Mark Richard Zubro, Nerds Who Kill

Nerds Who Kill by Mark Richard Zubro

Chicago Police Department Detective widower Paul Turner raises his two sons Brian and Jeff with the help of his gay lover Ben. Lately Jeff, who is wheelchair bound, has become quite independent, which is driving poor Paul to distraction, but he admits only to himself that life has been good of late though he frets over Jeff constantly.

Paul takes his two teenage sons wearing costumes to the World's Ultimate Science Fiction Convention at the Greater Chicago Hotel and Convention Center. The cop figures he will survive even if Brian is a butt and Jeff is a pain until his official job intercedes. Someone murders renowned popular fantasy author Muriam Devers using a broadsword, a not so common weapon except at a sci fi convention where almost every teen including Paul's son has one. Soon other attendees are murdered with an assortment of convention weaponry. Paul and his partner Buck Fenwick seek a serial killer attendee who knows his or her armaments, a wolf amongst geeky sheep.

This is a terrific police procedural that is humanized by Mark Richard Zubro's making a strong argument on what constitutes a loving family. The cleverly crafted who-done-it hooks the audience as the two detectives make inquires at the gala. However, it is the personal side of Paul that grips the tale as he is openly gay yet is a nurturing father and a solid cop who shows how inane "Don't tell" is and how ridiculous using sexual preference as a values barometer truly is. NERDS WHO KILL is a fabulous murder mystery in a fine series that reminds the audience that individual behavior and respect are what counts not sexual preference.

Harriet Klausner