You Only Die Twice (Nova Audio Books) [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Edna Buchanan (Author), Sandra Burr (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2001 | Series: Nova Audio Books

The perfect, nude corpse of a beautiful woman washes up on a perfect Miami Beach - her body tanned and shapely, her nails elegantly manicured. The problem is the victim, Kaithlin Jordan, was supposedly murdered ten years ago. And her convicted killer - her husband, R.J. Jordan, scion of a wealthy and powerful South Florida family - sits on Death Row, just weeks from his execution. Newspaper reporter Britt Montero recalls the high-profile murder trial that heated up a volatile tropical city like a merciless August sun. Even without a body, the prosecution's case against Jordan seemed airtight and the jury enthusiastically bought into it. Now R.J. is preparing to walk - benefiting from the murderous "largess" of whomever drowned his wife off Miami Beach - and Britt's boundlessly curious nature is energized once more by a slew of questions that suddenly need answers. Did Kaithlin frame her husband for murder - or had she simply efficiently fled an abusive marriage? And why, after successfully reinventing herself, had she returned to South Florida, only to meet a very bad end in deep turquoise water? Impulsive and explosive, with a turbulent love life and a unique, highly charged relationship with this singular metropolis erected between swamp and sea, Britt is only truly happy when she's involved in a juicy death story. And this one has the right smell and feel . . .and threat. Because somewhere in the tangle of an enigmatic beauty's bizarre life and even stranger rebirth - somewhere between the sparkling gold coast glamour and flashing neon sleaze - are secret passions and buried solutions that could doom an overly inquisitive journalist with a tendency to leap before she looks. After all, this is Miami, where anything is possible . . . even dying twice.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In her seventh outing for Miami crime reporter Britt Montero, Edna Buchanan (herself an erstwhile journalist for The Miami Herald) serves up a nice twist on a standard plot. The body of a beautiful naked woman floats in on the tide practically at Britt's feet, and it turns out to be that of a woman supposedly murdered a decade before by her wealthy husband. Most of the action focuses on freeing R.J. Jordan, the convicted killer, from his cell on death row. R.J., a handsome but decidedly unpleasant guy who maintained his innocence all along, isn't the slightest bit interested in apprehending his wife's killer. He's just happy her body turned up before he died for her murder. But Britt wants to know where Lily Jordan's been for the last 10 years, and why she came back to Miami just days before her husband was due to die.

To Britt's surprise, her own mother has an important clue, although it's all Britt can do to pry it out of her. Not only did the elegant, socially well- connected Montero matriarch know the victim, she even mentored Lily as she rose through the executive ranks of the Jordan family business. The new explications of the complicated relationship between Britt and her mother is a plus for fans of this bestselling series, who appreciate Buchanan's deft characterizations as well as her love for the city she has called home all her (and Britt's) life. As an extra fillip, there's Britt's growing relationship with the investigator who helped put R.J. away 10 years ago, a nice counterpoint to this ingenious updating of Double Indemnity. Buchanan's pacing is dead-on, as she stays one step ahead of even the most discerning reader right up to the explosive conclusion. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

ulitzer Prize-winning journalist Buchanan has retained an impeccably high standard since turning to fiction with 1990's Nobody Lives Forever, and her eighth mystery featuring Miami News crime reporter Britt Montero is one of the best. Narrated with assurance by Brilliance veteran Burr, the audio production benefits from this mystery's unusually streamlined style. Typically, Britt's adventures feature abundant, fascinating mini-mysteries popping up on the job, diverting her attention from the main case. This time, the mystery is more tightly focused. Some may miss the extra color, but no one will find anything lacking in this riveting, complex and clever thriller. Britt's immediate task is to identify the nude, recently dead body of a beautiful woman that has washed ashore. Once I.D.'d, the mystery grows: she was believed to have been murdered 10 years earlier and her husband has spent a decade on Death Row for the crime. Where was she all those years, and who found and killed her for real this second time? Rich comic relief is provided by the upcoming wedding of Britt's ever-pregnant friend Angel (picture bridesmaid Britt in a salmon-colored dress with a bustle), while emotional hurts surface with the cracking of the normally calm fa‡ade of Britt's mother, who holds a key to the mystery. A white-knuckle climax tops this outstanding effort. Simultaneous release with the Morrow hardcover (Forecasts, Mar. 5).

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Nova Audio Books; Abridged edition (March 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587884127
• ISBN-13: 978-1587884122
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 4.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,771,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buchanan's Best, April 29, 2001

By 

Kent Braithwaite (Palm Desert, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Only Die Twice: A Novel (Britt Montero Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Being a southern California based mystery writer, I am constantly amazed by the output of those mystery writers based in southern Florida. They deal with a territory similar to ours in many ways, yet their works have twists that distinguish the Florida works from our California mysteries.

Edna Buchanan is among the best of the southern Florida mystery writers, and YOU ONLY DIE TWICE is among her best works. I love this book. The body of a woman washes up dead, and Britt Montero, ace crime reporter, is off on her latest adventure. The woman was supposedly murdered ten years before by her wealthy husband. That man was convicted of the crime and is awaiting execution when his supposed victim rides the tide ashore.

All of the usual atypical elements of Buchanan's works are featured here. The plot moves swiftly and veers in odd directions. The dialog is crisp, and Miami continues in its spectacular supporting role. New light is cast on Britt's romantic and family relationships. This book is perfect! Bring on the next!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars REJOICE - BRITT'S BACK!, March 25, 2001

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Only Die Twice: A Novel (Britt Montero Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Rejoice thriller fans, Britt's back - ace crime reporter Britt Montero, that is, creation of Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter/author Edna Buchanan. The scene is, of course, Miami, where the sun always shines and crime stats. pile high.

Britt hears that the body of a once beautiful young woman has just washed up on the beach. Through fingerprints the woman is identified as Kaithlin Jordan, a member of an important department store family. Evidently, Kaithlin once held sway at the family's flagship store, calling the shots and rasing the revenue.

There are conundrums, as always - a major one being that Kaithlin has been dead for ten years. In fact, her killer is scheduled to be executed for her murder in one week. Where has the woman been for a decade, what has she been doing and who killed her - twice?

Britt needs all her resources to solves this crime that has more twists than a corkscrew.

Edna Buchanan is a pro at devising plots that reel readers in. With "You Only Die Twice" she's hooked us once again.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Suspense From a Maven, May 16, 2001

By 

Sherrie Martin "sherchez" (Roanoke, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Only Die Twice: A Novel (Britt Montero Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The death warrant has been signed and R. J. Jordan is days away from execution by the State of Florida for the 10-year-old murder of his beautiful young wife, Kaithlin. Kaithlin's body was never found, but the circumstantial evidence of her demise was so overwhelming that R. J.'s protestations of innocence fell on deaf ears.

Miami crime reporter Britt Montero is on the beach when the freshly murdered body of a young woman washes ashore. Imagine the chagrin of law enforcement officials when the body is finally identified as that of ... Kaithlin Jordan. After an emergency hearing, an understandably surly R. J. Jordan is released from prison and Britt begins her investigation into where Kaithlin Jordan has been for the past ten years and why she suddenly showed up dead in Miami, to say nothing of who killed her.

The answers to these questions and more will shock you and, chillingly, this scenario could so easily actually happen. The pace of this absolutely fabulous thriller is so frantic that I finished it in one evening. Nobody writes 'em like Edna Buchanan, who's been there and done that.