A Punishing Breed

DEBUT Frost’s first novel perfectly depicts the cozy-seeming yet backstabby atmosphere of a small California liberal-arts college. She teases out the social stratification, snobbery, and hypocrisy right under the surface, which is quickly revealed when a murder occurs. The victim is Will Bloom, a powerhouse fundraiser for tiny Hesperia College. His many dalliances with other Hesperia staffers are well known but overlooked by the administration. Somebody had an axe to grind, though—actually, a Japanese sword, which was driven through Bloom’s half-clothed body. Grouchy, pessimistic detective DJ Arias and his put-upon partner are called in to investigate the murder. Arias immediately suspects Danny, a gardener and former Hesperia student whom he previously put away for 10 years for vehicular homicide. But there are plenty of other suspects as well, each of whom has a motive, a complicated backstory, and something to hide. Even one canine character has a backstory. While Frost points readers to the answer to the whodunit—and “the why”—about three-quarters in, they’ll likely stay with the story for “the how” and to see if big and little players on campus get their just deserts.