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59th out of 113 books
—
49 voters
Dead Connection
Murray, a loner who communes with the dead in the town cemetery, hears the voice of a murdered cheerleader and tries to convince the adults that he knows what happened to her. But who beleives him? He's a loser. Can he even beleive in himself? Also comes Pearl, the daughter of the cemetery caretaker, who befriends Murray and tries to enter his world. Together they may prov...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
May 2nd 2006
by Roaring Brook Press
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This book is about a mystery involving four main characters. The first main character is Murray, a teenage boy in high school who is a loner and spends his time at a cemetery "I think of myself as the comforter. That's what I want on my stone." (Price, page 4). The second main character is Gates who is the deputy Sierra County Sheriff's Department with a dead son and an ex-wife and just got a case on a missing teenage girl "He was familiar with sorrow" (Price, page 6). Next is a young man who i...more
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This was a great read! It was interesting the way the chapters were organized. Each chapter introduced a new character at the beginning. That created some suspense,for me, about how they were all going to be related and woven together. Murray was an interesting character. I didn't know what to make of him at first. He had a terrible home life and I wasn't sure if he could really hear the dead, or if there was something psychological going on. Well, turns out he can talk to the dead. He hangs out...more
The book "Dead Connection" by Charlie Price is a more of a comedy book rather than horror. This book rotate around two different story first is a boy named Murray whom is able to talk to the dead. Second is about a Deputy Gates who is looking for a missing girl on a school ground. I think that book is not a very good book due to the fact that it is very confusing. There are far too many character in this book. In the beginnning there are atleast 8 character. Also the order that this story go is...more
Booktalk: Murray Kiefer is a loner with a weird name and a disaster of a mother. His real friends are at the cemetery. He sits at their graves and listens to the dead tell him their stories, and they listen to him. But now he hears a new voice crying out, asking for help, asking to be found. While Murray tries to find out who is calling to him so desparately, Deputy Sheriff Gates is on his own quest, searching for a missing teenager, searching for a killer.
Dead Connection has a supernatural bent...more
Dead Connection has a supernatural bent...more
Dead Connection is unique to anything I have ever read before in many aspects, I don't believe I have ever read a book with a male character being able to communicate with the dead before, nor do I believe I have read a book that has been told from the perspective of so many characters. Of course, none of these diminish the story surprisingly. Generally, with so many characters the story becomes lost, however, I found Murray to be a particularly interesting and somewhat captivating character. He...more
This suspenseful little book uses different perspectives, short chapters, and a riveting story to hold your attention. Nikki Parker has been missing since October 17th, and the police have few leads. A number of people may have seen her, but only one of them can actually hear her voice from beyond the grave. Murray has been coming to the cemetery for a long time now, to commune with his dead friends – he doesn’t really have any others. Then one day he hears a new voice – a frightening one, Nikki...more
I found this book to be quite unusual in its style of writing and a little different from what I usually read, but I loved it and found it to be a quick read. There are several entertwining characters in the story and for the most part each chapter revolves around one character. Murray, the main character, is shy, awkward and because of a troubling home life, spends much of his time in the cemetary listening and talking to the dead. He eventually becomes friends with the caretakers daughter and...more
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If you enjoy a good mystery, Dead Connection will not dissapoint you. The book is being told from the perspective of several character's perspective but mainly centers around a boy named Murray who has the unique ability to bring comfort to the dead in the local "cemetery." Murray is an outcast in his town, since his mother has a less than perfect reputation with the towns folk (once she was arrested for prostitution. A local girl goes missing and there are several characters (cops) who are seek...more
This is Charlie Price's debut novel and I have to admit that I'm impressed. The novel follows 6 separate characters to show us vastly different points of view. There's Murray Kiefer who talks to the dead, Pearl Janochek who finds out his secret and vows to help him, Pearl's father who is the caretaker of the cemetery Murray frequents, Deputy Roman Gates who has made it his mission to find out what happened to poor Nikki Parker, Mister Robert Barry Compton who is a schizophrenic with a hard time...more
Dead Connection is a really interesting horror book about Murray and his wierd addiction. :/ Murray is not like other teenagers, unlike other teenagers Murray spends most of his time at a cementary talking to his dead friends and other people hes met along the way. In the bigining of the book Murray is tortured in school by some awful bullies the only thing he does to calm himself down is communicating with dead people. Towards the middle of the book, Murray finds a friend who is the cementaries...more
Thoroughly unlikeable characters, too much sexual violence (though mercifully nothing too graphic), and an ending so abrupt I went looking for ripped out pages. I nearly put the book down after the first chapter because the teenage girl's dialogue was so unbelievable, but I hung on out of boredom and morbid fascination (appropriate, no?). I came away feeling like I needed a shower; a sense of hopelessness permeates this book, no one gets anywhere or ends in a better place. The author seemed to d...more
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As a avid reader of many books, I found this one as a sweet surprise.
I rate things like candy. Chocolate covered caramel is the highest I can give while that cheap disgusting excuse called chocolate would have to be the lowest. I give this one a Dove chocolate rating.
It was different, and that I liked. I was disappointed that it wasn't a psychic mystery novel, but more of a novel that focused on relationships, mental problems and addictions with the murder of a girl thrown in there.
I do recom...more
I rate things like candy. Chocolate covered caramel is the highest I can give while that cheap disgusting excuse called chocolate would have to be the lowest. I give this one a Dove chocolate rating.
It was different, and that I liked. I was disappointed that it wasn't a psychic mystery novel, but more of a novel that focused on relationships, mental problems and addictions with the murder of a girl thrown in there.
I do recom...more
This book is told from different perspectives; that of a teen named Murray who hangs out in the cemetery talking to the ghosts there. Another is a policeman trying to solve the case of a missing teenage girl. The next is that of a troubled young man who has committed some minor crimes and can't remember things very well. A few other characters also take turns telling the story from their perspective, helping to move the plot along and solve the pieces of the mystery. The style of the writing kin...more
I liked the book, and its various themes and plot. It was very interesting, and is very descriptive, with many uses of similes, metaphors, and personifications. The setting was amazingly described, and the whole story itself was simply pheneomenal. The ending was very intriguing, and it was clever for Price to show various clues to various people, including the deputy on the case, possibly kidnapping and/or murdering a young cheerleader. The idea of talking to dead people is overused, but this n...more
This suspenseful book uses a variety of ways to hold ones attention. It is mainly about Nikki Parker. The person has been missing since October 17th, and the police have few leads. Many people have seen her but only one can hear her. His name is Murray, he can hear and speak to the dead. Then one day he hears a new voice- a frightening one, Nikki Parker’s. This book holds the attention and is a very riveting book. I would definately reccomend this book to anyone who is into suspenseful and rivet...more
This book wasn't what I expected. The cover says, "He talks to the dead. The dead talk to him." I thought it would be more of a story about Murray, the kid they are talking about on the cover. But it really reads more like an episode of Law and Order. There was a crime committed, and the story jumps around from place to place and person to person to put the pieces together to solve the mystery. I guess I was hoping for more of a story about a boy who finds he has this talent/curse and must find...more
A good little mystery that is written in a James Patterson type style. Each chapter takes on a different character involved in the mystery - just like many of Patterson's adult mystery novels. I really liked the book, but was a little disappointed in the ending. I could tell it was supposed to leave it all to the reader's inference, but it seemed way to abrupt to be the last words of the novel. Might be kind of fun to use the end of the book in a classroom and talk about things like proper concl...more
Great cover, eh? Murray is a teenage kid who hangs out at the local graveyard. Why? Because he can talk to the dead. And, honestly, the dead are a lot cooler than some of the alive people in his town. The graveyard caretaker doesn't mind Murray hanging around, but the caretaker's daughter, Pearl, thinks he's trouble. Or maybe cute. But, for whatever reason, she tries to make his life a living hell, and then feels bad and makes it up to him. The two teenagers solve a local murder mystery, due to...more
This book had great potenial, but the execution lacked a bit. The story was interesting, but never had any true strong points and there never seemed to be a climax to me. The characters were okay, I liked a few more than others. Sometimes I felt as if the story could've done without a few of the characters, and by the end I think the author was ignoring certain characters that really didn't pertain to the story at all. While the book was good enough to keep me reading, the ending did dissapoint...more
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"Dead Connection" had the potential to be something great, but it crashed and burned faster than Icarus flying towards the sun.
It was just so dull and boring to read, I ended up skimming most of it. The B plot bored me to tears and I kind of knew who the killer was from the start.
The characters were poorly put together and so was the plot. I use my copy as a doorstop on the basement door so my cats don't accidentally lock themselves upstairs, they keep kicking out of the way though so this book...more
It was just so dull and boring to read, I ended up skimming most of it. The B plot bored me to tears and I kind of knew who the killer was from the start.
The characters were poorly put together and so was the plot. I use my copy as a doorstop on the basement door so my cats don't accidentally lock themselves upstairs, they keep kicking out of the way though so this book...more
This book has a great premise—a young boy who can hear and talk to the dead. Murray is a bit of a loner with an unstable and lonely home life. His mother's an alcoholic prostitute parading a string of men/clients in and out of the home, so Murray retreats to the cemetery where he finds solace amongst the dead. He hears and talks to them and keeps them "company". Until one day, he hears another voice...a new voice...that no one seems to know. And, along with his friend, Pearl, embarks on a missio...more
I would recommend this book to those who like mystery and teenager books. In Dead Connection, Murray Keifer is a person who does not have any friends and the strange this is that he talks to the dead and the dead talks to him. He visits his friends in the Forest Grove Cemetery. Later on, he starts to hear a new voice which sounds distressed. There's an investigation that Nikki Parker was kidnapped which links to the new voice that Murray Keifer is hearing.
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Murray is an outcast, who talks to the dead. He visits the cemetery every day to talk to his friends. He stays away from most living people until he meets Pearl, the graveyard caretaker's daughter. She finds him strange, but is also drawn to him.
One afternoon, Murray hears a new voice. While he can hear her and sense her presence, he can't see her or talk to her. Meanwhile, the town scrambles to find out what happened to Nikki, a missing cheerlead...more
Murray is an outcast, who talks to the dead. He visits the cemetery every day to talk to his friends. He stays away from most living people until he meets Pearl, the graveyard caretaker's daughter. She finds him strange, but is also drawn to him.
One afternoon, Murray hears a new voice. While he can hear her and sense her presence, he can't see her or talk to her. Meanwhile, the town scrambles to find out what happened to Nikki, a missing cheerlead...more
his book was recommended by a student as being one of his favorites. i liked it. the way the story was told reminded me of some others that i read. short chapters going from character to character and where they are in the story. a little like the ghost whisperer, the main character can see and talk to the dead. i could see other stories where he uses his ability to help solve crimes. the ending left me wanting more - more resolution.
I want to start off saying this way a great book. It may get confusing if you don't pay attention to the characters and details about them though. The book shows different perspectives of the characters. It's about a boy named Murray who can talk to the dead. If I say anything more it will spoil the book. This is one of the books where you know what is going to happen but you read on just to be sure. The book makes you wonder about who did what and why. It's a great, suspenseful book. I give it...more
Ages 12+ (some expletives, some violence/no gore)
Fast paced mystery/suspense told from multiple viewpoints: Murray, who can talk to the deceased; Janochek, the cemetery caretaker; Pearl, his daughter; Robert, a schizophrenic; Gates, a detective; and Billup, a cop with a serious alcohol problem. All are somehow connected to the mysterious disappearance of sixteen year old Nikki Parker three months earlier.
Fast paced mystery/suspense told from multiple viewpoints: Murray, who can talk to the deceased; Janochek, the cemetery caretaker; Pearl, his daughter; Robert, a schizophrenic; Gates, a detective; and Billup, a cop with a serious alcohol problem. All are somehow connected to the mysterious disappearance of sixteen year old Nikki Parker three months earlier.
Murray doesn't know if he's psychic, he just knows his best friends are dead. Dearly and Blessed and all the other young kids in Forest Grove Cemetary speak to him. But lately a new voice is on the edge of his hearing, and he can't locate her. Now the caretaker's daughter Pearl is driving him crazy and Murray is sure the new voice is the missing girl Nikki, but he has to convince the police.
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| Dead Connection: What are your first impressions of Murray Kiefer? | 4 | 4 | Jan 25, 2013 11:34am |
