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Author
Stuart Nachbar
Publisher
IUniverse

3 Review Copies Left

Defending College Heights is an investigation into the murder of a U.S. Army recruiter within a tumultuous and corrupt college community.

The body of U.S Army captain and recruiting commander Kevin Callahan is found in a guardhouse at Hudson Technical University, a small private engineering school located in College Heights. A message left on Callahan's t-shirt reads, "No more lies." The news media and pro-military and anti-war activists believe the murder was committed in opposition to unethical army recruiting.

Angered by the biased media coverage, Callahan's uncle, Philadelphia area urban planner Jack Donnelly, comes to College Heights determined to become involved in the murder investigation. Fearing that Jack's involvement may embarrass the university but desperately needing his help to save her school, Hudson Tech president Martina Tiernan asks him to become special assistant for campus planning.

While Jack believes that Tiernan is trying to buy his silence, he reluctantly comes aboard. He learns that the murder is the lynchpin to a larger scheme that could close Hudson Tech’s doors for good.

Reviews

Feelings run high on a small college campus after a military recruiter is found dead in a guardhouse. The recruiter’s mother is in shock when she learns the news. Her son, a captain in the Army, had made it through two deployments in Iraq only to be murdered at home in America. Distraught over the news and the lack of information surrounding his death, she asks her brother, an urban planner from the Philadelphia area, to learn the truth about what happened to her son.

The college is located in a town along the Hudson River that has seen better days. Some faculty members are part of the Vietnam era generation. Because the college accepts federal funds, it is required to allow recruiters on campus. Caught in the middle of the conflict is the college president who has resolved to get to the bottom of the situation.

When the uncle of the slain military recruiter comes to her office, she asks him to participate in the search for the truth. Though reluctant to be drawn into what he perceives as a web of intrigue between the trustees and college president, he agrees because he wants answers to what happened to his favorite nephew.

There are many twists and turns as the plot unfolds. The cast of characters includes other army recruiters, one of which is sprayed with cherry syrup during a job fair to recruit students into the Army. Though the participants are screened prior to the job fair, a faculty member from the Vietnam era is responsible for the incident.

One of the student protesters plays a significant role in the denouement of the story. She is an older student who suggests an alternative way for both sides to discuss the war issue. As an organizer of an event in town that hosts both pro and anti war groups, her goal is to provide a forum for interaction between town and gown. Lurking in the background is a former teacher and Vietnam veteran with an ax to grind.

Readers will be drawn into the mystery and get a taste of what it was like during the years when college students were protesting the Vietnam War. The use of prior situations such as a sit-in on a college campus adds a significant insight to the story. It is an interesting read for both today’s students and college students of yesteryear.

Reviewed on 02/11/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Claire Franek

Just 3 months after returning from his second tour in Iraq and taking on his new role as a recruiting commander in College Heights, Kevin Callahan is brutally stabbed to death and the words “No more lies” are written on his shirt. The police have few leads and the Army is staying out of the investigation so Kevin’s uncle, Jack Donnelly, heads out to College Heights to check things out for himself. He takes a job at Hudson Tech University, where Kevin’s body was found, and discovers there may be more to this crime than meets the eye. Was Kevin killed by someone opposed to the war or is does it go deeper? Jack is determined to find out and will do whatever it takes to find those responsible.

“Defending College Heights” is more than a murder mystery. Author Stuart Nachbar has written a story that is timely, yet objective. He takes a controversial subject, the war in Iraq and military recruiting, and weaves it into the story in a way that makes the reader think but doesn’t shove any particular view in the reader’s face. Besides the politics involved in the war, the author also gets into university politics and we see some similarities between the two worlds that are sometimes shocking and always interesting. It is a nice compare/contrast that I haven’t really seen before.

Mr. Nachbar also takes the time to develop the characters so they are not only interesting but very real. My only issue with the characters was the inclusion of Kevin’s brother, Kyle. Aside from showing a contrast between the brothers, I saw no purpose for the character. Every time Kyle was around I saw a side of Jack that I don’t think was necessary and really had a hard time liking Jack as much as I should have, considering he is the main character of the story.

All in all, I thought Defending College Heights was a really good mystery that kept me guessing until the end. I also liked the fact that the author took some time after the big reveal to wrap up the sub-plots. Many authors get so caught up in the climax of the story that they forget to tie up the loose ends and I really appreciated the effort the author took to make sure that did not happen in this novel. I would definitely recommend this book to mystery fans and I look forward to Stuart Nachbar’s future writings.

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Defending College Heights: A Novel

Reviews

Reviewed on 02/11/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Claire Franek

Reviewed on 10/15/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member April Hanson

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