Passing yourself off as a professor of moral philosophy is easy, right? Our hero thought so until an accidental murder forces him to become a moral authority. Or more exactly, to become Rik Wallace, Professor of Moral Philosophy at CAT College. As Wallace, our unlikely hero becomes embroiled in a riotous tangle of eccentric personalities, red tape, red herrings, and the general mayhem of academic life in this black comedy murder romp.

In his quest to create a new and better Wallace, our hero must survive a graduate student who will do anything to get what she wants; a secretary who harbours many secrets; the college porter and his wife and their house of books; the unflappable librarian; the devotee who tries to make Wallacian moral philosophy a global trend; and the fragile, mostly broken provost and her wicked husband. On top of all this, he must stay one step ahead of Detective Jackson and the real Rik Wallace's crime-boss brother, Larry. But as the body count increases, our imposter is left wondering just how many must die in his quest to do the right thing.

David Slattery