Dead Man's Float (Jersey Shore Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Beth Sherman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Jersey Shore Mysteries | Publication Date: July 1, 1998

HER OLD HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH HAS CLEANED UP HIS ACT. . .

Annie Hardaway is a reluctant expert on house-cleaning, horticulture, and pet care, who specializes in making some of the country's most famous how-to writers look good in print. But when her long-ago high school crush is found dead in their New Jersey shore hometown, Anne has no idea "how-to" find out the truth.

BY WASHING UP ON SHORE. . .

When Tigger Mills returned home to archly conservative devoutly religious Oceanside Heights, no one was happy to see him. Tigger left twenty years ago after being accused of setting fire to an old hotel that killed the owner's little girl. Though the always maintained his innocence, no one believed him--except then teenager Anne Hardaway. After Tigger's lifeless body is pulled form the surf, everyone but Anne assumes it was suicide. Now this woman with a relentless knack for research makes it her mission to tackle the town's closed minds, curious suspicions and ancient lies, to dredge the past and uncover a twenty-year-old motive for present-day murder.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sherman, who writes the "Design and Decor" column for Newsday, has written a debut with a merely workmanlike mystery but a nifty character angle. Sherman has distilled her long experience as a home writer into her character, Anne Hardaway, a lifelong resident of Oceanside Heights, N.J., who ghosts on such books as Mary Lou Popper's Household Guide for People Who Hate to Clean. When an old flame returns to town and promptly drowns under mysterious circumstances, Anne brandishes her encyclopedic knowledge about homes and their inhabitants to track down the murderer. Each chapter begins with what turn out to be cleverly related household hints, such as: "To remove dust from plants, you could flick them with a feather duster."Unfortunately, the plot suffers from a tried-and-true familiarity and the descriptions of Jersey shore history run long.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Beth Sherman is a writer and editor based in New York City. She writes a bi-weekly column, "Design and Decor," for Newsday that gives decorating tips and home-related advice. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The New York Post, Cosmopolitan, Ladies' Home Journal, Harper's Bazaar, Martha Stewart Living, Bride's, Fitness, Working Woman, House Beautiful, American Health, Parents, and many other publication. Dead Man's Float is her first mystery. She summers on the New Jersey shore.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Avon (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038073107X
• ISBN-13: 978-0380731077
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,836,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Goo dwho-done-it, June 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dead Man's Float (Jersey Shore Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Oceanside, New Jersey, Ann Hardaway is the ghost writer on several popular household guide books. Though she makes her living making other people's "How To Do" books look good, thirty-something Ann is bored to tears in her clean living small town. She thinks things might pick up when the guy she lusted over in high school, Tigger Mills, returns after a two decade absence. Twenty years ago, Tigger left town after everyone, except Ann, thought he killed a young girl during an act of arson.

However, Tigger drowns under very suspicious circumstances. Once again, Ann is the odd duck as every other one of the 702 residents believe Tigger committed suicide. Ann thinks a murder occurred. Armed with her knowledge of housekeeping, and the ins and outs of each and every home in the area, Anne begins to investigate.

DEAD MAN'S FLOAT is a unique amateur sleuth novel due to the insertion as part of the story line of some interesting housekeeping tips in each chapter. Ann is an interesting character and the Jersey shore is always fun to visit. Fans of culinary mysteries will enjoy this sister tale lovingly written by Beth Sherman, who uses her expertise as home beautification specialist to perhaps start a new sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Beach Reading!, July 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dead Man's Float (Jersey Shore Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a great mystery novel that will keep you guessing right up until the end. The main character is very likable and the story moves quickly. A great relaxing summer read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining mystery, May 15, 2005

By 

Christina* - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Man's Float (Jersey Shore Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Beth Sherman's Dead Man's Float is a simple, realistic, and entertaining mystery. The book begins with a little about Tigger Mills life and explains that he was a risk taker. Also explained is how a fire killed a little girl Ruthie and that Tigger may have started the fire. Tigger is never found guilty but leaves New Jersey. Anne, the main character, is talked about in the beginning and how she had a crush on Tigger. Well when twenty years go by and Tigger comes back, Anne starts having a crush on him all over again. After having dinner the next morning Tigger is found dead and suicide is suspected. Anne seems to be the only person that thinks otherwise until she meets Tigger's brother, Jack. Anne and Jack then try to figure who killed Tigger and if his murder is connected to the fire.
Anne is a character that readers can relate to because she has had hard times in her life. She's lost a loved one, her love life has been a little off, and she tries to live in a town where people still know her as the "crazy lady's daughter." The mystery of who killed Tigger is interesting and compelling, since a lot of people don't mind that he is dead. The book has two mysteries in one and it makes you think and try to connect it all. It's a good mixture of slight humor, mystery, and romance. Also the mixture of characters and their personalities can make you easily connect them with someone you may know. All in all this book is a can't stop reading type book.