Local sheriff’s officer Harrison Kennedy immediately suspects foul play, despite the fact that Reggie is a middle-aged man playing golf on an afternoon so hot the management has supplied free lemonade at intervals along the course. Kennedy never considers the seven men suspects even though six of them were the only apparent people around when Reggie died.

The prime suspects and their motives are identified to the reader before the murder takes place: Dwight Austin, another golfer who had a run-in with the group on the day prior to the murder, Judy Austin, who was fired from teaching at Reggie’s school and is now the beverage girl at Marsh Ridge, and Don Dailey, the father of a disabled young woman who blames Dan Dillon (another of the eight golfers) for his daughter not getting the proper attention while attending the school where Dan is the head administrator.

Immediately after it is established that Reggie was murdered, one of the men calls Lou Searing, who is a retired school administrator turned mystery writer. Lou is at a book-signing with his friend Maggie McMillan, billed as his crime-solving partner, although no further explanation is offered about their relationship. It is mentioned that Maggie helped Lou solve a murder several years ago, but beyond that, there are no references to their friendship.

Despite the fact that Lou is a retired school administrator writing mystery novels and Maggie is a former insurance claims adjuster, neither has any apparent PI credentials, yet Kennedy seems delighted at their offer of help and almost assumes the sheriff’s department will not solve the crime without their help.

The trio put the murder investigation on hold for the week (save attending Reggie’s funeral mid-week) and reconvene at the golf course the following weekend with Lou’s wife Carol in tow to lend a helping hand. As the four begin their investigation (with rather tenuous methods at times) they realize the plot may be more evil than they first thought. Fortunately, the mystery is solved before Sunday night and the quartet return to their lives to await their next case.

The premise of Administration Can Be Murder is a good one, and the plot has plenty of twists and turns. There are several things that are not quite believable, however (such as the willingness of Kennedy to work with civilians). A multitude of characters, many similar in name, none of whom are explored in depth, make for several confusing scenes. In addition, the book is plagued with grammatical and punctuation errors that are distracting from a pleasant cozy. In its favor, Administration Can Be Murder’s lack of the usual gratuitous swearing and violence is a refreshing change and a disabled main character offers a fresh look at many things normally taken for granted.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry