He Needed Killing

The Needed Killing Series: When James F. Crawford retired from the university he didn't expect to become a private investigator. But Provost Rufus George wanted Crawford to investigate a suspicious death--and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Turns out, Crawford has a knack for solving crimes. With his dog and cat as the perfect sounding board, he talks through the specifics of each case--posing questions to Tan and The Black and answering them himself. If you like your mysteries with a side of humor, give the Needed Killing Series a try.

Book 1: I was standing in a dead man's apartment staring at the severed end of a rope hanging from one of the exposed beams overhead. What was I doing here? Last week I was just a university employee who had taken early retirement. Now a man was dead and I was in the thick of it. People were counting on me to figure out what had happened—and why. What kind of retirement was this?