#BluntInstrument #NetGalley
288 pages
Mystery and Thrillers
Pub date: 02 June 2026
Four stars ****
My thoughts:
I had previously read a couple of books by Amy Bloom and enjoyed them. Each of these (White Houses and In Bloom) was different from the other, so I knew that Bloom could definitely write in several genres as she most recently turned her hand to a mystery.
In addition, to wanting to read this title because of the author, I was also intrigued by the academic setting. After all, I loved Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers and the mysteries by Amanda Cross.
So, did I enjoy this book? Yes, I did. It offered a fun read with its outspoken protagonist, some skewering of academia, the murder and the solution. I think this is the first of the series. I look forward to what comes next.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publisher for this title. All thoughts are my own.
Post first published on 2 August 2026
Description:
from the publisher
A failed professor solves a murder on campus in this new whodunit from bestselling author Amy Bloom.
The case of the bludgeoned lecturer has all of Cromwell University reeling, even though the elderly Professor Bullfinch wasn’t particularly well-liked. His ornery nature and Old World approach to campus politics ruffled more than a few feathers over the years, and present tensions within his department mean there are more suspects than mourners in the wake of his death. And the murder weapon—a bronze bust of Nathaniel Hawthorne—does seem to indicate that the attack may have been academically motivated…
Enter Dell Chandler, the failed English professor turned self-taught private detective whom Dr. Cutty calls in to investigate the crime. She has the background to tease out the motives among the staff and just enough experience to conduct a thorough inquiry. If she solves the case before the cops do, the university could keep the whole thing quiet, avoiding sensational media about the dark side of campus life. But to do so, she’ll have to dodge her own demons from her past life as a disgraced academic.
Written with the same depth of character and insight that readers have come to expect from author Amy Bloom’s novels and memoirs, Blunt Instrument is an engaging and entertaining mystery with a clever, complex protagonist at its core.
Editorial Reviews:
Criminal Element
Bestselling author Amy Bloom delivers a clever campus whodunit in Blunt Instrument, following disgraced academic turned private investigator Dell Chandler as she navigates university politics and her own past to solve the murder of an unpopular lecturer.
Library Journal
VERDICT Dell is an appealing investigator in a somewhat unevenly paced story. Fans of mysteries in academic settings will enjoy.
Publishers Weekly
The review calls Bloom’s debut “a witty whodunit” and notes that while some late-breaking plot contrivances slightly undermine the pacing, the book is “a blast” overall. It expresses eagerness for a sequel Book Marks.
Book Reporter
Written with the same depth of character and insight that readers have come to expect from author Amy Bloom’s novels and memoirs, BLUNT INSTRUMENT is an engaging and entertaining mystery with a clever, complex protagonist at its core.
Kirkus Reviews
This entertaining, sexy adventure in not-so-dark academia checks all the classic detective-story boxes. Keep ‘em coming.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 