Camille Minichino (1937–2024)
Author of The Square Root of Murder
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
According to Camille Minichino's official web site, she also writes a series of miniature mysteries (ie. figurines) under the pseudonym Margaret Grace. As there is another author whose real name is Margaret Grace, please do NOT combine them. The split authorpage that applies (Margaret Grace 2) has already been aliased into this one.
Camille Minichino is a retired physicist turned writer.
As Camille Minichino, she's the author of the Periodic Table Mysteries. As Margaret Grace, she writes the Miniature Mysteries, based on her lifelong hobby. As Ada Madison, she has launched a new series, academic mysteries featuring Professor Sophie Knowles, math teacher at fictional college in Massachusetts.
Soon, every aspect of her life will be a mystery series.
Camille has also published articles for popular magazines and teaches science and writing workshops in and around the Bay Area. [from Amazon.com 6/10/13]
Image credit: Camille Minichino
Series
Works by Camille Minichino
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Grace, Margaret
Madison, Ada - Birthdate
- 1937-06-00
- Date of death
- 2024-05-06
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Emmanuel College (BA|Mathematics)
Fordham University (PhD|Physics) - Occupations
- scientist
writer
teacher - Organizations
- NorCal Sisters in Crime
NorCal Mystery Writers of America
California Writers Club
National Association of Miniatures Enthusiasts - Awards and honors
- Jack London Award from the California Writers Club (2007)
Society of Technical Communication (excellence in editing, 2003 - 2007) - Cause of death
- brief illness
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Revere, Massachusetts, USA
- Disambiguation notice
- According to Camille Minichino's official web site, she also writes a series of miniature mysteries (ie. figurines) under the pseudonym Margaret Grace. As there is another author whose real name is Margaret Grace, please do NOT combine them. The split authorpage that applies (Margaret Grace 2) has already been aliased into this one.
Camille Minichino is a retired physicist turned writer.
As Camille Minichino, she's the author of the Periodic Table Mysteries. As Margaret Grace, she writes the Miniature Mysteries, based on her lifelong hobby. As Ada Madison, she has launched a new series, academic mysteries featuring Professor Sophie Knowles, math teacher at fictional college in Massachusetts.
Soon, every aspect of her life will be a mystery series.
Camille has also published articles for popular magazines and teaches science and writing workshops in and around the Bay Area. [from Amazon.com 6/10/13] - Associated Place (for map)
- Massachusetts, USA
Members
Reviews
Some murder mysteries keep you up all night, with all the lights on and doors locked. Some keep you company when you have a head cold and some just take up space on the bookshelf. This particular one didn't make me lock all my doors, nor was it intended to. It was a wonderful, comfortable read that took me someplace I hadn't been before (the world of miniatures, dollhouses and the crafters that live for it). I had good company, mostly a retired teacher and her prepubescent visiting show more granddaughter. Both were believable, as were the others who wandered in and out of her tea table in the atrium. The mystery wasn't as important to me as the story. I enjoyed how the characters interacted, how "Grandma" had to think of ways to keep her grandchild safe and protected from the mean old world, how the warmth and familial caring pierced any harshness in the story. Perhaps I would call it a kindler, gentler murder mystery. I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to others. btw - while I wouldn't read it when in bed with a head cold, it was the perfect thing when in bed with a bad back. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
Sophie Knowles, a mathematics professor at Henley College in Massachusetts, investigates the death of chemistry colleague Keith Appleton. Sophie's assistant Rachel seems to be the prime suspect, and circumstantial evidence certainly points in her direction. Can Sophie who is up for promotion to full professor manage to clear her assistant without losing her chances for promotion. Like most cozies nowadays, romance plays a part. Sophie's boyfriends pilots a helicopter for a medical unit. His show more best friend Virgil is one of two detectives working the case. The novel features interesting characters and a great setting, but I was a little disappointed math didn't figure a little more into the plot. The author emphasized Sophie's love of puzzles more than math. show less
Imagine my surprise when in the first or second chapter something very similar to what my brother worked on in grad school and his post-doc--around the time this book was written and published (he was doing his post-doc the year it came out) and that is trying to get hydrogen into a metal state for superconductivity purposes (my brother worked with helium, the second smallest atom)--comes up. In fact, that experiment is central to the murder story. IRL, one group claimed to have done this in show more 2017, but I am not sure if it's been peer reviewed/verified yet, and considering that it took 80 years for a claim from the first theory that it would be if cold enough, it could be some years before it's proved/disproved.
Like the late author, my brother has a PhD in physic, but he hasn't "peer reviewed' this novel ;). I did tell him about it, so perhaps he'll read it if he has time, remembers and gets a kindle. I'm not holding my breath.
Oh, you want to know about the book? It's a fun whodunnit in that there is some humour involved plus a possible love interest. Gloria returned home to Revere after years in California and an early retirement. She is now being hired to assist the police department with crimes where certain types of science are involved as well as giving guest lectures. I like her, her best friend from childhood, Rose as well as the man she's attracted to. I'll have to read more of the series to see if a romance takes off, naturally. show less
Like the late author, my brother has a PhD in physic, but he hasn't "peer reviewed' this novel ;). I did tell him about it, so perhaps he'll read it if he has time, remembers and gets a kindle. I'm not holding my breath.
Oh, you want to know about the book? It's a fun whodunnit in that there is some humour involved plus a possible love interest. Gloria returned home to Revere after years in California and an early retirement. She is now being hired to assist the police department with crimes where certain types of science are involved as well as giving guest lectures. I like her, her best friend from childhood, Rose as well as the man she's attracted to. I'll have to read more of the series to see if a romance takes off, naturally. show less
The Square Root of Murder is the first novel in a series written by Ada Madison. The series is called the Dr. Sophie Knowles Mysteries. Sophie is a college math professer and I love that the author created an intelligent heroine. Sophie hosts a weekly meeting with students from the math and science fields that feature a different mathmetician or scientist each week. The students have to research that mathmetician/scientist each week in order to be ready for the party. Sophie also creates show more mathematical puzzles for her students to solve. This is sooooo cool. Kudos to the author for coming up with this idea.
The Square Root of Murder opens with the death of professor Keith Appleton, whom all of the students and faculty disliked. His body is found in his office by Sophie's student assistant Rachel, while Sophie was hosting one of her student events. Rachel was failing a class that was being taught by Dr. Appleton. He made it a point to never give any student a grade higher than C, and flunked at least half of his class. Rachel becomes the prime suspect because she would not get into medical school if she flunked Dr. Appleton's class. Sophie cannot believe that her assistant is capable of murder and does an investigation of her own to determine who the real killer could be.
There are many new cozy mysteries being published these days and few are exceptionally good. Square Root is one of the good ones and I will be following the series. Since the series takes place in academia, all of the characters are brilliant. There are no sleuthing housewives baking for the neighborhood. As a feminist, I can honestly recommend this series to brainy women who do not normally read cozies. Of course, I recommend Square Root to everyone of every persuasion. show less
The Square Root of Murder opens with the death of professor Keith Appleton, whom all of the students and faculty disliked. His body is found in his office by Sophie's student assistant Rachel, while Sophie was hosting one of her student events. Rachel was failing a class that was being taught by Dr. Appleton. He made it a point to never give any student a grade higher than C, and flunked at least half of his class. Rachel becomes the prime suspect because she would not get into medical school if she flunked Dr. Appleton's class. Sophie cannot believe that her assistant is capable of murder and does an investigation of her own to determine who the real killer could be.
There are many new cozy mysteries being published these days and few are exceptionally good. Square Root is one of the good ones and I will be following the series. Since the series takes place in academia, all of the characters are brilliant. There are no sleuthing housewives baking for the neighborhood. As a feminist, I can honestly recommend this series to brainy women who do not normally read cozies. Of course, I recommend Square Root to everyone of every persuasion. show less
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- Rating
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