Postmortem [Paperback]

Annette Bailey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 2002

POSTMORTEMWill Henderson lived a lonely, dinner for one existence; a professed bachelor and twenty-five year veteran of the United States Postal Service, he faithfully weaved his way through the multi-cultural Mission District, delivering countless bank statements, credit card bills, and even an occasional love letter spattered in bright red lipstick.His love affair with the Postal Service was indeed a lasting one; longer, and by all accounts, happier than most marriages. Still, despite his passion for all things postalhe rarely engaged with any one of his nameless recipients; cursory glances were somehow his specialty.However, there was one exception. Emily Everington remained somehow different; a kindly eccentric widow who formerly ran Mission Heights, the only fully renovated bed and breakfast in the district. Little did he know their lives would become forever linked that balmy, fateful July day; his so-called ordinary existence was about to take an extraordinary turn, leading him down a macabre pathway fraught with seduction, betrayal and death

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ms. Bailey has written a very good story, and the ending is very, very surprising." -- Sue Hartigan, AAM Reviews, January 4, 2003

"The story is well written with a well-crafted plot. It is intriging for the reader to fathom the end." -- Barbara Buhrer, Myshelf reviewer, January 15, 2003

From the Author

"Born and raised in the San Francisco bay area, I found it only fitting to pay homage to the illustrious city by the bay. Although almost thirty years ago, girlhood memories of the Golden Gate Bridge, Market Street, and the Mission District prompted me to pen this book. POSTMORTEM is not only a loving tribute, but offers the reader twists and turns equal only to Lombard Street, the city's most infamous stretch of concrete. With that being said, enjoy the ride!"

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (December 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595258425
• ISBN-13: 978-0595258420
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,884,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars POSTMORTEM, January 16, 2003

By 

Susan Hartigan (Riverside, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Postmortem (Paperback)

Will Henderson has lived a solitary life, working for the San Francisco Post Office for over twenty-five
years. He rides around San Francisco on his rusty old-ten speed, listening to his Walkman, and lives
alone with his little dog, Bingo, in a tiny one-room studio apartment south of Market. Will is very, very
shy and rarely even talks to anyone, except Bingo. On his mail route he very rarely even
acknowledges any of his customers, except the obligatory "Hi" when called upon. However
there is one old lady who Will has become quite close to in a mother/son type of way. Emily
Everington is everything that Will wished his mother had been, that is if he had known his mother. But
even before his parents were killed in an automobile accident, they were emotionally detached from
him. His mother, being a very strict Catholic did do one thing though, she instilled plenty of guilt and
strict moral codes, into her son. So strict in fact that Will has no friends, or fun in his life. His only
"fun" is his job, a job he absolutely loves. His only friends being Bingo, and Mrs.
Everington. Mrs. Everington is a very wealthy lady, and enjoys being with Will. They go to baseball
games together, and just sit and talk sometimes. Mrs. Everington would sometimes have Will do
different little chores for her that she wasn't able to do anymore. And Will enjoyed doing them for her.
There is one postal worker in the office that Will does have his eye on, Roxie LaRue. A fifty-some
bleached blonde Dolly Parton look-alike. Roxie has a garbage mouth that would make a longshoreman
blush, but there is something about her that just makes Will melt every time he comes in contact with
her, if only to look. Roxie and Will both led similar lives, in that they both grew up without family
support and emotional contact. Roxie having survived living from one foster home to the next, while
growing up. Roxie had been transferred to the same postal station where Will works because she had
a problem. She was constantly jumping from bed to bed, with any man that she came in contact with,
including her working cohorts. But Will is smitten, although he knows it will go nowhere. On a very hot
day in July, Will is delivering his mail as usual, when he comes to Mrs. Everington's home. As Will is
about to deliver her mail, Mrs. Everington gives him an envelope to post. One that seems very
important to her. She seems afraid, and tells Will that someone is out to kill her. Will passed this off
as one of the old lady's delusions, however the thought doesn't completely leave his mind. That next
day Will wakes to the news that Mrs. Everington is dead. The news reports say that she jumped off
the Golden Gate bridge, however Will knows that this is not possible. Soon after the reports of Mrs.
Everington's death, Will receives a phone call from an attorney, Stephan Martinelli. Mr. Martinelli tells
Will that he has become the sole beneficiary in Mrs. Everington's will. She has left him fifteen million
dollars! Will doesn't quite know how to handle this, or why she would leave him her entire estate.
When Will returns to home after seeing the attorney, he finds Roxie on his doorstep. She tells him
that she had just come by to see how he was, and then one thing leads to another and they find
themselves in bed together. When Will announces his new "friendship" at work the guys
tease him, telling him that what Will has found, most of the males in San Francisco have already
found with Roxie. But that doesn't stop Will from going out with Roxie again, and after a night of
drinking, which Will has never done, and going to bars, again which Will has never done, Will finds
himself getting married to Roxie the next day. Before he knows it Will is mixed up in murder,
seduction, betrayal and a life that he never would have even dreamed of becoming a part of, much less
a player in before. POSTMORTEM is an exciting story of good versus evil, and what can happen to an
innocent, shy, and very naive person who never ventured from the sheltered existence he has built up
around him. A story of a man who gets pulled into a life he has no control over, nor wants any part of.
Where even the "good guys" are out to get him. Ms. Bailey has written a very good story,
however the conversations did get rather confusing at times, especially in the beginning. But the story
is strong, and it does keep your attention throughout the book. The characters are multifaceted and
the scenery is very real, if you know anything about San Francisco at all, all will ring very true. There
are some very poignant scenes, and the ending is very, very surprising. I do think you would like
POSTMORTEM and do recommend it to you as a good read.

1.0 out of 5 stars An argument to bring back book burning?, March 29, 2009

By 

Susan Leith (Sacramento, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Postmortem (Paperback)

I don't write reviews normally. I read a lot, some I love, some I like, some not so much. But this book is so bad I must warn you. Cliche, poor characters, ridiculous plot and I kept reading it because sadly I'm an optimist and always think, "it can't be this bad - it has to get better doesn't it? IT DOESN'T get one bit better, just worse, which in itself is a kind of odd achievement.

I'm using my copy to help start my next fire. That's the only way to get some good from it. Don't buy this book, watching paint dry is more interesting.