GREENCASTLE, Ind., May 20, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- In a gripping mystery novel about a vicious serial killer who is terrorizing female students on campus, a young professor delves into the shocking murders and uncovers clues the police haven't found. In A Blood Stained Ivory Tower (now available through AuthorHouse), by Richard Kelly, psychology professor Tom Evers is the murdered students' last chance for justice.
Tom is a popular psychology professor at a Midwestern university. The weekend after students return from spring break, a young women is brutally murdered. Her mutilated body, which shows evidence of a sexually motivated killing, is found in a ditch near campus. Tom had worked closely with the victim since her sophomore year and respected her for her talents and dedication. Her death is particularly difficult for him to take.
Months later, the victim's parents ask Tom to conduct an independent investigation. The police have not been able to garner any leads, and they hope that someone with a background in psychology might have more insight into the mind of a disturbed killer.
Another female student is found dead in a similar murder weeks later. This sophomore, also an excellent student, leads Tom and the police to believe the killer is going after high achieving students. When another student is found dead, however, Tom's suspicion about the motive is shattered. This murdered woman had a history of heavy drinking and was failing all her classes.
Tom's insider status allows him to find out a secret that the police don't know. The last girl's roommate was in a class of Tom's, and she tells him something the murdered young woman asked her to keep strictly confidential. The secret is the key to nabbing the killer, who is closer to the university than Tom and the police ever imagined.
Kelly holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. He has been a university professor and has worked in psychiatric facilities in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. A New York native, he divides his time between a home in rural Indiana and a beach house on the Gulf of Mexico.
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