Dead Over Heels
Authors: Charlaine Harris
Table of Contents
Praise for
Dead Over Heels
“Harris’s love of life, mysteries, most things southern, and the inevitable and saving humor found in everyday life and not-so-everyday events colors another welcome adventure in this delightful mystery series.”
—
Mostly Murder
Mostly Murder
“A delightful book that is a thrilling and colorful American cozy. Adding elements of a whodunit enriches the brilliant story line. Charming secondary characters and homey subplots abound.”
—
Midwest Book Review
Midwest Book Review
“Infectious prose, engaging characters, crafty plotting; recommended.”
—
Library Journal
Library Journal
“A good old down-home southern-style mystery!”
—
The Southern Pines (NC) Pilot
The Southern Pines (NC) Pilot
The Julius House
“Roe is so charming, you will want to go back and read the first three.”
—
Mostly Murder
Mostly Murder
“Harris gives the reader quite a taste of small-town life in the south. Don’t miss it.”
—
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
“In the best of the series to date . . . the author’s brisk, upbeat style keeps tension simmering.”
—
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
“A witches’ brew of decorous old bones, whiffs of international intrigue, and helpful wedding tips, interspersed with nightly bouts of tasteful, enthusiastic offscreen coupling. Hands down Roe’s most bizarre adventure to date.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
“Good reading, augmented by solid characterization and occasional humor.”
—
Library Journal
Library Journal
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
“[A] high-spirited southern cozy.”
—
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
“Sparkling prose . . . [A] breath of fresh air.”
—
Library Journal
Library Journal
“Nicely done southern, small-town ambience . . . [A] breezy, unpretentious style.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
“Delightful . . . Clearly focused plot, animated description of character and real estate, and sparkling prose commend this breath of fresh air to all collections.”
—
Library Journal
Library Journal
A Bone to Pick
“Harris provides some genuinely funny scenes as Aurora breezily unravels the murderer’s identity . . . supported by an appealing cast of southern gothic characters.”
—
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
“A pleasant, fast read . . . Enjoyable.”
“Entertaining.”
—
Booklist
Booklist
“Pleasant reading . . . Heartily recommend[ed].”
—
Pen & Dagger
Pen & Dagger
“
Real Murders
is the first adventure for Harris’s perceptive protagonist and I eagerly look forward to the second . . . Harris’s story alternately charms and chills, a difficult combination she manages with aplomb and brilliance.”
Real Murders
is the first adventure for Harris’s perceptive protagonist and I eagerly look forward to the second . . . Harris’s story alternately charms and chills, a difficult combination she manages with aplomb and brilliance.”
—Carolyn Hart, award-winning
author of
Set Sail for Murder
author of
Set Sail for Murder
“An ingenious plot and sufficient flow of blood keep the pages flying in Harris’s novel . . . Harris draws the guilty and the innocent into an engrossing tale while inventing a heroine as capable and potentially complex as P. D. James’s Cordelia Gray.”
—
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Southern Vampire novels
featuring Sookie Stackhouse
“The goofy charm of Harris’s world, with its humor and occasional terror, is what makes
Dead Until Dark
so delightful.”
Dead Until Dark
so delightful.”
—
The Denver Post
The Denver Post
“Harris brings off this blend of mystery and vampires better than most.”
—
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
“A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that’s hard to put down and should not be missed.”
—Susan Sizemore,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Primal Heat
and the Laws of the Blood series
New York Times
bestselling author of
Primal Heat
and the Laws of the Blood series
“Too much fun.”
—
Wilmington (NC) Star-News
Wilmington (NC) Star-News
“Harris debuts a series that just might surpass all her others in popularity . . . Will have readers dying for more.”
—
Booklist
Booklist
“Fast pacing, excellent character development, and a strong story line . . . This fabulous opening gambit affirms that every series Charlaine Harris creates is utterly fantastic.”
—
Midwest Book Review
Midwest Book Review
Praise for Charlaine Harris’s Lily Bard Mysteries
“Lily Bard [is] the equal of Kay Scarpetta, Kinsey Mill-hone, and V. I. Warshawski.”
—
Library Journal
Library Journal
“First-rate mystery.”
—
Midwest Book Review
Midwest Book Review
“Lily Bard gives as good as she gets. The reading is fast and the action’s faster, proving that women really are the better half.”
—
Mostly Murder
Mostly Murder
“One of the best-drawn and most-compelling characters in contemporary mystery fiction—complex, smart, street-wise, tough.”
—
Booklist
Booklist
Ace Books by Charlaine Harris
The Sookie Stackhouse Novels
DEAD UNTIL DARK
LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS
CLUB DEAD
DEAD TO THE WORLD
DEAD AS A DOORNAIL
DEFINITELY DEAD
ALL TOGETHER DEAD
FROM DEAD TO WORSE
DEAD UNTIL DARK
LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS
CLUB DEAD
DEAD TO THE WORLD
DEAD AS A DOORNAIL
DEFINITELY DEAD
ALL TOGETHER DEAD
FROM DEAD TO WORSE
MANY BLOODY RETURNS
edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner
edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner
Berkley Prime Crime Books by Charlaine Harris
The Harper Connelly Mysteries
GRAVE SIGHT
GRAVE SURPRISE
AN ICE COLD GRAVE
GRAVE SIGHT
GRAVE SURPRISE
AN ICE COLD GRAVE
The Lily Bard Mysteries
SHAKESPEARE’S LANDLORD
SHAKESPEARE’S CHAMPION
SHAKESPEARE’S TROLLOP
SHAKESPEARE’S COUNSELOR
SHAKESPEARE’S LANDLORD
SHAKESPEARE’S CHAMPION
SHAKESPEARE’S TROLLOP
SHAKESPEARE’S COUNSELOR
The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries
REAL MURDERS
A BONE TO PICK
THREE BEDROOMS, ONE CORPSE
THE JULIUS HOUSE
DEAD OVER HEELS
REAL MURDERS
A BONE TO PICK
THREE BEDROOMS, ONE CORPSE
THE JULIUS HOUSE
DEAD OVER HEELS
SWEET AND DEADLY
A SECRET RAGE
A SECRET RAGE
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
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South Africa
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
DEAD OVER HEELS
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
eISBN : 978-1-436-20039-4
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
The name BERKLEY PRIME CRIME and the BERKLEY PRIME CRIME design
are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
®
PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
The name BERKLEY PRIME CRIME and the BERKLEY PRIME CRIME design
are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
For my agent, Joshua Bilmes
Acknowledgments
I’d like to acknowledge the fact that Joan Hess gave me exactly one suggestion for this book, when I was in a bind; and give thanks for a most informative morning spent with Jackie Cranford. But most of all, I’d like to give credit or blame to Dean James, who thought of the title for this book over a margarita in Austin, Texas.
Chapter One
My bodyguard was mowing the yard wearing her pink bikini when the man fell from the sky.
I was occupied with adjusting the angle of the back of my folding “lounger,” which I’d erected with some difficulty on the patio.
I had some warning, since I’d been aware of the buzzing of the plane for several seconds while I struggled to get the back of the lounger to settle somewhere between totally prone and rigidly upright. But Angel had one of those little tape players strapped to her waist (the plastic belt looked strange with the bikini) and the headphones and the drone of the lawn mower made her oblivious to the unusual persistence of the noise.
Circling low,
I thought with some annoyance. I figured an aviator had spotted Angel and was making the most of his lucky day. Meantime, the ice in my coffee was melting and my book was lying on the little lawn table unread, while I wrestled with the stupid chair. Finally succeeding in locking the back of the lounger into a position approximating comfort, I looked up just in time to see something large falling from the little plane, something that rotated horribly, head over heels.
I thought with some annoyance. I figured an aviator had spotted Angel and was making the most of his lucky day. Meantime, the ice in my coffee was melting and my book was lying on the little lawn table unread, while I wrestled with the stupid chair. Finally succeeding in locking the back of the lounger into a position approximating comfort, I looked up just in time to see something large falling from the little plane, something that rotated horribly, head over heels.
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