Plot

It seems that more than schoolboy pranks are going on between a Cabot Cove prep school and its rival.

In St Crispin's Academy, near Cabot Cove, a prank is performed by switching a Shakespeare bust with an Elvis one. Mike Seresino seems in the spell of the mischievous Prometheus fraternity, lead by silver spoon-boy Colin Forbes. A Cabot Cove fisherman's son, he is suspected of involvement in a wave of thefts in the area. There is a vicious fight going on for the coveted post of headmaster. Jessica's friend, English professor Harry Matthews, loses against history professor James Ryerson, whose corpse is, shortly after, found in the faculty office, with a smashed-in skull. Matthews now gets the job but has no alibi, so he's arrested after the folders with the victim's blood were found in his locker. Jessica and the sheriff were already on the premises and soon unearth motives and opportunities.—KGF Vissers

Jessica is teaching her annual course at St Crispin's Academy, a prestigious private school near Cabot Cove. The headmaster, Dr. Myles Purcell, is about to retire and there is great hope that her good friend Professor Harry Matthews will get the job. He's not the only candidate, however, as history professor James Ryerson, who generally is not very well liked either by colleagues or students, has also applied for the position. There has been a rash of thefts at the school lately and Matthews is particularly worried the influence a new student society, organized by rich student Colin Forbes, may be having on students. Everyone is stunned when Ryerson is appointed to the headmaster position but, when he is found dead, there is no shortage of suspects. A bit of nostalgia on Jessica's part leads her to the killer.—garykmcd