Blunt Instrument

By: Amy Bloom

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

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 Nathanial 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.

©2026 Amy Bloom

Fantastic narration, fun characters, demonic workplace!

Academia once again distinguishes itself as a snake pit of petty politics. It hardly deserves a story of this quality, but the sheer deliciousness of the satire is so worth it.

Amateur reader

The reader was terrible. It was difficulty to tell when one sentence ended and another began. It detracted from the story

Tried too hard

The story was tedious and more like a YA novel set on a university campus. Aside from a great narrator and a few laugh out loud jokes, too much stereotyping, focus on tenure and other tropes. Enough w the academia bashing! Book tried too hard to be PC and was actually offensive. Minoritized folx can be multidimensional. Waste of a credit.

Fun

Smart and hilarious. Unexpected. Witty and literate without being pretentious. Pacing uneven, but a gem nevertheless.

The most fun!

Both the book and the reader are delightful. Hilarious, likable characters, and well plotted. Best listen I’ve had in a while. Please make this a series !!!