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Everyone at James Whitcomb Riley Middle School is stunned and shaken when Patsy Sternberg, a science teacher and championship swimmer, is found drowned in the school pool. Her husband Ned is the only person who doesn't buy the accidental death ruling and he asks Margo Brown, a language arts teacher with a little experience in amateur sleuthing, to look into Patsy's death. Margo is reluctant; it's the holiday season and both her personal and professional life are very busy. But Ned is persistent, and Margo agrees. As one might expect, there are people who might want Patsy dead. Was it the swim coach who was having an affair with Patsy? Or maybe his wife, who has a history of mental instability? Maybe Ned, who may or may not have known about the affair. Then Margo finds out that another teacher died, a year before Patsy; that death was ruled a suicide, but the victim's wife doesn't agree. She knows her husband wouldn't kill himself, and would have been able to get out of the metal water tank in which he drowned. Margo recognizes that two deaths by drowning in two years is probably more than coincidence, but doesn't really rule that out as a possibility until she realizes that both deaths occurred at Homecoming. This is pushing coincidence just way too far. Wound in and around all the investigating is fellow teacher and Margo's partner in detecting Roxie's newest craze: she has discovered that she is part Native American. Well, up goes the tepee in her classroom, the totem pole is being carved in her back yard, and she is thinking of changing her name. Apparently, Roxie is prone to this kind of behavior, which can be amusing to read about but not always fun to live through, as Margo can attest. Margo's husband Dew is used to her investigating. He doesn't always like it, but they seem to work out compromises as they need to. Dew and Margo are enjoying their empty nest, but welcome their children home for the holidays. These moments of family life are well-described and give some depth to Margo's character. THE CURRICULUM MURDERS is the third in Day's Margo Brown series; the first two are WHY JOHNNY DIED and DEATH OF A HOOSIER SCHOOLMASTER. While I enjoyed THE CURRICULUM MURDERS, my 'To Be Read' stack grows instead of shrinks; even though I don't plan to add either of the other two books to my stack, I would happily read them should they suddenly appear. Day writes a very readable amateur sleuth series, in a setting which appeals to me, with characters I enjoy. A good book for a lazy afternoon on the couch, hot chocolate at the ready.
Reviewed by P. J. Coldren, December 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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