Doing favors can get you killed at this realistic unveiling of academia set in the University of Copenhagen. When biology postgraduate Anna Bella Nor's academic advisor is killed, it isn't his death that concerns her so much as the evidence of her PhD thesis in his lap. Soon after police superintendent Søren Marhauge is assigned to investigate, another murder occurs—and this time the victim is Anna's fellow student. The book's strength lies in Gazan's knack for unraveling the behaviors of academics, the intricacies surrounding whose research gets funding, and the favors some academics will do for a shot at prestige. The mystery ends with a twist in which some careers are destroyed and others are made. However, most crime fiction readers prefer plots that cut to the chase. Gazan's book contains several dense, extraneous segments, such as passages of detailed paleontological information that at times make the book feel like science writing disguised as crime fiction, irrelevant background information about characters, and a confusing opening dream sequence. A rigorous edit might have changed things, as the story itself is interesting. VERDICT Those who enjoy crime writers such as Alex Brett, Stephen Legault ("Blackwater" series), or Kerstin Ekman will enjoy this thriller, which was named the Danish Crime Novel of the Decade. This title may also appeal to readers with an interest in science.—Frances Thorsen, Chronicles of Crime Bookshop, Victoria, BC

With a dissertation defense looming, an adversarial adviser, not to mention a needy toddler, University of Copenhagen biology grad student and single mom Anna Bella Nor seems perpetually one sippy cup away from exploding—and that's before a coworker's bizarre death puts her whole department under the microscope, in Gazan's brainy thriller. Beneath the veneer of collegiality, police superintendent Søren Marhauge swiftly discovers, lies a Darwinian struggle for professional survival—as well as a cesspool of passions that are anything but academic. As the brash Anna dabbles in some increasingly dangerous sleuthing of her own, Gazan—herself a University of Copenhagen biology grad—orchestrates the suspenseful action and overlapping lives of her complex characters with deceptive ease. Just as impressively, she manages to integrate Anna's superficially arcane research on whether birds descended from dinosaurs with the novel's moving exploration of such broader themes as parenthood, love, and the potentially poisonous results of living with lies. Agent: Karin Lindgren, Salomonsson Agency (Sweden). (Nov.)