Twice Dead [Paperback]

Elizabeth Dearl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001

More than thirty years ago, a minister named Ralph Posey absconded with the church funds, abandoning his wife and daughter. At least, that's what everyone in Perdue thought . . . until now.

When Ralph's skeleton is discovered, it quickly becomes obvious that he never left town at all -- he was murdered, and all evidence implicates his wife as the killer. Bonita Posey admittedly detested her husband, but she denies taking his life. Can Taylor uncover the truth in time to keep her octogenarian friend out of prison?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating mystery and a wonderful amateur sleuth adds up to a reader's delight." -- --D.R. Meredith, author of MURDER IN VOLUME

"Elizabeth Dearl's TWICE DEAD has everything I love in a mystery..." -- --Leslie O'Kane, author

. . . everything I love in a mystery -- a smart, appealing heroine, an unusual setting, romance, and a terrific plot. -- Leslie O'Kane, author of the Molly Masters series and the Allie Babcock series

. . . old murder lurks, new murder threatens, and romance and intrigue are alive and well. What a fun read! -- Judy Fitzwater, author of DYING TO BE MURDERED

A clever mystery, full of quirky, well-drawn characters, TWICE DEAD makes a great read. I highly recommend it. -- Carrie S. Masek, for Scribes World Reviews

A fascinating mystery, a wonderful amateur sleuth . . . a reader's delight . . . masterful blend that calls for many repeats. -- D.R. Meredith, author of MURDER IN VOLUME

With its buried secrets, dusty bones, and engaging romance, TWICE DEAD is a devilish delight. -- Edie Claire, author of NEVER PREACH PAST NOON

With its buried secrets, dusty bones, and engaging romance, TWICE DEAD is a devilish delight." -- --Edie Claire, author of NEVER PREACH PAST NOON

About the Author

Elizabeth Dearl is a former Texas police officer who also owned a small bookstore for several years. Her short mysteries have appeared in Woman's World, Mystery Net, Mystery Time, Blue Murder, Futures, Britain's Fiction Feast and many other magazines. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: Avid Press, LLC (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931419183
• ISBN-13: 978-1931419185
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,089,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second Book in the Taylor Madison Series, September 9, 2003

By 

Silmarwen (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Twice Dead (Taylor Madison Mystery Series, 2) (Paperback)

Taylor Madison has settled down into her father's old house in Perdue, Texas and is busy trying to write a new mystery novel, keep anyone from noticing that Cal Arnette, the man running for Sheriff in a month's time and her boyfriend, is spending most nights over at her house, and stay on top of the gossip coming from her neighbor Dorothy. So the last thing she needs is to find a skeleton in her friend Bonita "Bo" Posey's closet. Well, chimney in this case.

When Taylor persuaded Cal to drive her out to Bo's house on the chance of finding some good garage sale bargains they found a male skeleton wedged up the chimney with a shovel. Turns out the skeleton belongs to Ralph, Bo's preacher husband who supposedly ran off with all the church funds years ago. Since it was Bo's husband and she made no bones about her hatred for the man, Bo was the natural suspect for the murder. Taylor knows that her friend Bo would never kill her husband, no matter how much she hated him, and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.

But as Taylor gets involved in the past, she uncovers more mysteries instead of solutions. Why does Faith, Bo's daughter hate her? What happened to Harvey Neff, Ralph's sidekick? Why does Lewis Tucker, arguably the richest man in town live like a pauper? And what caused Lewis and Faith to break up on the night of his accident? How is the slimy new deputy Oliver Burke involved in the whole mess? And, most importantly, what is going on between Cal and the attractive Srgt. Molly Sullivan of the Lubbock Sheriff's Department? As Taylor hunts to uncover the answers to the mystery, she is forced to make some difficult decisions, but decides that she cannot let the past stay buried...

This is the second book in the Taylor Madison series and it is just as good as the first one, Diamondback. I love that the author keeps the same characters coming back for more so that readers of the series can see what is happening in their lives, but first time readers will find Dearl's brief backgrounds more that adequate to catch them up. The little town of Perdue, TX is a great setting for this series and the characters are absolutely wonderful. Be on the lookout for more by this author - she is just fabulous!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Good I Dreamed About It., November 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Twice Dead (Paperback)

"Twice Dead is a great read! Just finished my copy and am compelled to post a couple notes. First, to illustrate how "into" this book I was, I actually DREAMED about the characters and Who Done It! Honestly! Never happened to me before. So, yes, TD is captivating.

Ms. Dearl gives the reader an intriguing premise right up-front, moves the storyline along briskly, provides plenty of clues, plenty of disparate, well defined characters, tosses in a touch of romance and ends it with an exciting finish that's grounded in the set-up, believable and satisfying.

If you're looking for an absorbing mystery with wonderful characters and an all too human sleuth, Twice Dead is for you."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and suspenseful!, July 23, 2003

By 

n22v (NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twice Dead (Taylor Madison Mystery Series, 2) (Paperback)

Elizabeth Dearl's second book, TWICE DEAD, is just as intriguing and suspenseful, quirky and amusing, as her first book in this series, DIAMONDBACK. In this story, sassy blonde amateur sleuth Taylor Madison and her adorable ferret return for more thrills and chills as they solve a thirty-five year old mystery after finding a skeleton in the chimney. Who killed Ralph Posey? I'll never tell. This one will keep you guessing to the surprising ending. Very highly recommended!!!