This book contains three novellas that marry the world of the classic ghost story with that of the academic ivory tower, seasoned by hefty doses of black humor. Each story features a main character who is fighting for tenure and his or her academic career, and who, directly or indirectly, is suddenly plunged into the realm of the weird and otherworldly. Although the stories may seem familiar to devotees of the genre, the author is such a fine writer, and so deft at characterization, that they are a pleasure to read. My favorite by far is the first selection, “Queen of the Jungle,” about a philandering professor and a cat determined to expose him.

This collection of 3 interconnected novellas set in academia was a highly entertaining read. The felines creeping through the text were not all that earned this work a comparison to Poe. Suspenseful and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.