Now this is, at least on the surface, a clever idea. Hari Singh, chairman of the economics department at the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., has taken the tenets of mystery writing and applied them to running a business - finding that there are some fairly strong correlations as a result. After all, mystery solvers and decision makers have to look for the right questions, get contrary viewpoints, look for new information and seek out a flexible frame.

The New York Times' Jan Rosen reports that Dr. Singh, a fan of mystery novels, turned to fiction to explain his subject because students often find the systematic, analytical decision-making strategies taught in business school difficult to understand. And so, FRAMED! SOLVE AN INTRIGUING MYSTERY AND MASTER HOW TO MAKE SMART CHOICES also includes a summary of important concepts, a checklist for common pitfalls, discussion questions and suggested readings. When Singh conducted a seminar for 15 Grand Valley administrators who read the book, he broke them into groups and asked them to apply the principles to solve work problems. "After reading the book, they can do it by themselves," he said. "Group discussion among executives, within the context of their own problems and search for solutions, is a key learning tool."