Carey, Benedict. Poison Most Vial.
When Ruby's dad, a custodian at an urban university, is accused of murder when Professor Ramachandran's tea is poisoned... and he made it! Ruby feels that the only way to get her father off is to investigate herself, with her friend Max and the retired toxicologist Clara Whitmore. Mrs. Whitmore has ties to the police still, and is able to get the professor's autopsy report, and a variety of people help along the way, but it's up to the children to save the day. They interview people who were in the area, look into the professor's past, and find clues all over the lab area. There is some computer hacking, a few unpleasant characters at school to be dealt with, and a lot of information about poison. Can Ruby manage to get her father off so he doesn't go to jail and so he can get his job back?
Strengths: This was a rather clue oriented mystery, and the characters are all very well developed.
Weaknesses: I found this one slow going. Too many older adults, a lot of anxiety, and not very much adventure. I'm still debating buying it-- the cover and title are great, and students always ask for murder mysteries.