Pithed

An Andy Farmer Mystery

by Kathryn Lively

CatholicMom.com Book Spotlight for January 2005!

Pith, a transitive verb meaning "to destroy the spinal cord or central nervous system of (as a frog) usually by passing a wire or needle up and down the vertebral canal" (Source: Merriam-Webster)

He pissed me off, Andy ... he pissed me off for the last time, so I pithed him.

Biology teacher Andy Farmer desperately wished his friend Chuck Cleveland was lisping over the phone on that fateful morning, but when he arrived at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings High to find the building wrapped in crime scene tape, he feared the worst. With Chuck missing and the principal dead—stabbed with a scalpel meant for rendering biology lab frogs brain dead—Andy now agonizes over possible accessory charges as he plays coy with Detective Robert French, all the while encouraging Chuck to own up for what he has done ... when he is able to talk to his elusive friend.

Andy feels a sense of urgency, too, when French's investigation reveals Andy himself is a more likely suspect than Chuck in Principal Horace Shelton's murder! Though Andy's alibi is tight and he is innocent, a tense history with Shelton leads the police to think otherwise. It is enough Andy has to deal with his bum hip, fading hearing, and threats to force him into retirement from his superiors, he doesn't want to worry about it in prison. Besides, who would feed and walk the dog that Andy's son brought home from Tallahassee?

This is Pithed, the first installment of the Andy Farmer Mystery Series, set in Jacksonville, Florida. Pithed is based upon an idea by Kathryn's father, a science and math teacher of 30+ years, with characters and settings inspired by Kathryn's own high school years. Everybody knows high school was murder, Andy Farmer would agree, and his story—a tale of revenge, public school bureaucracy, and a dog named Steely Dan—will make the reader anything but "pithed."

About the Author

Kathryn Lively

A woman of many responsibilities and very little time, Kathryn is an author, freelance book editor, book reviewer, webmistress, newsletter editor, Catholic, avid Beatles and Rush fan, and a voracious reader. In her spare time (if any) she sleeps, and even then her dreams are so vivid that she often wakes in the middle of the night. Perhaps one day she will add 'dream interpreter' to the list, but her plate is full as it is.

Awards

Mundania Press Best Seller Award—December 2004

Reviews

School mysteries are usually such fun because of the potential for a character driven plot, and Kathryn Lively plays it to the max. ...this is a cozy mystery written by a woman with wisdom far beyond her years. She understands the desperation of baby boomers nearing retirement and spins a darn good yard around that idea. Kathryn Lively is definitely an up and comer, and Pithed is a great little mystery!" —Midwest Book Review

Catholic Mom Book Spotlight for January 2005! Without preaching or pontification, Kathryn Lively shares her devotion to her faith through the individuality of Andy Farmer. While learning about such aspects of his personality as his devotion to his students and his tense history with an ambitious principal. Pithed marks the first in what is promised to be a series of mysteries featuring Andy Farmer. I’m looking forward to reading Kathryn Lively’s next book. —Lisa M. Hendey, CatholicMom.com

Kathryn Lively has written a "can't put this book down" novel. You want to keep reading to find out what happens next. The book will keep you on edge and give you some surprises at the end. She has created a great character in Andy Farmer. He is someone we will look forward to in future books. Throughout this novel, she shows us that she is a very talented writer and has a great future ahead. —Nancy Eaton, Best Sellers World

Pithed was a charming mystery novel that was so realistic you could almost imagine hearing about it on the nightly news. The headlines would surely read "Principal Killed By Teacher At School Next Door!" The author of this quirky little whodunit, Kathryn Lively, has taken characters, who are charming and eccentric in their own way, and woven them into a tale of mystery and suspicion. As a person is reading this novel, they can easily remember the "Andy Farmer," or even the goddess-loving costume jewelry-wearing feminist "Lucy Wilde," that taught during their own high school career. Throw in a little real life, as in two adult children always needing loans, a wife getting chemotherapy for cancer, and a homeless dog named Steely Dan, and you have the perfect small town average Joe feel that makes this book an easy laid-back read. Ms. Lively has done a wonderful job and I am eager to read the next installment of The Andy Farmer Mystery series! —Reviewed By Summer

In his latest adventure, Andy guides us through the famed blackboard jungle, where you don't know who are the bigger discipline problem, the teachers or student. Andy makes good use of his wry sense of humor and his sometimes misplaced loyalty to friends to take us on a hilarious romp through the back-stabbing world of teaching and administration. Although I did get rather frustrated at him a couple times for his almost blind loyalty to Chuck, I still enjoyed his justification for that loyalty in the end and the ingenious way he manages to side step the police. This is another fine addition to this series. —Kathy Thomason, Murder and Mayhem Bookclub

In Pithed, Kathryn Lively keeps us guessing as story events unfold in entertaining twists and turns told in prose sparkling with wit and unsentimental charm. —Bob Stanton, author of Views from a Window, Conversations with Gore Vidal and co-author of The Devil's Rood

Pithed establishes Kathryn Lively as one of the most talented and insightful mystery writers of our day. I couldn't stop reading! Andy Farmer is a tour de force of the common man.—William Ferguson, author of JONAH CHRISTOPHER AND THE LAST CHANCE MASS

Sparkling prose, clever dialogue, and a main character who just about steps out of the book to shake your hand. And a nice murder mystery to boot. One surprise after another. PITHED keeps you reading.—Colleen Drippé - author of GODCOUNTRY

Andy Farmer is an unlikely sleuth, and Kathryn Lively keeps both Andy and the reader off balance to the very end. [PITHED is] a fun read.—Randall England, author of THE LAST FISHERMAN