Separated at Death (An Elizabeth Hewitt Mystery) [Hardcover]

Sheldon Rusch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008 | Series: An Elizabeth Hewitt Mystery (Book 3)

A shattering new novel of suspense from the acclaimed author of For Edgar.

His debut novel For Edgar was named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Ten Best Mysteries of 2005, and hailed as "prose worthy of Poe." In The Boy With Perfect Hands, the Hollywood Reporter found "plenty of chances to shiver." Now, Sheldon Rusch returns to plunge his brave protagonist, Illinois State Special Agent Elizabeth Hewitt, into a new series of crimes, each more shocking than the last. Estranged couples are being beheaded by someone with a twisted agenda-a violent secret ceremony, to which Hewitt has been invited.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Quirky characters lift Rusch's convoluted third mystery to feature Illinois state investigator Liz Hewitt (after 2006's The Boy with Perfect Hands). The newly engaged Hewitt is in a contest with Jen Spangler, a single mom and criminal justice student, for the approval of Jen's father, who happens to be Hewitt's cop mentor. These two smart, cuttingly self-aware women also compete to stop a lunatic from decapitating estranged married couples. The present atrocities turn out to be related to a pair of cold case murders, and the swarm of suspects includes a libidinous psychiatrist, the pathetic editor of a neighborhood newspaper, an ultraempathetic priest and a mob of marriage counselors. Hewitt doesn't so much weigh evidence as blow cool jazz riffs on it, and Jen shows flashes of the same clever, nervous intuition. Rusch's style, dense with disconcerting wordplay and detached irony, works especially well in the chapters exhibiting the killer's skewed viewpoint. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Rusch’s third mystery (after For Edgar, 2005, and The Boy with Perfect Hands, 2006) continues the theme of sensational serial murders solved by quick-witted Elizabeth Hewitt of the Illinois State Police. This time most of the victims are estranged spouses in therapy, several of them clients of the same Chicago-area marital-counseling group, who are found decapitated. The intuitive Hewitt, having pangs of doubt about her fresh engagement to fellow detective Brady Richter, plays jazz riffs in her head as she investigates with her “surrogate sister,” boss Ed Spangler’s interning daughter, Jennifer, who takes off on a cold case that turns out to be integral to the murders. Philosophical and religious aspects add interest, and Rusch ties things up neatly at the end. But his metaphorical literary style may lose readers at the start, and what seems insufficient motive for horrendous acts may disappoint those who stay the course. Titillating and macabre, this is more likely to steer readers to church than to therapy. --Michele Leber

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1 edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425219488
• ISBN-13: 978-0425219485
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,059,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing story, April 1, 2008

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Separated at Death (An Elizabeth Hewitt Mystery) (Hardcover)

A new engagement ring adorns the hand of Elizabeth Taylor Hewitt. Liz Hewitt, Illinois State Special Agent, has just become engaged to Brady Stephen Richter, who is also a detective. Weddings and marriage is the main theme of Separated at Death but in the most gruesome way imaginable.

Ed Spangler, Liz's superior, teams Liz up with his daughter, Jen Spangler. Jen is a young single mother who still lives at home with her father. She has decided to study criminal justice at the university. Although her father is not happy with her career choice, he has agreed to allow Jen to shadow Liz and get some experience. Jen's first experience is shocking beyond belief. The first call she goes on with Liz is to a residence where a woman has been murdered. The scene is horrifying but made even more so by the fact that the murderer has removed the victim's head, and it is nowhere to be found.

When Liz and Jen go to talk to the victim's estranged husband, they find that he has fallen victim to the same beheading. Therefore, the two investigators, one experienced, one wanting experience, find themselves going down a strange path. Liz meets with the marriage counselors who have counseled the victims. Big Shoulders Marriage and Family Therapy have a unique assortment of counselors for Liz to study. Jen takes off on her own to follow up a cold case that she thinks might have a connection to the violence currently taking place. Jen meets with Byron Biffle, newspaper editor, whose father was murdered years ago.

Jen and Liz approach the investigation from different angles but finally observe the final ceremony that the killer has planned all along.

Separated at Death will intrigue and shock the reader. I would highly recommend the book for any reader that enjoys an exciting read and is not disturbed by violent acts. This book is not for the cozy reader.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended if you can read a good story that also has violent acts in it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exciting police procedural, April 2, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Separated at Death (An Elizabeth Hewitt Mystery) (Hardcover)

On the day she became engaged to Brady, Illinois State special agent Elizabeth Hewitt is assigned to what will prove to be one of the most horrific cases of her career. She and the daughter of her mentoring Captain has is daughter Jen Spangler job shadowing her. They are sent to the house of Rita Vandermause. There they find her body in a pool of blood, but her head is nowhere around. The obvious first suspect is the victim's estranged husband Joe, but he is found dead with his head missing too.

A second couple is soon discovered dead with their heads missing. Elizabeth and Jen seek the common threads and learn the latest pair was estranged and like the first duet went to Big Shoulders Therapies for marriage counseling; the other commonality is psychiatrist Dr. Gerald Boccachio. Matters turn bizarre when pictures of the dead couples dressed up for a wedding are sent to Mundelein Dispatch owner Byron Biffle, whose father was murdered several years ago in a still unsolved case. Elizabeth has quite a list of suspects so she sends Jen to interview the person she considers least dangerous; her assessment will prove wrong.

SEPARATED AT DEATH is an exciting police procedural showcasing an experienced cop mentoring a criminology student who starts off shadowing her but eventually persuades her teacher to allow her some independent field work. Both women are believable as bright and independent role models. There is plenty of action in this complex mystery, but the heart of the tale is the strong cast because this makes for a credible and terrific investigation by the two dedicated sleuths.

Harriet Klausner