Sheridan Hendley is at home with nothing to do. Her police husband, Brett, is away at a human trafficking awareness conference, so she decides to visit her stepdaughter Maddie at her university in Virginia. This weekend, the university is holding a festival to honor veterans. On the eve of the festival, a dead body turns up, and Maddie’s best friend Nedra shares a room with the chief suspect, Lissa. The deceased, Neal Fox, turns out to be a piece of work; he’s a womanizer, into drugs, and comes from an unscrupulous family. There are so many potential suspects, as he has a lot of enemies. Sheridan needs to use her sleuthing skills to help the police figure out who the killer is. When she and her stepdaughter start to get threats on their lives, Sheridan fears she may be digging too deeply. Who killed Neal Fox? Find out in Students and Secrets, Another Murder by Christa Nardi.

Cozy mysteries make great whodunnits. They’re clean, with no on-page violence and usually feature an amateur sleuth who is often better than the police at solving crimes. This is book 12 in the Sheridan Hendley Cozy Mystery series, but it works just as well as a stand-alone. I haven’t read any others in the series yet, but there were enough references to previous books to get the full story. The narrative moves at a cracking pace, and Sheridan and Brett spend a lot of time moving between their hotel, the campus, and the police station. What I loved the most about Students and Secrets, Another Murder was the killer reveal. It’s an absolute blindside that nobody will see coming, but it makes the best sense—this is absolutely brilliant storytelling by Christa Nardi. I’m a new fan of hers and plan to go back and enjoy the series from the beginning.

Students and Secrets, Another Murder is the latest in this series from author Christa Nardi. Sheridan Hendley is a psychologist married to a police detective who enjoys unraveling mysteries in her spare time. With husband Brett away on a police training course and Sheridan finding herself at a loose end, she decides to travel to her stepdaughter Maddie’s university. A festival is planned to honor veterans, and Maddie will be singing in the University Choir as part of the celebrations. When a body is discovered on campus grounds on the eve of the festival, an examination of the young man’s wallet leads police straight to Maddie’s dorm and the suite of her best friend, Nedra. Lissa, a suitemate of Nedra’s, is the police’s prime suspect along with Lissa’s brother Dan. The evidence is thin, to say the least, and circumstantial, but with Lissa refusing to cooperate with the police, it is up to Sheridan and Maddie to unearth the complexities of this crime.

Students and Secrets, Another Murder is a solid, easy-to-read crime mystery that will appeal to a wide audience. I enjoyed the intricate plotting that placed a wide selection of secondary players into the frame and allowed for any number of “red herrings” and suspicions to fall on different characters. I also appreciated that the principal characters were all strong women, who would not be dissuaded from their search for the killer by threats and the indifferent attitude toward their input by some members of the police. For dog lovers, the inclusion of Sheridan’s two adorable dogs is a pleasant bonus and, in one instance, instrumental in tracking down the miscreant. For readers who love a simple, well-written murder mystery that teases possible culprits throughout, leaves potential clues and misdirections, all while avoiding gratuitous violence, language, and sexual scenes, this is the perfect read. This is a pleasant, relaxing book that I found satisfying and highly recommend.