Dead Connection

by Charlie Price Narrated by Robert Ramirez

Overview

Teenager Murray Keifer just doesn't fit in at school. And it doesn't help that his mother is too busy entertaining male friends to be involved in his life. His only friends are "Dearly" and "Beloved"-dead people buried in the local cemetery. That's right, Murray talks to the dead. But Murray's peaceful and unusual world is torn asunder when he hears the voice of missing teen Nikki Parker, buried in someone else's grave. Daughter of the groundskeeper and Murray's one living friend, Pearl believes in his special gift and is determined to give Nikki justice. Meanwhile Deputy Roman Gates draws closer to solving the mystery behind Nikki's disappearance. Author Charlie Price's debut novel has garnered praise for this unusual, and sometimes funny, mystery. Booklist says listeners "will like the edginess and be intrigued by the extrasensory elements as well as the darker turns the mystery takes."

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

A spectral mystery starts strong but ends differently. High-schooler Murray talks to dead people-and they talk back. Usually Murray finds speaking with the dead restful, a vast improvement over spending time with his prostitute mother. Lately, though, there's been a restless spirit disturbing the cemetery's peace, and Murray worries that it may be connected to a schoolmate who went missing a while back. Along with Pearl, the possessive daughter of the cemetery groundskeeper, Murray investigates the unhappy haunt. Intriguing secondary characters have their own puzzles to solve, usually compelling, though occasionally their stories dissolve in to educational lectures about drugs and mental health. The different voices add to the puzzle, as each follows his own path to solving the crime. What readers think they know is often challenged, and no neat resolution exists. Though the story ends in an unusual and slightly awkward fashion, the realistic complexities explored are ripe for discussion. (Fiction. 12-14)

From the Publisher

This superb debut novel concerns two very different individuals trying to discover the fate of a high school cheerleader who disappeared from a small California town. Even the people in supporting roles are extremely well developed, especially the cemetery caretaker and his daughter, both of whom play crucial roles in Murray's maturation. Readers will find themselves rooting for these characters.” —Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review

“By delving into the adults' problems as they meld with the mystery of Nikki's disappearance, Price has given the book an adult veneer. Readers will like the edginess and be intrigued by the extrasensory elements as well as the darker turns the mystery takes. This is something different.” —Booklist

“There is a Crutcher-like sensibility in the balanced but unambiguous portrayals of adults—while some are brutal, negligent, and blameworthy, others show nothing but compassion and understanding for the kids that these former monsters have messed up. Amidst the damage, then, there is love and courage in this page-turning mystery with a supernatural twist.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“What readers think they know is often challenged, and no neat resolution exists. Though the story ends in an unusual and slightly awkward fashion, the realistic complexities explored are ripe for discussion.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Twists and turns in this multi-perspective mystery keep readers guessing, and the denouement is genuinely surprising.” —School Library Journal (FOCUS)

“This will be an easy sell to mystery readers, and will have lots of appeal to those familiar with that genre only through television or movies.” —School Library Journal

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170993918
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	02/06/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

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