As a substitute teacher myself, I never found a dead body in the high school gym. In the fictional story, A Substitute for Murder, though, a teacher is found murdered in an unusual way when the substitute gym teacher prepares for class. Fortunately, Lieutenant James from NYPD Homicide is called in to find out the truth about the victim - why and how he died. In doing so, he finds that some teachers are gambling, keeping secrets, or have had arguments with the victim, a graphic arts teacher, which makes them suspects. Lieutenant James digs and finds that a summer job where the victim worked holds a key to solving the murder. He becomes embroiled in the art world and the thieves who steal great art. He and his close female companion, Bitsy Schwartz, visit the local casino to gather information about"ASubstitueforMurder_JBClemmens.jpg some of the teachers' habits. Although Lieutenant James respects most educators, he is relentless and unbiased when pursuing a murderer. No one gets a pass without an unshakable alibi. Sometimes he makes food choice errors, but never errs when it comes to catching a killer.