When the Dead Speak: The Second Brett Higgins Mystery (Brett Higgins Mysteries) [Paperback]

Therese Szymanski (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 207 pages
• Publisher: Naiad Pr; 1st edition (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562801988
• ISBN-13: 978-1562801984
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,745,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Therese (Reese) Szymanski (www.BigBadButch.com) is an award-winning playwright who has been short-listed for a few Lammies, a few Goldies and a Spectrum, and made the Publishing Triangle's list of Notable Lesbian Books in 2004 and was chosen for an Alice B. Reader's Appreciation Award for 2008.

She's written eight Brett Higgins Motor City Thrillers (When the Dancing Stops, When the Dead Speak, When Some Body Disappears, When Evil Changes Face, When the Corpse Lies, When First We Practice and When It's All Relative); one Shawn Donnelly book, It's All Smoke & Mirrors: The First Chronicles of Shawn Donnelly; and edited the erotic anthologies Back to Basics, Call of the Dark, Wild Nights, Fantasy and A Perfect Valentine. She has novellas in Once Upon a Dyke; Stake through the Heart; Bell, Book and Dyke and Tall in the Saddle and has a few dozen published short stories and essays.

She's a seasoned writer with two decades' experience writing for nonprofit, advertising, marketing and journalistic purposes. A second-generation American, she comes from Detroit, lives in D.C., and hopes to move in with her girlfriend, Stacia, soon.

She occasionally teaches classes, though it's been quite a while since they've been at the college level. She's much more likely these days to be found at festivals and book signings. Well, and online.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Szymanski a True Genius, October 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: When the Dead Speak: The Second Brett Higgins Mystery (Brett Higgins Mysteries) (Paperback)

Passion filled adventure surrounds Brett and Allie when they take charge of thier new life together. Upon entering thier new home, believed by neighbors to be haunted, Brett begins to feel something unfamiliar. As the two begin to explore the history of the house they find a girl was murdered there. While investigating the murder of years prior, Brett is faced with her own past. Will the memory of Storm ruin Brett and Allie's relationship, or will the truth set Brett free from fear? Szymanski is a true genius in her writings, combining intense passion and adventure to provide a reading enjoyment like no other.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Loved the Murder story...but not much else, October 18, 2001

By 

D. Johnson (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Dead Speak: The Second Brett Higgins Mystery (Brett Higgins Mysteries) (Paperback)

Now, I was very excited about The second Brett Higgins mystery becuase I thought the first, 'When the Dancing Stops', was excellent! But, I was a little saddend by this one. I found the writing a little rushed and contrived. The first novel I felt read much more logically and the characters were more believable, likable and interesting. The only person in this novel I liked and believed was Liza, the mudered girl and she was hardly in the story. Brett just seemed to darn butch for her own good and the dialogue between she and her lover Allie was just plain unreal. It was as if the words and the "glares" were stratigically placed. So strategically placed infact that it seemed to flow more like a play. A play written by a budding highschool writer. The only thing that kept me reading the novel was that I wanted to know how the book was finally pulled together in the end, and to see if Liza made any more appearances (and the fact I spent some money on it). The love scenes were cliché, and the character development non-existant. Overall, the read was easy, and a bit entertaining but the novel left much to be desired. I'm a little nervous about ordering the next in the series. I just hope that the story line is a bit more believable than this one. But keep on keepin' on Therese because I'm sure this is not the last novel I'll read by you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice story, bad mystery, October 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: When the Dead Speak: The Second Brett Higgins Mystery (Brett Higgins Mysteries) (Paperback)

The story in the book kept my attention and I refused to put the book down until I had finished it. However, the mystery itself did not flow well. It seemed to me that Brett and Allie got most of their clues by luck and by Brett's contact with the dead Liza. I think the best approach to this book is to just tell yourself "I believe," and force all doubts and questions out of your mind. I also saw no reason for Storm to keep appearing. Until Storm's appearance, Brett seemed to have no problem with her memories of Storm. It was only after Storm appeared, and told Brett she had to let Storm go, that Brett started questioning her relationship with Allie.