The Black Hour by Lori Rader Day

 

Amelia Emmet is headed back to work after a year away.   She is a sociology professor at a private college in Chicago but last year has not been her finest.  She broke up with her long term partner, Doyle, who is also her department head.  She became dissatisfied with her latest work in progress and burned it ceremonially on her grill.  Worst of all, as the semester was ending, she was shot in the hallway outside of her office.  The student who shot her then killed himself.

Amelia barely survived and after months of hospitalization and rehab is still dependent on pain pills and a cane.  But she is determined to claw back as much of her life as she can.  On her first day back, she hires a graduate assistant, Nathaniel, to help in the classroom but also help her personally when needed.  She makes the rounds with her peers in the department and discovers her old boyfriend got married while she was away.  She teaches her first class although the stares and whispers tell her that the rumors are still alive.  No one believes Amelia when she insists she had never met or had any relationship with the student who shot her.  Many think she was having an affair with him.

Amelia is determined to find out what happened that day.  There are lots of threads to pull on.  Her new graduate assistant seems to have a hidden motive for working for her.  There's a colleague who has been in competition with her since they both arrived and now he has pulled ahead of her.  A reporter is determined to use Amelia's story to make his big break.  There is the head of the college suicide hotline who seems to think that Amelia might need his help in her personal life.  Other students such as the boy's former roommate and a privileged legacy student.  All seem to hold a piece of the puzzle but can Amelia retrieve those pieces and solve her mystery?

Lori Rader-Day is a mystery writer who lives in Chicago.  She is a past president of the Sisters In Crime organization and has won various mystery awards such as the Agatha and Anthony awards.  Amelia's story rings true both in her recovery and determination to win back as much of her old life as she can and her desire to move forward with a new life that suits her better.  The mystery has several twists and turns and the reader will find themselves engaged in the various personalities and conflicts.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.