While Nikki realizes she doesn’t know much about her mentor’s private life she is surprised to meet his less than supportive wife and a radical son who speaks out against almost everything his father is fighting for.

Princeton is about to break ground on a new Afro-Am building, but on the night the department honors Stokes for his achievements, the building burns down and Stokes’ body is found among the rubble. At first, the police think Stokes may have been caught in the fire he set, but soon Nikki learns that Stokes was writing a new book that was to be less than complimentary toward Princeton.

Nikki doubts that the book is motive enough for murder and she is certain that Stokes didn’t set the fire himself. As she begins to look into Stokes’ private life she finds his widow may have had good reason not to support her husband’s endeavors which include many dalliances, and perhaps illegitimate children. Nikki also uncovers connections to a family with long-steeped Princeton traditions that many people would want to keep hidden.

Nikki is a smart, savvy woman who is not so entrenched in the ivory tower world of higher education that she can’t see people for what they really are. She is a loyal friend to both her brother and to Earl Stokes and is willing to fight for both of them and their reputations. Nikki is conflicted over a recently ended relationship that may not quite be over, making her even more human. She makes sharp observations about the people she encounters.

The setting of the mystery is keenly drawn, making the reader feel as if they are walking down Nassau Street, looking at the ivy-covered walls of Princeton with Nikki. The university setting contrasts sharply with the area of town where Nikki finds Stokes’ wife after his death. The mystery is neatly woven among the surrounding festivities of the season with plenty of clues and suspects to keep readers guessing to the end. In her third outing, Nikki is a welcome heroine to the ranks of amateur detectives.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry