Bad Chemistry

For Gillian Adams, a summer at Cambridge University, in whose hallowed halls she took her doctorate years ago, would seem to offer an ideal respite. She goes there for a long-awaited reunion with her lover, Edward Gisborne, and for a break from the campus politicking that pervades the University of the Pacific Northwest, where Gillian is head of the history department.
Then a brilliant young scientist, the only woman on the chemistry department staff, is found dead. Gillian finds herself doubly involved - by her relationship with Edward, now a Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector, and by her longtime friendships at the university. The police scramble to investigate, but it is Gillian herself who goes furthest toward unraveling the volatile mixture of modern science, contemporary mores, and time-honored university tradition that led to murder.