By Bernadette Pajer, Poisoned Pen Press, 222 pages

In A Spark of Death, Northwest author, Bernadette Pajer has created a new crime-solving character; Professor Bradshaw of the University of Washington. He is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the turn of century to 1900, when uses for electricity are first being developed. This story is a real page turner, with strong character development and historical detail in time, place, social-political circumstances, and scientific understanding. The story never lags.

A widely unpopular professor is found electrocuted in the electrical engineering lab of the school. The police, with no understanding whatever of electronics, turn to their most likely murder suspect, our protagonist, the unfortunate Professor Bradshaw. The story of how he clears himself of the murder charge takes us on a tour of early Seattle and into the surrounding area while introducing us to what was state of the art electrical engineering at that time. Pajer intends this book to be the first in a new historical mystery series and this reviewer will look forward to subsequent books. A Spark of Death is highly recommended!

Rosalie West