A Butterfly in Flame by Nicholas Kilmer

Fred is ostentatiously filling in at Stillton Academy as a teacher, but he's really there to find out what happened to the missing instructor and his student.  He also has another hidden goal that might even be worth more to him...


Poisoned Pen Press released this book in November and it's in hardcover, paperback, and large print.  I got my eBook from Net Galley for review (thank you both).


This story is steeped in academia.  Stillton is an art academy, but Fred is amazed to find there really isn't a lot of art taught there.  It's basic art and the students are almost unguided, so it's not hard to see why they are fighting to keep accreditation.  It doesn't help any when you lose a teacher somewhere and the major donor's daughter disappears at the same time.


As Fred tries to study the characters around him and determine exactly what happened and why, he's also looking for a piece of art that is rumored to be in the building.


Everything he finds seems to make the disappearances more of a question than ever.  And just something in general smells wrong.


Mr. Kilmer's story is filled with academic life, art knowledge, and murder.  It's very detailed and was a bit slow going for me, but I did enjoy the plot and the conclusion to the story.


Visit your local bookstore and pick up a copy for yourself.  And go back to school...