Never Trust a Dead Man
By Matt Berman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Classic mystery with a touch of magic, dark humor.
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What's the Story?
In a small, medieval village, Selwyn is accused of murdering Farold, his rival for Anora's affections. The townspeople, convinced of his guilt by circumstantial evidence, decide to seal Selwyn in the burial cave with Farold's body (and those of other dead villagers). There he meets Elswyth, a witch seeking \"a lock of hair from a man newly dead\" for a spell. In exchange for a year of service she agrees to free him, and for a few more years of service she agrees to bring back the spirit of Farold to proclaim his innocence.
But Selwyn messes up the spell, and Farold's spirit ends up in the body of a bat. Worse, he doesn't know who killed him. So Selwyn, disguised as a Pilgrim, and Farold, in the body of a bat, head back to the village to try to solve the mystery, bickering with and sniping at each other all the way.
Is It Any Good?
Selwyn may be the protagonist, but it's Farold (and Elswyth, when she's around) who holds the reader's attention. Selwyn is just the straight-man to Farold's delightful combination of petulance, snide sarcasm, whiny self-centeredness, deviousness, and good sense, all coming out of the mouth of a bat (and later a goldfinch, and then a duck).
Vivian Vande Velde has taken a classic mystery (red herrings, multiple suspects, a man wrongly accused) and added a touch of magic, a bit of the supernatural, and a dark sense of humor. The result is the author's specialty -- lightweight fun from start to finish. The mystery is nicely balanced to provide clues without being too predictable, and when the mystery slows, the humor fills in to keep things humming along.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the change in the relationship between Selwyn and Farold. Once enemies, they become friends as they work together. How do they overcome their enmity?
Book Details
- Author: Vivian Vande Velde
- Genre: Mystery
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Harcourt Brace
- Publication date: March 29, 2004
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 14
- Number of pages: 194
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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