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Never Trust a Dead Man (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "For Selwyn Roweson, the morning the villagers turned on him started the way the night before had ended: He and his father were removing tree..." (more)
Key Phrases: dumb twit, burial cave, Saint Hilda, Selwyn Roweson, Alden Thorneson (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover, March 31, 1999 -- $6.71 $0.01
  Paperback, September 30, 2008 $6.95 $2.59 $2.49
  Mass Market Paperback, July 9, 2001 -- $0.66 $0.01
  Unknown Binding, February 29, 2000 $11.19 $11.19 --

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this Edgar Award winner set in medieval times, Anora chooses to marry the obnoxious but wealthy Farold instead of Selwyn, thus making Selwyn the chief suspect when Farold is found murdered. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.



From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-A medieval mystery with a touch of the supernatural. Fellow villagers wrongly accuse Selwyn, 17, of murdering fellow teen Farold and leave him to die in a burial cave alongside his supposed victim's "moldering corpse." During Selwyn's first evening in the chamber, Elswyth (a witch) appears and offers to help him escape if he agrees to work as her servant. Wanting to first clear his name, he asks her to bring the victim back from the dead to reveal his true killer. Unfortunately, the resurrected Farold (who mistakenly ends up in the body of a bat) does not know who killed him and the two enemies who have fought over a shared love interst become unlikely partners in the search for the murderer. Elswyth provides magical disguises so that they may return to their village unnoticed. At one point, the two travel (hardly inconspicuously) as a pilgrim and his bat. Selwyn soon discovers that Farold's shady character has earned him numerous enemies but he eventually solves the mystery and wins his freedom. Vande Velde successfully weaves humor with suspense throughout the story. Selwyn and Farold's jocular banter typifies a friendly antagonistic relationship and Elswyth provides comic relief with her penchant for sarcasm. Filled with engaging characters, witty dialogue, and lots of action, this is an entertaining blend of fantasy, whodunit, and comedy.
Laura Glaser, Euless Junior High School, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Laurel Leaf (July 10, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 044022828X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0440228288
  • Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,279,992 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Vivian Vande Velde
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Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
For Selwyn Roweson, the morning the villagers turned on him started the way the night before had ended: He and his father were removing tree stumps from the bit of land they hoped to plant as an additional field next spring. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dumb twit, burial cave
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Saint Hilda, Selwyn Roweson, Alden Thorneson, Derian Miller
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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy/Humor/Murder Mystery, this book has it all!, June 9, 2000
By Book Woman (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Never Trust a Dead Man (Hardcover)
Selwyn is accused of murdering Farold, a romantic rival, and sentenced to be "buried alive" in the burial cave with his alleged victim. Selwyn is innocent, and fortunately for him, he meets a witch named Elswyth who has entered the cave from a secret entrance to obtain spell-making materials. She agrees to help him, but whacks him on the head every time he asks a stupid question (which is frequently) and asks him to pledge years of his life in service to her as payment. He agrees, and asks her to bring Farold back to life so he can ask him who the real murderer is. Unfortunatley, he muffs his part of the spell, and instead of being magiked into his own body, the Farold is installed in the body of a bat. And, since he was stabbed in the back, (a fact Selwyn somehow overlooked) he has no idea who killed him. Eventually the three (Selwyn, Farold and Elswyth)come up with a plan to find the real murderer and clear Selwyn's name.

I thought this book was fabulous. The characters are fully-realized, and the plot zips right along. My favorite thing about it is the relationship between Selwyn & Farold, who were enemies in life, but grow to be friends after Farold's death and transformation into a bat. Their banter is hilarious, and I also loved Elswyth, who is probably the smartest, and certainly the most sensible character in the book. Highly recommended for fantasy/mystery fans age 10 and up.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read, September 18, 2005
By Neker (Duson, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
  
Young adult book about seventeen year old, Selwyn Roweson. The story begins with Selwyn being accused and convicted as a murderer. It's kind of hard to protest when they've gagged your mouth and you have no say in the matter. Because there is no executoner in the small town and the townspeople don't want to have to wait for the authorities, they decide to bury Selwyn with the dead body in a local burial cave. The dead, Farold, was never a friend of Selwyn. As a matter of fact, the two boys were both vying for the hand of the same pretty girl. (She chose Farold.) But when a strange witch shows up inside the dark cave and shows Selwyn the way out (after agreeing to payment), Selwyn finds himself with a chance to find the real killer (with the help of the witch and the dead Farold).

Wittily told. I laughed throughout.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Now My Favorite Book, February 11, 2001
By NO (Portland, ME USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Never Trust a Dead Man (Hardcover)
I am about 2-3ds into this book. It is now my favorite book no matter what happens at the end. Poor 17-year old Selwyn is accused of murder because he loved a girl Farold loved. After Selwyn found out that the girl had chosen Farold to be her husband Farold was found dead and stabbed in the back;with Selwyn's knife! Some villigers put him to death in a place he would starve. He met a witch there and now they are trying to figure out who the REAL murderer is. GREAT BOOK!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Written, Well Done Medieval Mystery/Fantasy Book
Vivian Vande Velde is a terrific writer and writes great young adult books. This is the second book of hers that I have read and it is just as wonderful as the other. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Lynn Ellingwood

4.0 out of 5 stars Dirty Laundry
One day while removing stumps from a field, young Selwyn finds out that he is being accused of the murder of a semi-rival. Read more
Published on June 13, 2006 by Joshua Koppel

5.0 out of 5 stars Lilliths review
sewlyn is accused and stuck in a cave to die. elswyth an old witch helps him out but he has to pay a year for it he alsoasks her to bring back farolds soul so he can help find who... Read more
Published on December 15, 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Pun Shanghai's Book Review
Never Trust a Dead Man is definitely a great book; hence its interesting title. The protagonist is a teenaged boy, Selwyn, who have been falsely accused of killing his lifetime... Read more
Published on May 27, 2005 by Pun

3.0 out of 5 stars never trust a dead man
This novel was very good. The plot of this book is Sewlyn was convicted of murdering his worst enemy. Read more
Published on November 17, 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Never Trust a Dead Man by Vivian Vande Velde
If you like suspense,comedy, and fun, I suggest you pick up a copy of Never Trust a Dead Man, by Vivian Vande Velde, the writer of many great books including Never Trust a Dead... Read more
Published on November 3, 2004 by Anne H.

4.0 out of 5 stars Enemies become Friends
A Review by Sidne

Selwyn is an eighteen-year old boy struggling to prove his innocence of murder. Anora, a young woman Selwyn proposed to was devastated. Read more

Published on November 9, 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars A book that you can't put down!
I read the book called "Never trust a Dead Man" This book is filled with adventure and mystery. Selwyn is a teenage boy who has been accused for killing Farold. Read more
Published on February 13, 2003 by a student

5.0 out of 5 stars Never trust a dead man
Never Trust a dead man is a book with alot of good characters. It is one os the best books I ever read. It hase a really good plot. Read more
Published on February 12, 2003 by Nathan

4.0 out of 5 stars A Four Star Book
In this book, a boy named Selwyn is wrongfully accused of killing a boy Farold (both of them around the age of seventeen). Read more
Published on November 4, 2002

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