When the dean of a major journalism school is found dead after a bitter faculty dispute, there are two things which have to be done: investigate the death and find someone to run the school. She can't do anything about the first point but Meredith "Red" Solaris is immediately selected as interim dean. Mountain West University's school of journalism is in good hands, but the war still rages on. With the faculty constantly at each other's throats, Red is in more danger than she knows. Lead detective Joe Morgan takes a personal interest in Red, but that only adds another layer to the complication of this case. Two threatening notes and a metric ton of suspicious behavior later, will Red survive long enough to see if she will be elected full-time Dean?

THE RED QUEEN'S RUN is a whole lot of fun. It starts off soberly enough for a murder mystery, but though it does not lighten it takes you for a great thrill ride. It's a classic whodunit, from the perspective of an unconventional "detective". While it's true she doesn't know the forensics or the exact details, it is fascinating to follow Red's mental process as she has to navigate both the difficulties of running a school where everyone has it in for her and the loss of a very important colleague she might not have really known. The problems are both very challenging and very interesting. I did not want this book to end but I was so happy that the conclusion was as thrilling. I had no clue on earth where it was going; it was a really great surprise ending.

The prose can sometimes miss the mark, it's true. Most of the language is very dry and suffers from over definition. There are also a few simple mistakes which I believe plague most mystery writers, but given my writing education background that's probably nitpicking. Coming from a genuine former professor, the insight on the running of a college is fascinating but can be a drag for someone who already knows about the educational system. Those are really my only major complaints, and they certainly don't detract from the novel at all.

I absolutely love Red. She is the heroine the novel deserves. She is the titular Red Queen, and she completely owns her role. Bourne Morris really captures the spirit of a complex woman who screws up but has to maintain the air of professionalism even in the face of fear. I never had a problem believing I was seeing what Red saw, feeling what she felt. I have a very solid image of her in my head, and she's great. She knows exactly what she wants out of life, but she's not exactly sure how she's going to get it. That is so real and so relatable that I found myself rooting for her even when she made her biggest mistake of all.

The other characters are really clever though some of their subplots don't really add up in the end. I especially liked Sadie Hawkins, the older professor who is Red's best friend. I would like to see more of her, which is why I'm very glad this is the first of a trilogy. Joe was a nice guy too, but he seemed rather flat at some points, especially when he is at his most vulnerable. I have a problem when male characters take too much possession of female characters right away, so Joe raised some red flags, but so did all the other men, so maybe that's a trait of the writer's experience.

I really loved THE RED QUEEN'S RUN and I am really looking forward to the next installment of the trilogy. I wasn't expecting to like this one at all, so it may surprise some of you. Whatever the case, definitely go for it; this book is worth the read.