The Difficult Subject

The press reported the drowning of Professor Alex Shugar as a case of accidental death. And Shugar was well known among her friends for taking chances, personally and professionally. So, this all seemed—at least to most people—to be just what happens when a risky solo swim goes wrong. Certainly Maddy Shanks, with her brand new PhD, has no reason to think, when she is asked to take over Shugar’s courses in Minneapolis, that there’s anything suspicious about this literature professor’s death. At least until Maddy finds out the real reason she was hired. Then, a grand piano—ordered just a few days before Shugar’s death—shows up on Maddy’s doorstep. As Maddy asks around to find out why, Shugar’s closest friends begin to tell her things about Shugar that don’t add up. Within just weeks of starting her new life in Minnesota, Maddy finds herself sucked into trying to map out Shugar’s last days. She quickly uncovers evidence of secret lovers, jealous underlings, and an uncompleted manuscript on sexual kinks, clues that point to a life even more dangerous than Shugar’s closest friends ever imagined. Knowing she should keep her head down—stay out of danger and keep her career as a historian of anatomy on track—Maddy can’t help but make Shugar her primary subject, difficult as she is. Not coincidentally, this “extracurricular research” allows Maddy to distract herself from a court case going on back east, a jury trial that (however it comes out) will shape her life forever. Difficult subjects multiply. Can Maddy Shanks figure out who was really responsible for Alex Shugar’s drowning? Where will Shugar’s unpublished, intimate insights about sex ultimately lead the daring young post-doc? How many other loves and lives will be threatened, including Maddy’s own?