About the Book
A Safe Place for Dying, the first in Jack Fredrickson's highly acclaimed Dek Elstrom mystery series, was nominated for the Shamus Award for Best First Novel. Now, Chicago P.I. Dek Elstrom is back in an electrifying new mystery.
A lawyer calls Dek with a fast, seven-hundred dollar proposition. A dead client named Dek to execute her will. No matter that Dek didn't know the woman. No matter, too, that the woman's estate was only worth a few hundred. Happens all the time, the lawyer said.
To Dek Elstrom, broke and huddling in a cold stone turret in the middle of February, the sound of seven hundred falling down his chimney is louder than his voice of reason. He agrees, heads up to a hamlet ten miles north of nowhere. But instead of finding an easy-to-close estate, he finds blood and the markers of a shattered life. And something worse: links to the darkest part of his own past. He races to chase down leads to the killer, and his own ghost before the dead woman is killed again.
"
About the Author :
Jack Fredrickson's first Dek Elstrom mystery, A Safe Place for Dying, was nominated for the Shamus Award for Best First Novel. His short fiction has appeared in the acclaimed Chicago Blues and in Michael Connelly's Burden of the Badge anthologies. He lives with his wife, Susan, west of Chicago, where he is crafting the next Dek Elstrom novel.
Review :
Quirky, affecting . . . his eccentric first-person slant on things makes [protagonist] Elstrom good company, and his exploration of his client's and his own bittersweet histories makes this poignant thriller something quite out of the ordinary. Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal
Shamus [Dek] Elstrom has lost none of his initial appeal. . . . Although Dek can be a cutup, his explanation for his obsessive search for the truth--'It was about respect'--reveals the bedrock of decency that makes him a seriously good guy. Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
Wonderfully convoluted . . . populated with a cast of believable characters. [Fredrickson] finds his greatest achievement in his sleuth, who makes mistakes and admits them, gets caught in a trap he sets himself, but in the end triumphs. For all mystery collections. Library Journal (starred review)
When Jack Fredrickson's debut mystery, A Safe Place for Dying, was published, readers foresaw nothing but good things for him. And has he delivered. Fredrickson, whose prose was above average, excels in Honestly Dearest, You're Dead. And the plot twists that he throws at the reader are designed to baffle--and baffle they do. This sophomore effort is anything but sophomoric, and fans can hope Dek's next outing will take place soon. Richmond Times-Dispatch
Fredrickson delivers on the promise of Shamus Award finalist A Safe Place for Dying with this fine follow-up. Dek is an appealing combination of bloodhound and bulldog, [and] Fredrickson's light touch, nicely drawn secondary characters and clever plotting make this a promising series with enough substance to make a meal, not just a snack. Publishers Weekly
The prose is polished, the plotting deft and dotted with sneaky surprises. And Dek, likable in his debut, is even more engaging here. Kirkus Reviews
Fredrickson has fashioned an engaging series lead, a sort of Robin Hood for the mean streets of contemporary Chicago. Booklist
A fine read...Dek Elstrom is a guy you'd want in your corner. You won't regret picking up Honestly Dearest, You're Dead. Crimespree Magazine
Everything I want in a mystery. Nancy Pearl, National Public Radio, on A Safe Place for Dying
With a first-rate plot, snappy dialogue, a keen sense of humor and a wealth of Chicago color, Fredrickson fashions a fun novel and establishes himself as an author to watch. Richmond Times-Dispatch on A Safe Place for Dying
Smartly plotted, briskly paced and laced with humor...a mystery writer to watch. Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A Safe Place for Dying
An ingratiating protagonist with wit, style, and courage. First of a series that could become quite good. Kirkus Reviews on A Safe Place for Dying
Engaging...funny...will appeal to readers who enjoy Robert B. Parker's Spenser. Booklist on A Safe Place for Dying
Written in a humorous style similar to that of Florida writer Laurence Shames and featuring an Elmore Leonard-like eye for detail, this is a promising new series. Library Journal on A Safe Place for Dying
"
Quirky, affecting . . . his eccentric first-person slant on things makes [protagonist] Elstrom good company, and his exploration of his client's and his own bittersweet histories makes this poignant thriller something quite out of the ordinary. "Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal"
Shamus [Dek] Elstrom has lost none of his initial appeal. . . . Although Dek can be a cutup, his explanation for his obsessive search for the truth--'It was about respect'--reveals the bedrock of decency that makes him a seriously good guy. "Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review"
Wonderfully convoluted . . . populated with a cast of believable characters. [Fredrickson] finds his greatest achievement in his sleuth, who makes mistakes and admits them, gets caught in a trap he sets himself, but in the end triumphs. For all mystery collections. "Library Journal (starred review)"
When Jack Fredrickson's debut mystery, "A Safe Place for Dying," was published, readers foresaw nothing but good things for him. And has he delivered. Fredrickson, whose prose was above average, excels in "Honestly Dearest, You're Dead." And the plot twists that he throws at the reader are designed to baffle--and baffle they do. This sophomore effort is anything but sophomoric, and fans can hope Dek's next outing will take place soon. "Richmond Times-Dispatch"
Fredrickson delivers on the promise of Shamus Award finalist "A Safe Place for Dying" with this fine follow-up. Dek is an appealing combination of bloodhound and bulldog, [and] Fredrickson's light touch, nicely drawn secondary characters and clever plotting make this a promising series with enough substance to make a meal, not just a snack. "Publishers Weekly"
The prose is polished, the plotting deft and dotted with sneaky surprises. And Dek, likable in his debut, is even more engaging here. "Kirkus Reviews"
Fredrickson has fashioned an engaging series lead, a sort of Robin Hood for the mean streets of contemporary Chicago. "Booklist"
A fine read...Dek Elstrom is a guy you'd want in your corner. You won't regret picking up "Honestly Dearest, You're Dead." "Crimespree Magazine"
Everything I want in a mystery. "Nancy Pearl, National Public Radio, on A Safe Place for Dying"
With a first-rate plot, snappy dialogue, a keen sense of humor and a wealth of Chicago color, Fredrickson fashions a fun novel and establishes himself as an author to watch. "Richmond Times-Dispatch on A Safe Place for Dying"
Smartly plotted, briskly paced and laced with humor...a mystery writer to watch. "Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A Safe Place for Dying"
An ingratiating protagonist with wit, style, and courage. First of a series that could become quite good. "Kirkus Reviews on A Safe Place for Dying"
Engaging...funny...will appeal to readers who enjoy Robert B. Parker's Spenser. "Booklist on A Safe Place for Dying"
Written in a humorous style similar to that of Florida writer Laurence Shames and featuring an Elmore Leonard-like eye for detail, this is a promising new series. "Library Journal on A Safe Place for Dying""
Outstanding Acclaim for "Honestly Dearest, You're Dead
"A March 2009 Pearl's Pick
"Quirky, affecting . . . his eccentric first-person slant on things makes [protagonist] Elstrom good company, and his exploration of his client's and his own bittersweet histories makes this poignant thriller something quite out of the ordinary."
- Tom Nolan, "The Wall Street Journal
""Shamus [Dek] Elstrom has lost none of his initial appeal. . . . Although Dek can be a cutup, his explanation for his obsessive search for the truth--'It was about respect'--reveals the bedrock of decency that makes him a seriously good guy."
- Marilyn Stasio, "The New York Times Book Review
""Wonderfully convoluted . . . populated with a cast of believable characters. [Fredrickson] finds his greatest achievement in his sleuth, who makes mistakes and admits them, gets caught in a trap he sets himself, but in the end triumphs. For all mystery collections."
- "Library Journal" (starred review)
"When Jack Fredrickson's debut mystery, "A Safe Place for Dying," was published, readers foresaw nothing but good things for him. And has he delivered. Fredrickson, whose prose was above average, excels in "Honestly Dearest, You're Dead." And the plot twists that he throws at the reader are designed to baffle -- and baffle they do. This sophomore effort is anything but sophmoric, and fans can hope Dek's next outing will take place soon."
- "Richmond Times-Dispatch
""Fredrickson delivers on the promise of Shamus Award finalist "A Safe Place for Dying" with this fine follow-up. Dek is an appealing combination of bloodhound and bulldog, [and] Fredrickson's light touch, nicely drawn secondary characters and clever plotting make this a promising series with enough substance to make a meal, not just a snack."
- "Publishers Weekly
""The prose is polished, the plotting deft and dotted with sneaky surprises. And Dek, likable in his debut, is even more engaging here."
- "Kirkus Reviews
""Fredrickson has fashioned an engaging series lead, a sort of Robin Hood for the mean streets of contemporary Chicago."
- "Booklist
""A fine read...Dek Elstrom is a guy you'd want in your corner. You won't regret picking up "Honestly Dearest, You're Dead.""
- "Crimespree Magazine
"Unanimous Praise for "A Safe Place for Dying
""Everything I want in a mystery."
- Nancy Pearl, National Public Radio
"With a first-rate plot, snappy dialogue, a keen sense of humor and a wealth of Chicago color, Fredrickson fashions a fun novel and establishes himself as an author to watch."
- "Richmond Times-Dispatch
""Smartly plotted, briskly paced and laced with humor...a mystery writer to watch."
- "Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"An ingratiating protagonist with wit, style, and courage. First of a series that could become quite good."
- "Kirkus Reviews
""Engaging...funny...will appeal to readers who enjoy Robert B. Parker's Spenser."
- "Booklist
""Written in a humorous style similar to that of Florida writer Laurence Shames and featuring an Elmore Leonard-like eye for detail, this is a promising new series."
- "Library Journal"
