Amends for Murder

An implausible plot, uneven narrative and poorly developed characters seriously impair this first novel by a University of Minnesota faculty member. The corpse of a distinguished professor of English, Adam Warren, is found in his office by rookie campus cop Peggy O'Neill. The conditions of his death are grisly: his skull was crushed by a hammer. Though evidence suggests that Warren has been killed by a thief surprised in the act of stealing a computer, O'Neill strikes out on her own to explore other possibilities. Her search leads her to suspects within the university community, including Warren's secretary, Doris Parker; his colleague and former protege, poet Lee Pierce; and Jack Becker, a specialist in criminology. O'Neill is drawn simplistically and superficially, and although Lake provides some diverting plot twists, the story collapses under the weight of contradictions and cliched and repetitive writing. (Nov.)