A Butterfly in Flame

Stillton Academy, a small art college north of Boston, is in financial trouble, and its days are numbered unless someone can help. The final straw may be the disappearance of an instructor and a female student--the daughter of the Academy's only significant donor. Art critic Fred Taylor, called in to troubleshoot, goes undercover as a faculty member and soon finds himself enmeshed in the conflicting motives and designs of faculty, students, and a board of trustees whose interest in the long term survival of the operation seems lazy, misguided, or--perhaps--a good deal more sinister. Meanwhile, as the town of Stillton is visited by murder, the motives of Fred's employer, the collector Clayton Reed, remain obscure. What hidden treasure is Clayton hoping for? Can Fred find it before the college goes up in flames?