Dead Connection

by Charlie Price

Overview

Is Murray psychic? He talks to the dead and comforts them in their lonely graves, even as they provide solace for him—they are his best friends. When he hears a new voice in the cemetery, he's sure it's Nikki, the cheerleader who has been missing for months. But who will believe him? He's a loser. Can he even believe in himself?

Along comes Pearl, daughter of the cemetery caretaker, who befriends Murray and tries to enter his world. Together they may prove the astonishing possibility that Nikki is closer than anyone thinks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312379667
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	05/27/2008
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.52(w) x 8.12(h) x 0.65(d)
Lexile:	740L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Charlie Price lives in northern California. He is an executive coach for business leaders and has also worked with at-risk teens in schools, hospitals, and communities. He is the author of several novels, including Desert Angel and The Interrogation of Gabriel James, winner of the Edgar Award.

Editorial Reviews

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

From the Publisher

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)

Kirkus Reviews