MathFiction: The Case of the Murdered Mathematician (Julia Barnes / Kathy Ivey)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Case of the Murdered Mathematician (2001)

Julia Barnes / Kathy Ivey
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This story is actually a fictionalized account of the "Murder Mystery" game played by the MAA Student Mathematics Club at Western Carolina University. Clues provide insight into possible motivations for the murder (including the pressure to publish) and also practice mathematical skills such as using parametrized curves in a three dimensional coordinate system.

Published in the September 2001 issue of Math Horizons.

More information about this work can be found at www.mathcs.carleton.edu.
(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)

Works Similar to The Case of the Murdered Mathematician

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

Crimes and Math Demeanors by Leith Hathout
Conned Again, Watson! Cautionary Tales of Logic, Math and Probability by Colin Bruce
Let's Consider Two Spherical Chickens by Tommaso Bolognesi
Cardano and the Case of the Cubic by Jeff Adams
Uncle Georg's Attic by Ben Schumacher
NUMB3RS by Nick Falacci / Cheryl Heuton
The Three Body Problem by Catherine Shaw
The Strange Case of Mr. Jean D. by Joao Filipe Queiro
A Calculated Demise by Robert Spiller
Harvey Plotter and the Circle of Irrationality by Nathan Carter / Dan Kalman

Ratings for The Case of the Murdered Mathematician:

Ratings

Have you seen/read this work of mathematical fiction? Then click here to enter your own votes on its mathematical content and literary quality or send me comments to post on this Webpage.

Mathematical Content:
3/5 (1 votes)

Literary Quality:
2/5 (1 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Mystery, Didactic,
Motif
Topic	Geometry/Topology/Trigonometry,
Medium	Short Stories,

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Where are the new works of mathematical fiction?: As you can see from this chronological listing, this database includes many works of mathematical fiction for each year from 1990 to 2025. Strangely, only two are listed for 2026, so far. Either less mathematical fiction is being published than in previous years or I'm just having more trouble finding it. If you know of any works of fiction that should be added to this list, especially recently published ones, please let me know. (Keep in mind that I do not include self-published works or children's fiction that just covers elementary mathematical concepts.) Thanks!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)