Book Description

When a Mysterious Birth and Murder Occur at a Posh New England Prep School, Thea Kozak Finds Answers in SCHOOLED IN DEATH by Kate Flora —Massachusetts, North of Boston, Present Day— For school campus crisis counselor, Thea Kozak, Mondays are the worst day of the week. So when the phone rings early in the morning, she expects bad news. What she doesn't expect is the pain laden voice of the headmaster of the highly-respected Simmons School pouring forth his dire situation. A sophomore student had given birth to a pre-mature infant, then abandoned the child claiming it was not hers because she'd never had sex. With the baby in NICU, the teenaged mother facing criminal charges and parents demanding answers, it’s Thea's job to restore calm and order while gathering the facts of what actually happened. Then Heidi, the alleged mother, disappears and the body of a stranger is discovered in the campus woods, murdered. Pregnant herself, Thea now races the clock fearing the young girl will be the next victim while every discovered clue points to an impossible fact: Heidi's assertion may actually be true. Publisher's Note: Kate Flora takes readers on a breathless experience with a surprise at every turn. Fans of Janet Evanovich, Michael Connelly as well as Faith Martin and Chris Collett will not want to miss this series. "...a terrific, in-your-face, stand-up gal...Stephanie Plum and Thea Kozak have a lot to say to each other." ~Janet Evanovich "Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride." ~Michael Connelly "I'll follow Thea Kozak anywhere. She is simply one of the most refreshing and original heroines in mystery fiction today. And Kate Flora is the rare, graceful writer who pays close attention to how long it takes the body and the heart to heal." ~Laura Lippman THE THEA KOZAK MYSTERY SERIES Chosen for Death Death in a Funhouse Mirror Death at the Wheel An Educated Death Death in Paradise Liberty or Death Stalking Death Death Warmed Over Schooled in Death ABOUT KATE FLORA: Kate Flora’s fascination with people’s criminal tendencies began in the Maine attorney general’s office. Deadbeat dads, people who hurt their kids, and employers’ discrimination aroused her curiosity about human behavior. The author of nineteen books and more than twenty short stories, Flora’s been a finalist for the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer awards. She won the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction and twice won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction. Her latest fiction is Schooled in Death, her 9th Thea Kozak mystery. Her latest nonfiction is Shots Fired: The misconceptions, misunderstandings, and myths about police shootings with retired Portland Assistant Chief Joseph K. Loughlin. Flora divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine, and between cooking and gardening and obsessive writing.