Ivy Is A Weed

Mysterious Book Report No. 417

by John Dwaine McKenna

Author Robert Roseth is a man with a strong sense of humor, an ear for sarcasm and a talent for satire.  He puts all of those elements together in his first novel, Ivy Is A Weed, (Self-published, $13.99, 336 pages, ISBN 978-0-578-62246-0) a tongue-in-cheek, hysterical behind-the-scenes look at the foibles, follies and free-for-alls that go on in today’s so-called institutions of higher education . . . and it’s all neatly wrapped around a mysterious death on the campus of a major university.

The novel begins when a man named Mike Woodsen, the university’s public affairs officer, is rousted out of his girlfriend’s bed in the middle of the night by a member of the campus police, who informs him that “A body has been found on campus.”

“Where,” the groggy Woodson asks.

“Near main central . . .”

Right near my office, the now wide-awake PIO thinks.  “I’ll be there as fast as I can get dressed.”

Jeremy Ronson, a top-ranked university official, has fallen to his death from a fourth floor window at his office.  The question is of course: How?  Did he jump, or was he pushed?  The campus police claim that his death was an accident.  The administration is fine with that . . . they want the problem to disappear as fast as possible so they can get back to what really matters most . . . grubbing for money.

Mike Woodsen however, doesn’t buy into the university’s make-it-go-away ASAP policy.  He decides to conduct his own investigation on the down low, while keeping up a cynical and often hilarious commentary on the absurdities of campus life in the early years of the new millennium.  If you’re craving some relief from the god-awful state of  the news and world affairs Ivy Is A Weed is just the ticket.  It’ll leave you grinning like the Cheshire Cat himself!

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