Fun read with some unusual dynamics.

Usually I am highly entertained by the Beaumont mysteries, and this case was no exception. The detective has to investigate a crime in a school that initially looks like a murder suicide. Soon enough things become complicated and we get a whodunit with plenty of twists and turns and a thrilling conclusion with plenty of revelations.

I enjoyed the fact that the author keeps giving us more information about Beaumont's personal life and we get to see how he continues to deal with recovering from alcoholism and in this case also with a significant family grudge. The part that was interesting and different from any of the previous books is the relationship with Beau's arch-nemesis Max Cole. We are use to seeing the battle between the detective and the journalist, which in the past has become pretty heated. In this case however, due to Max knowing on of the the victims and being affected by the events, we end up with a very cordial relationship which threatens to become a friendship. I am not sure I liked this part, since I enjoyed the nature of the previous relationship between these characters.

I did like the decision by Jance to have Beau work the case with a different partner than the one he usually has. Especially because this guy is obnoxious and creates many situations that add flavor to the story. Besides that, we get the usual cast of supporting characters, which are always welcome.

Jance delivered another mystery that keeps us reading eagerly until finding out who the guilty party is and when we get there we are already looking forward to the next one. That in my book can be considered a success.