Murder in Academia

The Professor’s Assassin by Matthew Pearl A Review

This extended short story is a fictionalized look at historical events surrounding the murder of Professor John Davis at the University of Virginia. The characters to whom we are introduced, including William Barton Rodgers, would, in the near future, leave for Boston to become the founding faculty of The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. William Barton Rodgers was the founding President of MIT.

The mystery, apprehension, escape, and death of Professor Davis’ assailant form the core of the story. At the same time the reader is introduced to the philosophical opinions that defined the early founders of higher education in America.

If the writing found in this short story is any indication of what is coming in Matthew Pearl’s The Technologist, it will be worth reading.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.