A Function of Murder
Read A Function of Murder Online
Authors: Ada Madison
Praise for
THE PROBABILITY OF MURDER
“A mix of cozy mystery and suspenseful general fiction…The suspense was high…I’d recommend
this mystery.”
—Genre Reviews
“Ada Madison is a talented writer who knows how to hook her audience from the very
first page…A rich and satisfying read.”
—MyShelf.com
“This is [an] enjoyable academic amateur sleuth filled with puzzlers, brainteasers,
and mathematician quotations. The cozy storyline is entertaining…Fans will appreciate
Sophie’s inquiry as she adds the clues and subtracts the red herrings to try to extrapolate
the identity of the killer before she becomes a cold statistic.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
THE SQUARE ROOT OF MURDER
“Math professor Sophie Knowles makes an auspicious debut in Ada Madison’s delightful
The Square Root of Murder
. Petty academic politics and faculty secrets prove fertile topics in Madison’s very
capable hands.”
—Miranda James,
New York Times
bestselling author of
File M for Murder
“A clever puzzle,
The Square Root of Murder
is well plotted, and the reader will want to see more of Sophie. Madison has found
the right equation for success in this entertaining series debut.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“I strongly recommend
The Square Root of Murder
. It offers readers the familiarity of a cozy mystery with some interesting new twists.
Five stars out of five.”
—Examiner.com
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Ada Madison
THE SQUARE ROOT OF MURDER
THE PROBABILITY OF MURDER
A FUNCTION OF MURDER
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3,
Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand,
London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell
Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group
Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland
0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South
Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is
entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume
any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
A FUNCTION OF MURDER
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / January 2013
Copyright © 2012 by Camille Minichino.
Math, puzzles, and games by Camille Minichino.
Interior map by Dick Rufer.
Cover illustration by Lisa French.
Cover design by Lesley Worrell.
Interior text design by Kristin del Rosario.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or
electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy
of
copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized
editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-61873-8
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is
stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither
the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
| ALWAYS LEARNING | PEARSON |
Thanks as always to my critique partners: Nannette Rundle Carroll, Jonnie Jacobs,
Rita Lakin, Margaret Lucke, and Sue Stephenson. They are ideally knowledgeable, thorough,
and supportive.
Thanks to Dr. Jeanne Trubek, mathematics chairwoman at Emmanuel College in Boston;
and to Dr. Sally Dias, woman of many titles at Emmanuel, my friend and supporter.
Both are outstanding resources for this series
A special word about experts who are ready to help at a moment’s notice, with a word,
a picture, or a seminar’s worth of advice: educator Susan Durkin, chemist and ice
climber William McConachie, medevac pilot Mark Ramos, and entrepreneur Mark Streich.
Thanks also to the extraordinary inspector Chris Lux for continued advice on police
procedure. Chris is always available to answer my questions, often the same one for
every book, or to share a laugh. My interpretation of his counsel should not be held
against him.
Thanks to the many other writers and friends who offered critique, information, brainstorming,
and inspiration; in particular: Gail and David Abbate, Judy Barnett, Sara Bly, Margaret
Hamilton, Mary McConnell, Ann Parker, Jean Stokowski, Karen Streich, and Ellyn Wheeler.
My deepest gratitude goes to my husband, Dick Rufer. I can’t imagine working without
his support. He’s my dedicated Webmaster (www.minichino.com), layout specialist, and
on-call IT department.
Finally, how lucky can I be? I’m working with a special and dedicated editor, Michelle
Vega, a bright light in my life, who is superb at seeing the whole without missing
the tiniest detail. Thanks, Michelle!
The laws of nature are but
the mathematical thoughts of God.
—EUCLID
What’s not to like about graduation ceremonies?
The speeches? Can’t get enough of them. The flowers, balloons, parties, screaming
coeds? Love them all. Every year I look forward to a long line of students filing
by, one by one, switching the tassels on their mortarboards. I get a shiver of delight
as I join the procession, my heavy silk and velvet robes weighing me down. What a
pleasure it is to walk around the pathways of the campus and onto the great lawn,
a trumpet voluntary ringing out through the stifling hot and humid air. I never want
it to end.