In The Shadow of the Ivory Tower by Alan Kirby was a true higher education read. As someone who works in higher education, what I appreciated was that the story was true to the real life protocol for something like this. Seriously, I can't tell y'all how many books, Lifetime movies and/or other TV shows I've watched and been frustrated at the lack of understanding of how a campus would truly manage an issue. ANYWAY. This book focuses on a Threat Assessment Team that Darren Kelly, the narrator, serves on for California Pacific University. There are several incidents on campus, and someone named "Mercury" is involved. The book is trying to figure out who this is, how to support those who are impacted, and how to solve the mystery before something else can happen. This is a mystery that kept me guessing. Because it was written true to form (again, I can't say enough how much that meant), I could focus on the drama and suspense as they tried to figure out who was behind everything. There's also a twist at the end that I did not see coming and loved. As someone in higher education, I also appreciated that the author acknowledged in a final author's note that this book mentions many of the current concerns on our college campuses. However, given the focus of the book, these aren't covered exhaustively. I actually had noted this, and I appreciated the author's awareness and encouragement to become further educated on this issues raised. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me check this one out.