Twice As Dead

An Odelia Grey Mystery #6

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

Corpse magnet Odelia Grey is at it again—stumbling across a dead body at a wedding reception while "Achy Breaky Heart" plays in the background. Bodies are turning up so fast that Odelia enlists the help of her family and friends—Greg, Seth, Zee, Detective Frye, her half brother Clark, even her pompous boss Michael Steele. But solving a mystery is twice as hard when the victims have more secrets than the killer.

"A priceless series...a real treat for chick-lit fans who like feisty women."—Library Journal (starred review)

"Plenty of humor, the charms of the feisty main character, and a great supporting cast add to the amusement."—Booklist

"Jaffarian outdoes herself this time with an exceedingly clever plot."—Mystery Scene

"Wild, wacky, and wonderful."—Carolyn Hart, New York Times bestselling author

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Humor, Crime, Chick Lit

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2011

About the author

Sue Ann Jaffarian is the author of the popular Odelia Grey mystery series, the Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series and the Madison Rose vampire mysteries, as well as short stories.

Sue Ann also writes the Winnie Wilde romance novellas.

Like the character Odelia Grey, Sue Ann Jaffarian is a middle-aged, plus-sized paralegal. She lives in Los Angeles.

In addition to writing, Sue Ann is sought after as a motivational/ humorous speaker. You can visit her on the web at www.sueannjaffarian.com, www.sueannjaffarian.blogspot.com, and on Twitter and Facebook.

Reviews

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odelia Grey is attending a wedding when she finds the wedding coordinator, Shirley Pearson dead. Only it turns out that she is really a he named Doug. And that's just the opening twist in this fun mystery with great characters and a fast moving plot. I couldn't put it down.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love,love this series. It's got to be one of my favorites :))

[Michelle]

pleasant, likeable characters, not a "stay up all night" read tho

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun Odelia Grey adventure!

I love reading Odelia Grey mysteries! I have read the five before this and it had been a year or two since I read the last one (#5). It was fun to delve into another. I gave this one 3 stars. I just wasn’t very surprised by the murderers and the plot twists were not as surprising or interesting as in the previous mysteries. This one was less of a page turner. I was confused by some of the characters and their importance to the plot. They were obviously not the murderers and their stories just kind of ended with a fizzle. I never truly understood why we had to know about them at all. Odelia is just as fun and witty as always and I like Jaffarian’s easy and comedic writing. She does a great job of giving the reader just enough description without being overly descriptive. The use of reoccurring characters makes these books a comforting go to read. You can always pick one up when you want a guaranteed fun,light read. Though this one seemed a little forced and full of predictable coincidences, I will continue with the series. Odelia, Zee, Greg, Steele and of course Wainwright are like friends and the mysteries are always a fun read!

[Valerie HappiestWhileReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the longest I've ever read into a series, and it feels like catching up with old friends when I pick up each book. In this installment of Odelia Grey's story, we're back home in California, and the book opens at the wedding of Odelia's best friends' (Zee and Seth) daughter. Odelia's "corpse magnet powers" are in full strength when she finds the wedding planner dead in an alcove. Soon after, a character from the first book (Too Big to Miss) contacts Odelia to hire her to find a missing friend, and this introduces us to a group of people, each of whom has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Clark, Odelia's half-brother whom we met in book 5, makes a surprise visit after his sudden retirement as a police officer and helps Greg, Odelia's husband; Dev, the hunky police detective; and Steele, her boss at the law firm, keep Odelia safe in the midst of her investigation to solve the murder(s) she encounters. The book ends with the possibility of big changes for Odelia's career as a paralegal - I'll be eager to see how this plays out in book 7.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book number six in a 12 book series by Sue Ann Jaffarian. Every single book has been delightful. There's an overall feeling of friendship, fun, love and humor. And mystery!!!

Odelia Gray is at it again as yet another corpse finds itself in her path. Along with her husband, Greg, and other characters you will be happy to meet up with again, Odelia gets herself entangled in the thick of things as she tries to figure out exactly what is going on. Her journey in solving this mystery/crime will take you to weddings, her work place where she's a paralegal, restaurants, drag queen BINGO and much, much more!

As with the previous books in this series you will find twists, turns, suspense, and surprises, good food, fun, friendship, warmth. This is a fun series, one that shouldn't be missed!

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odelia is at it again and this time she's not alone! Others step in to help her sift through the information and sort out the unknown from the known or to satisfy their budding curiosity. This makes things more interesting and much more dangerous ... for all involved! I was wrong about the who and why but not disappointed in my not knowing before the big reveal.

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't care for this book. Described on the front cover as "wild, wacky, and wonderful", I found those words to be completely in error. Was not wild, it was a bit odd, , but wonderful???? I think not. The heroine was not half as smart or witty as she thought she was.

[LB · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the mystery in this one but there were a lot of issues with dated and sometimes offensive terms for trans people and drag queens. It seemed more ignorant than malicious to me, but I still can't recommend the book for this reason.

[Lbaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book and in parts, loved it. Odelia Grey is a great character and her support characters are good too. The story was different, and had some angles that were not obvious.

However, I had solved the mystery by midway, and the book is 6th in the series (the first I've read), and some points of the story were not explained fully or early enough.

I will definitely pick up another book by this author, either this series or another.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

great read!!

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Moderately funny, not bad twisty story with lawyers. DPL book

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a different twist, but still enjoyable.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun cozy with a paralegal lady of generous size as primary protagonist...a solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books!

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner

Great storyline, can't wait to read the next book in the series. Would love to see this character in a m9vie or screen series.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another hilarious adventure with Odelia and friends.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twice as Dead
~MIDNIGHT INK
(9)
Corpse Magnet and Crew, February 21, 2012
By Ellen Rappaport (Florida)
This review is from: Twice as Dead (The Odelia Grey Mysteries) (Paperback)
Odelia, Corpse Magnet, Grey and her best friend , Zee, stumble upon a body during the wedding celebration of Zee & Seth's daughter, Hannah. The victim is Shirley Pearson, the wedding planner for Hannah's wedding.
Then the fun begins as Odelia goes into her sleuthing mode. This adventure takes Odelia and Zee into the world of gay & tranvestite's found at Billie's Holiday. While Odelia starts to piece together the identities or should I say double identities of suspects and victims...they get shot at while leaving the club. Zee is taken out of the picture and Odelia has some low moments feeling that she had been the cause of Zee almost being shot.
Then Greg let's Odelia know that he is in it with her for the long haul and YES...believe it or not...so is Odelia's boss, Michael Steele. Clark, Odelia's half brother, is back in the thick of it with Odelia and soon they have a one for all and all for one society out solving this latest who dunnit.
Clarice Thomas, and old acquaintance/friend, of Odelia's appears on Odelia's doorstep one day out of the blue. Clarice is her usual blunt self with no frills attached thank-you. She needs Odelia's assistance or so she says. Later she tries to fire Odelia. But Odelia is having none of that.
In this Jaffarian's latest Odelia Grey mystery identical twins turn up when least expected as well as a brother & sister who appear to have little in common.
This mystery brought out the best in the characters mentioned. I enjoy how they work together in a step by step manner to add all the clues up...to what we think is the end result...but boy was I wrong. Jaffarian led me all the way and then came the unexpected ending.
I've read every Odelia Grey mystery and I'm also in it for the long haul. Love the characters and am right at home with Odelia and Greg. I Highly recommend this series to any cozy lover. Jaffarian never lets her readers down.

[TE · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost gave up on this series after Corpse on the Cob even though I had enjoyed the first few books in the series very much. I might have been missing Greg in #5 (his and Odelia's marriage/partnership is endearing), and it wasn't as funny as the others.

I'm glad I decided to give #6 a try and especially that Jaffarian has kept the series going after diverging into paranormal mysteries, which I usually don't read (although I gave Ghost a la Mode a chance). Greg is certainly involved in this book, and while I started to get annoyed at how many male "protectors" Odelia had by three-quarters through the story, I was cheered when Sally joined in again.

Odelia's friends play into the series a lot, and I like them; however, I'm a little worried that if many more people are added, I'll lose track of them (I anticipate with the mild cliff-hanger, we have a good chance of meeting several new characters next time). So far, Jaffarian has done a good job integrating brief reminders of past connections and getting me to care about the characters.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading this series some time ago. This is the 6th book.
I love the character of Odelia. And I really like how Sue Ann Jaffarian treats her. Most times, a heavy set character is either treated with contempt, or as over indulgent. It's refreshing to have the character not only be neither, but treated as a successful professional, funny, and engaging. The author makes her believable as well as likeable.
I am glad that Greg is back in this book. Her husband is a great character to help balance Odelia's world. Also back are her brother, the cop, Dev, the police officer, and Zee, her best friend, Sally a co worker, and her boss Steele.
The story starts when corpse magnet Odelia is attending Zee's daughter's wedding. She is in the cloak room, and you guessed it, she's found another dead body.
Hired by Clarice, a woman with secrets of her own, Odelia embarks on an adventure that includes a funeral in a bar, a drive by shooting and drag queen bingo! Helped by her friends and co workers she trips down the trail bringing her closer to the answers solving the mystery of the dead woman at the wedding.
If you have read the previous Odelia Grey Mysteries, you will be sure to enjoy taking the trip with her.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book opens with our favorite sleuth, Odelia and her best friend, Zee finding a body. This is not an unique experience but in this shocker, it is at the wedding reception for Zee's daughter! Later on the friendship gets further strained, if not broken, by Zee getting shot.

You can understand why Odelia must find the culprit and quickly. To do so she enlists the volunteer aid (in reality these persons sometimes volunteer themselves,) in her search for justice. Luckily one is a Detective. The others are her half-brother (just found) Clark, hubby, Greg, Sally, and even Odelia's boss, Michael Steele.

We wander through Drag shows, Bingo games, trespass in buildings and even cheesecake loses it's appeal. Don't worry by the end you will want a slice or two.

Are the victims dead or is this some major conspiracy? When do we know if someone is really "Twice as Dead?" And, the big question is "Why?"

Run out and buy this book as it is surely one of the best in the series. If you are new to Ms. Jaffarian's talents, then know that this book is number six and you would be wise to catch up from book one "Too Big To Miss."

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently discovered this series thanks to a recommendation from a friend. I LOVE IT! I need to find the earlier books because after reading this one I want to know how all of these things came about.

The heroine, Odelia Grey is a plus-sized woman with a penchant for finding dead bodies. Being heavy set, with a quick acid tongue, and not in the first bloom of youth draws me to this woman. Odelia works by day as a paralegal in a busy law practice but still finds plenty of time to nose around as an amateur sleuth. In this book Odelia finds a body in the cloak room at her best friend Zee's daughter's wedding. While looking into why this seemingly innocent woman was killed the bodies start to pile up. It seems that each one was connected and had a secret to hide.

With lots of sassy repertoire, good detecting, and surprise twists, plus the ever-present danger, I highly recommend this book and can't wait to find more books in the series!

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time around, reluctant corpse magnet Odelia Grey really manages to put her foot in it: finding a dead body in the coat room at the reception following the marriage of her best friend's daughter. The book opens with an understandably freaked-out Zee Washington brandishing a coat hanger at her closest friend, following her suggestion that the police be notified before any guests leave. This proves complicated once she's told the identity of the body: none other than the wedding planner. This is just the beginning of a convoluted & gripping plot line in which just about everyone involved has multiple secrets. Characters from Odelia's former books make comeback appearances, & Odelia herself is in fine form - protesting that she knows it's gone too far, she never asked for these things to happen to her, she's done with being nosy forever...but still unable to just let it go. A really enjoyable read.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This episode in the Odelia Grey series is an action packed roller coaster ride. Odelia, husband Greg, and the rest of the cast get involved in a twisty, tricky case with hidden identities, gender bending characters and kept me reading quickly to the end.

Now, if you look at the dates you would think that isn't true. An illness and some meds that made my eyes burn kept me away from the book for over a week, but as soon as I could focus long enough to finish it I did!

I love the fact that Odelia hates guns, doesn't like stumbling across dead bodies and yet once her sense of "nosey-ness" kicks in, can't stop herself from getting involved in the case.

Looking forward to more in this series.

[Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odelia and her best friend Zee discover a dead body at Zee’s daughter’s wedding. However, the body isn’t exactly what it appears to be. After discovering yet another personal connection to the dead body, Odelia investigates – endangering her friendship with Zee as well as the lives of many. I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked those characters who helped out Odelia this time (I don't want to accidentally give anything away). I also liked the interaction between Odelia and Zee. As an animal (especially cat) lover, my favorite line was on page 155: about both cats curled up, their colors being the only suggestion as to where one left off and the other began. That was one beautiful sentence! :) Can't wait until the next Odelia book!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paralegal Odelia Grey is enjoying the wedding reception of her best friend's daughter when she finds the body of the wedding planner. This somehow leads her to an adventure involving a transvestite club, an old acquaintance she'd rather not meet again, the death of a man whose funeral she already attended once, and more danger than she's really comfortable with. Odelia must enlist all her friends to cope with this mystery. The plot is a little confusing, but at least you can't guess the culprits by page 70.

[Lynn Lerch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odelia Grey gets her whole family and all her friends involved in this book. While at the wedding of her best friend,Zee Washington's daughter she finds a corpse. Odelia is refered to as the corpse magnet which she proves to be. The wedding planner is dead and more twist and turns accure. At the end she has involved her half brother, her boss, a fellow worker, Dev (the detective)and her husband among others. Its a fast and fun read. Looking forward to more.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Jaffarian may be writing too many series now and spreading herself a little thin. Normally what is a very good series, is kinda lame in this book. It takes until page 241 before we find out what is happening. This may just be "the series is taking off" syndrome and the next could blow me out of the water.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paralegal secretary Odelia Grey finds another dead body at her best friend's daughter's wedding reception. This causes a strain on the friendship and a hunt for the killer. Can she find the killer before the body count gets higher? This series has been optioned for television. Perhaps Camryn Manheim could play Odelia? Good read for a rainy weekend.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odelia is such an interesting character. She may be a corpse magnet but she is also an incredible amateur detective.

Odelia has so many wonderful people in her life, she is so lucky.

I really hope that she and Steele can make a decision that will make everyone happy.

I can't wait to read about Odelia's next adventure.