Kathy Reichs, creator of the Temperance Brennan book series and the show, Bones, is one of my favorite authors for a variety of reasons. One, I am a murder mystery junkie. Two, I love the science of forensic anthropology as it pertains to death investigation. Third and most importantly, she is who she writes about-a professional forensic anthropologist. I always wanted to do the same. Somehow incorporate an honest look at the field of high school education with a murder mystery woven in.

As mentioned in a different section, I spent last fifteen years of my “first career” teaching courses like Sociology of Deviance, Criminal Justice, and Forensic Science, and I was truly blessed to have that opportunity. But out of that specific experience, over forty years of working with teenagers in general, and a warped mind, I came up with an idea of a book.

The book, No Child Left Behind, began years ago as a fleeting thought for a murder mystery but it never totally got off the ground. Ironically, it was my three-year work on the non-fiction book, The Seymour Desk, that inspired me. If I can write and publish a book about a topic with limited knowledge, then I can surely write one about a topic that I am very familiar-Life as a high school educator. While it is still months away, there is a dim light at the end of the tunnel. I have included an excerpt (click on the book title above) from the opening chapter as well as photos from my actual Forensic Science classes over the years that give you an idea of the topics at hand.

As the opening few paragraphs suggest, seasoned high school teacher, Ellis Fountain, is having a banner day with his Forensic Science class. Things go downhill when a custodian mentions at the end of the school day that another “experiment” has been discovered on campus, and it is assumed that Ellis is responsible. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he quickly finds himself deeply immersed in a bigger problem then he ever bargained for.