The George Eliot Murders

Straight-arrow English professor Beth Austin, who debuted in The Mark Twain Murders (nominated for an Anthony, an Agatha and a Macavity), takes a midwinter break from Midwestern University at Hawaii's Royal Aloha Hotel, armed with a copy of Middlemarch and a decent backhand. On her first night, she overhears the phone conversation of an award-winning fashion designer who later falls to her death. When another body is found, Beth suspects someone in her tennis group may be the killer and enlists the help of two fellow vacationers, a bestselling author and a semiretired attorney. When their collective brain power falters, Middlemarch comes to the rescue with just the right passage every time. High-spirited, literate fun and a pleasure to read. (Apr.)