History Lessons

A history professor must solve a colleague's murder when she is targeted by his killer in this series opening campus mystery that marries the romance of Dorothy Sayers and the wit of Issa Rae's Insecure.

Perfect for crime readers who love a mix of humor and suspense—in the vein of Janet Evanovich and Kellye Garrett.

Professor Daphne Ouverture has chosen a simple life. She spends her days grading papers, going on atrocious dates, and telling herself that her small world suits her just fine. Until Sam Taylor dies.

The rising star of Harrison University’s anthropology department was never one of Daphne’s favorite colleagues. Arrogant Sam rarely ever acknowledged her existence. But that hasn't stopped Sam’s killer from believing that Daphne has something that belonged to Sam—something the killer will stop at nothing to get.

In between grading papers and navigating her disastrous love life, Daphne embarks on a deadly investigation to find out what connects her to Sam’s murder—with the help of local detective Asma Ahmed and an alluring former-detective-turned-bookseller, Rowan Peterson. As Daphne gets closer to the truth, she begins to uncover a secret history of injustice on campus and off. But to find the killer, Daphne will have to face the one past she’s vowed never to study: her own.

Readers who can't resist a well-crafted mystery spun by a comic voice will pull an all-nighter to read this series opener.

Zoe B. Wallbrook is a proud daughter of Jamaican immigrants and an assistant professor of history. A recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship and a winner of the Berlin Prize, she has written for the New York Times, the New Yorker, and Cornell University Press. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers of Color. History Lessons is her first novel, selected for mentorship by LA Times bestseller Elizabeth Little and a runner up for the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award.