Book ~ "Physical Education" (2011) Maggie Barbieri

From Amazon ~ College English professor and sometime amateur sleuth Alison Bergeron would’ve been thrilled to hear that her husband, NYPD Detective Bobby Crawford, was leaving Homicide if that were the whole story, but it turns out that Bobby’s next assignment is even worse - undercover. As if worrying about his involvement in a case he won’t talk about at all wasn’t bad enough, Alison is forced to take over the women’s basketball team at St. Thomas after the coach dies of a heart attack during a game. She may not know much about basketball but she’s no stranger to sleuthing, and it isn’t long before she suspects that the coach’s death may be more than unexpected but premeditated as well.

With Bobby deep undercover and Alison always on her way to deep trouble, it’s only a matter of time before they run smack into each other in Physical Education, the latest in Maggie Barbieri’s charming Murder 101 mystery series.

Alison and Crawford are married, his ex-wife is in London, one of his daughters likes Alison and the other daughter is being a bratty bitch to Alison because her parents have moved on.

For some reason, Alison is made the coach of the basketball team when the the coach dies on the court (she has zero experience coaching a basketball team).

Then she has everything else going on ... Crawford is being secretive and lying; her friend, Father Kevin, is still on suspension with the church and the university; and the body of the mail guy is found in the trunk of her car.

I found this book hard to get into. It was so serious in the beginning and not the usual funny sarcastic style. About halfway, when things start to be revealed, it picks up and get better.

Alison's friend, Max, isn't in the book much (yay!) but when she is, she is her usual annoying self. The mystery of what was happening to Father Kevin which started in the last book is resolved (yay!).

There are quite a few plots going on that came together at the end. It was the first book in the series that I really bought the ending.