Never Trust a Dead Man ANNOTATION
Wrongly convicted of murder and punished by being sealed in the tomb with the dead man, seventeen-year-old Selwyn enlists the help of a witch and the resurrected victim to find the true killer.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Life has suddenly become very difficult for Selwyn Roweson: First Anora broke his heart and decided to marry Farold, then Farold beat him up in front of the entire village, and finally he was accused of murder when Farold was found with a knife--Selwyn's knife--hilt-deep in his back. Which might not be so bad, except as punishment Selwyn is sealed in the village burial cave with Farold's moldering corpse, there to await starvation--or worse. Worse comes along quickly in the form of a witch with a fast right hook and the ability to raise Farold from the dead. Selwyn thought he disliked Farold when he was alive, but that was nothing compared to having to work by the dead man's side as they search for the real killer.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr
It's a medieval mystery. It's a comedy. It's the tongue-in-cheek story of Selwyn's adventures after he's accused of murdering Farold over an affair of the heart. Seventeen-year-old Selwyn is naive for his age, but he begins to learn the important things after bartering years of his life to a local witch in return for bringing Farold back to life as a talking bat. The fun is in watching former enemies forge a curious friendship. Vande Velde's story starts off silly, but by the end the reader is won over to her fantastical premise.
The ALAN Review - John H. Bushman
Seventeen-year-old Selwyn Roweson is wrongly convicted of murder and is sealed in a death tomb as his punishment. He is left there to die along with the person that was killed. In this fantasy, Selwyn is rescued by a witch who first transforms Selwyn into a beggar and then a young girl. With these disguises he searches for the true murderer. Selwyn is aided in his search by Farold, the person who was killed. He has been resurrected in the form of a bat. They both head back to the community where the killing took place to search for clues. For those who love murder mysteries with fantasy and a taste of clever, comedic language, Never Trust a Dead Man will serve them well.
VOYA - Karen Herc
Selwyn thought he had problems when Farold was alive, but those were nothing compared to the problems he has after Farold dies. Everyone knows Selwyn and Farold were rivals for Anora's affections, and everyone knows they fought, so naturally after Farold is murdered everyone thinks Selwyn must have killed him. Not wanting to execute Selwyn, the villagers decide it would be much easier to leave him in the burial cave along with Farold. Selwyn might have stayed in the cave forever if it were not for Elswyth, a witch searching for spell ingredients. Unfortunately, she has a horrible habit of smacking Selwyn when he says something stupid, and she thinks everything he says is stupid. She does agree to help him, in exchange for his giving her years of servitude, and even attempts to bring Farold back from the dead so he can reveal the name of the real murderer. The spell goes awry, however, and Farold's spirit is forced to inhabit the body of a bat. Worse yet for Selwyn, Farold does not know who killed him either, but Elswyth disguises them so they can investigate. Of course by the time they discover the murderer, Selwyn has also discovered that Farold, and even bad-tempered Elswyth, are not as bad as he had thought. While parts of the plot are predictable--we all know Anora is not as angelic as Selwyn thinks--the mystery unfolds neatly and logically with a lot of clever dialogue along the way. Fans of Vande Velde's other stories will not be disappointed. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12).
Library Journal
Gr 6-9-When a teen is accused of murder, he teams up with the unlikable victim's ghost to find the true killer. A tongue-in-cheek medieval farce and a supernatural mystery. (May) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal
Gr 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 Cahners Business Information.
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