professors and students call her stories trash, but Karen feels that she has captured life. A find in an old bookstore leads to her meeting Northbury's great granddaughter, Dr. Edith Hart. Dr. Hart is very frail from age and diabetes, but still a very forceful personality. She answers some of the questions Karen has for her, and promises more info later. Karen is given permission to look through some of her personal papers and finds what looks to be an unpublished manuscript. Not too long after, Dr. Hart is murdered and the manuscript disappears. Dr. Hart has left a strange will, she left 10 million and the mansion to Enfield College with the condition that Karen run the new Northbury Center for Women's Literature. This makes many very unhappy, was one of them the murderer?

This was a very quick moving novel. I liked the characters, for the most part, they were real people, not dry academics, like many of this genre. Karen is not your typical English professor. The author is very good at intertwining the various plots. Very good mystery.

After reading this book, the only thought that came to my mind was that the heroine was just lucky to get through all the hurdles without even a scratch.

Too fantastic to digest. But then aren't all such books are.

I just couldn't understand few things, how Capitola managed to get out of every difficulty without problem, and how, all the smart villians, become dumb and do the stupidest act while she is there (whether they know it or not) and things are always in favour of our great heroine?

Capitola is a true heroin! Once you buy this book you'll never be able to put it down. Capitola is a lovable character and Ms. E.D.E.N Southworth, did a marvelous job at selecting each of her characters including Captain Hurricane, Black Donald (the criminal) Capitola is a remarkabl eyoung girl and you'll definately laugh and cry with her through out the book! I recommend this book to all who have read such novels as Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen! You'll LOVE this book!

I just loved this book. I started out reading it for a class, but the class was cancelled. I finished it anyway, and I think everyone should read this book. Capitola is sassy and brave and daring and smart.Everything a heroine should be!!

Dobson has written a great book here. Her style is very readable and very likeable. Troublesome aspects for me seem to be exactly what others are praising; it seems that the only thing English professors talk about is literature and literary theory in this novel, and they are constantly vying for power and/or fame. Granted, literature specialists have their own specialties and theories, but I doubt there would be a lot of shouting matches over feminism vs. Puritanism in a department meeting. It's also somewhat odd that little Enfeld College deals with so many murders, break-ins, and so forth. Additionally, if you have any respect for Edgar Allan Poe, I suggest you stay away. Although Dobson's afterword makes note that her claims are purely fictitious, it's hard to read a book that accuses my favorite author of plagiarizing his most famous poem and committing murder to get away with it. Still, it was a likeable book and was very refreshing compared to other books I've read recently.

Karen is an assistant professor of English in a small but prestigious New England college. Her colleague is a pompous blowhard with more of a reputation than he deserves, an ever-growing ego, and a lust for a prestigious position in the department, the Palaver Chair. Karen has other problems. Her daughter Amanda is trying to find out her roots. Her exboyfriend has gotten married, and she is in charge of a soon to be very important book collection. A box has arrived containing the writings and other materials of a poet Emmeline Foster, rumored to have killed herself over Edgar Allan Poe. A small volume of poetry disappears followed by the poet's journals. Then, her colleague Elliot ends up dead and the homicide detective wants her help. In her spare time maybe!

I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were interesting and the mystery was difficult to solve. I sort of knew who did it, but the author's red herrings made me doubt my conclusions. I am going to look up the rest of this series.

This was the first book in Joanne Dobson's series that I had read and it did not disappoint at all. I did not feel as though I were thrown in the middle of a series nor did I feel as though Joanne had to repeat everything for her first time readers - her writing skills are deft and strong as are her characters.

I love bibliomysteries and there is nothing better than one that focuses on EA Poe! The plot was very interesting, Karen Pelletier, an English professor at a small college in Mass. with a knack for solving literary crimes, is in the midst of a tough semester. She is battling the nasty weather, whiny students and other professors who would like to take over a large grant that she was bequeathed for a new study center when she receives a box filled with papers on an important and yet mostly forgotten poet, Emmeline Foster, who had an important link to Poe.

When some of the papers go missing and one of the college's most disliked professors is murdered - Karen is called in to help. Emmeline Foster's death in the 1840's was never really put to rest and Joanne manages to weave both deaths into an interesting and intriguing tale. Can Karen solve a murder, find the lost papers, find a missing student and still enjoy the holiday break?

I most enjoyed Karen's relationship with Lt. Piotrowski, a Detective that she has crossed paths with in Dobson's past two novels. I can't wait to see what develops between them. All in all, I was engrossed in the plot and could not put this book down. The story had me so fascinated - I could not wait to start researching Emmeline Foster and her work - but was amazed to discover that she was a fictitious character - that is how well written this book is.