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Dying to Tell Me
Originally published by Kane Miller in 2011, this is the Australian edition (www.sherrylclark.com)
Sasha's policeman father moves to a remote country town with her younger brother, after their mother leaves. Police dog King forms a protective relationship with the family, who work together to solve a local mystery. Fast paced mystery with thoughtful, realistic family relationships.
Sasha's policeman father moves to a remote country town with her younger brother, after their mother leaves. Police dog King forms a protective relationship with the family, who work together to solve a local mystery. Fast paced mystery with thoughtful, realistic family relationships.
214 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Sherryl Clark
78 books95 followersSome of my first short stories were crime fiction, and although in the last 20 years I have focused a lot more on writing children's and YA books, I've kept going with my crime writing. The first two novels are now stowed somewhere in the back of my filing cabinet!
But "Trust Me, I'm Dead", first draft written in 2009, was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger and then published by Verve Books in the UK. What a journey with that novel. I love the character, a grumpy woman (secretly modelled on a young Judi Dench), and couldn't let go of the story. Nine drafts later ...
There are two more Judi novels ("Dead and Gone" and "Mad, Bad and Dead") - but my brand new character is PI Lou Alcott, with "Woman, Missing" published in 2024 by HQ/Harlequin.
More about my crime writing and books at www.sherrylclarkcrimewriter.com
I have been writing poems and stories for over twenty-five years, and have two collections of poetry published. Perseverance really does count, I think, for all kinds of writing.
In 1996 I wrote my first children’s book, "The Too-Tight Tutu", which was published in 1997 by Penguin Australia. I have since written over 60 children's and YA books, which are published around the world.
My verse novel "Farm Kid" won the 2005 NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Children’s Books. "Sixth Grade Style Queen (Not!)" was a 2008 CBCA Honour Book. My YA novel "Dying to Tell Me", published in the USA by KaneMiller, has also been published in Australia by me.
My author website for children's books is at www.sherrylclark.com. I also work as a freelance editor, manuscript development editor and mentor - information on these at www.sherrylclarkwritingcoach.com.
But "Trust Me, I'm Dead", first draft written in 2009, was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger and then published by Verve Books in the UK. What a journey with that novel. I love the character, a grumpy woman (secretly modelled on a young Judi Dench), and couldn't let go of the story. Nine drafts later ...
There are two more Judi novels ("Dead and Gone" and "Mad, Bad and Dead") - but my brand new character is PI Lou Alcott, with "Woman, Missing" published in 2024 by HQ/Harlequin.
More about my crime writing and books at www.sherrylclarkcrimewriter.com
I have been writing poems and stories for over twenty-five years, and have two collections of poetry published. Perseverance really does count, I think, for all kinds of writing.
In 1996 I wrote my first children’s book, "The Too-Tight Tutu", which was published in 1997 by Penguin Australia. I have since written over 60 children's and YA books, which are published around the world.
My verse novel "Farm Kid" won the 2005 NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Children’s Books. "Sixth Grade Style Queen (Not!)" was a 2008 CBCA Honour Book. My YA novel "Dying to Tell Me", published in the USA by KaneMiller, has also been published in Australia by me.
My author website for children's books is at www.sherrylclark.com. I also work as a freelance editor, manuscript development editor and mentor - information on these at www.sherrylclarkwritingcoach.com.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 3, 2014
I seem to read a lot of Australian YA lately that feels like books I might have been forced to read at school. I guess now I'm older and not forced to read just Australian authors I enjoy it more. I'm not even sure what gives me that school feeling, except loads of books we read back then were set in Australia, about growing up and change. But enough of that, I still liked this book!
Sasha reads as a very real young person, struggling with the move and her new powers. She genuinely cares for her family, and grows to care for King too. Everything from sharing toast with her dog, to freaking out over the shaved patch in herhair reads really well. There is a bit of a mystery to solve as well, and Sasha and her brother discover most of the clues.
Bought this in Dubbo in our crazy book buying spree (my partner and I somehow spent close to $500 on books, whoops!) so it's been on my too-read shelf for a while, but it was worth it. Four stars.
Sasha reads as a very real young person, struggling with the move and her new powers. She genuinely cares for her family, and grows to care for King too. Everything from sharing toast with her dog, to freaking out over the shaved patch in herhair reads really well. There is a bit of a mystery to solve as well, and Sasha and her brother discover most of the clues.
Bought this in Dubbo in our crazy book buying spree (my partner and I somehow spent close to $500 on books, whoops!) so it's been on my too-read shelf for a while, but it was worth it. Four stars.
July 19, 2011
Dying to Tell Me was a good, entertaining story. The character development continues throughout the book, making you feel that you are getting to know each person a little better in each chapter. Hopefully this is setting up for as series with more mysteries to solve. The number of interconnected plots was simple enough for the young adult label but shows that the author will be able to give us many more interesting stories in this setting in the future.
I found the dog character more interesting than I thought I would before reading. He makes for a good investigative partner for the main character, Sasha, providing her with both good humor as well as a confidant. Sasha has some strong emotions tied to her mother and having to move (aka acting like a teenage girl), but I think the author leaves us enough hints that even these traumatic things will be resolved eventually. The author also does a nice job of softly handling images that could be gruesome in other "ghost" type novels. There is nothing in the language here that I found to be inappropriate even for young teens.
I could easily recommend this as a short novel for anyone to read.
I found the dog character more interesting than I thought I would before reading. He makes for a good investigative partner for the main character, Sasha, providing her with both good humor as well as a confidant. Sasha has some strong emotions tied to her mother and having to move (aka acting like a teenage girl), but I think the author leaves us enough hints that even these traumatic things will be resolved eventually. The author also does a nice job of softly handling images that could be gruesome in other "ghost" type novels. There is nothing in the language here that I found to be inappropriate even for young teens.
I could easily recommend this as a short novel for anyone to read.
March 29, 2014
A well written, page-turning thriller with strong, likeable characters. The supernatural element seems entirely believable because Sasha is an extremely realistic, three dimensional character: a teenager dealing as best she can with moving to a new environment after a troubled past - and with a policeman for a father. And I loved her interaction with the dog!
December 15, 2018
I did thoroughly enjoy this book even if it took a while to read it.
The characters all have flaws but most try to do the right thing and basically care about others. They have reasons for why they have messed up. The story certainly gets better when King enters it. Typical doggo is totally loyal and supportive and will do anything to care for his humans.
I envy Sasha always having that conscience talking to her and reminding her of what is right but supporting her even when she gets it wrong.
If you love dogs this is a fantastic read where the dog is a respected character and not just a back-up to be killed off defending a human who does something stupid. All 4 * belong to King!
The characters all have flaws but most try to do the right thing and basically care about others. They have reasons for why they have messed up. The story certainly gets better when King enters it. Typical doggo is totally loyal and supportive and will do anything to care for his humans.
I envy Sasha always having that conscience talking to her and reminding her of what is right but supporting her even when she gets it wrong.
If you love dogs this is a fantastic read where the dog is a respected character and not just a back-up to be killed off defending a human who does something stupid. All 4 * belong to King!
March 9, 2018
I loved the book Dying to Tell Me, by Sherryl Clark. Sasha is a teenager who moves away from Melbourne, to an empty town called Manna Creek. One of her dad's coworkers gives Sasha's family a trained police dog named King, which Sasha can talk to. Paintings get stolen out of houses in Manna Creek and Sasha tries to use her power to help her dad find out who the burglar is. Her dad randomly leaves from a report of a marijuana grower. He finds him but gets knocked out. Sasha uses her gift of a combination of telepathy and teleconeses to see where he is and saves him from dying.
I liked this book because I was always on the edge of my seat, because of how susspensful it is. I loved how the author described everything clearly, and put me in the mind of Sarah. The beginning of the book was kind of long and took a while to get into the suspense, but it was amazing after I kept reading it. One of my dislikes about this book would be that the author left the end on a cliff hanger. I had so many questions that never got answered, including why Sasha was so mad at her mom, how would she react to school and others. But at the same time, it let's me make my own ending, and I get to answer my own questions, based off of Sarah's personality and other reactions in her story.
The main theme of this book is finding your identity. Sasha grew up not knowing who she was, and where she stood in the world, but at the end of the story, she finally knew what she was supposed to do with her life. This book was very inspirational and it helped me understand people better. I will be reading this again for a third time for sure.
I liked this book because I was always on the edge of my seat, because of how susspensful it is. I loved how the author described everything clearly, and put me in the mind of Sarah. The beginning of the book was kind of long and took a while to get into the suspense, but it was amazing after I kept reading it. One of my dislikes about this book would be that the author left the end on a cliff hanger. I had so many questions that never got answered, including why Sasha was so mad at her mom, how would she react to school and others. But at the same time, it let's me make my own ending, and I get to answer my own questions, based off of Sarah's personality and other reactions in her story.
The main theme of this book is finding your identity. Sasha grew up not knowing who she was, and where she stood in the world, but at the end of the story, she finally knew what she was supposed to do with her life. This book was very inspirational and it helped me understand people better. I will be reading this again for a third time for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2014
This was a fairly quick read, a mystery with paranormal elements and a young adult (13-year-old) protagonist. It reminded me a little of the TV series 'Veronica Mars,' a little bit of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series if Sookie was still a teenager and just coming into her powers, and a little bit of Marlene Perez's Dead Is series, although Clark's world is a bit darker and less cartoonish (and, of course, Australian as opposed to U.S./Californian). I don't usually read mysteries, but I really enjoyed this one. It should be made into a PG-rated family movie with Hugh Jackman as Sasha's dad, Constable Dennis Miller.
April 19, 2014
This crossover YR/ YA novel is a well-written mystery. Moving to a new (country) town after their mother leaves the family, Sasha, her dad and brother become embroiled in a local mystery involving art, dope and deadbeats.
There are some cliches in this story, but there is a lot to like too. Sasha is a 'troubled teen' trying to find her way after going off the rails after her mum leaves. Dad is trying to do his best, while holding down a job as a policeman. And brother, Nicky, is just trying to get along with his grumpy sister and floundering father. There are elements of magical realism, some hair-raising moments and a realistic teen voice.
Recommended for lower secondary readers.
There are some cliches in this story, but there is a lot to like too. Sasha is a 'troubled teen' trying to find her way after going off the rails after her mum leaves. Dad is trying to do his best, while holding down a job as a policeman. And brother, Nicky, is just trying to get along with his grumpy sister and floundering father. There are elements of magical realism, some hair-raising moments and a realistic teen voice.
Recommended for lower secondary readers.
February 19, 2012
An interesting fast-paced mystery thriller set in Australia features 13-year-old Sasha's new move to a small rural town where not everyone is pleased to have a policeman back in town. Sasha's dad is the new constable. Sasha begins to experience some weird things as she realizes her old premonition skills are starting to return after she thought she had blocked them all out.
May 15, 2014
A compelling story that appealed to me because the main character could communicate with a dog. (What's not to love?). I lent my copy to a 13 year old girl, who had nothing to read over the long easter weekend. She ended up taking it home, because she was so absorbed in the story. I think that's a pretty good sign.
February 15, 2012
A very well written YA story set in Australia. I definitely can see more books about this character coming out in the future and look forward to seeing more of Sasha's life as she adapts to her new life.
March 19, 2014
Year 7 and above. A good read. The daughter of a policeman reluctantly becomes involved in a murder mystery. After a head injury she discovers she can communicate telepathically with their new police dog. A well written story that carries you along.
May 10, 2017
Things I Liked:
-Balanced Story Elements: Plot, Character and Description were all equally represented in the narrative.
-Engaging Characters: Sasha and King are well-developed and interesting, but it’s the secondary characters, such as Tangine, that intrigue me.
-Plot: The plot is well paced and engaging, and while I would have liked for Sasha to be present when the missing Nolan painting was discovered, however I can understand that might not have been practical. Sasha doesn’t want to draw too much attention to herself.
Stray Observations:
-Potential: Dying To Tell Me has a lot of potential, I could easily see it becoming a series.
-Loose Ends: There were a few side-plots that weren’t resolved, which made me think the author would most likely resolve them in a sequel. Fortunately, I was able to contact Sherryl Clark and ask her a few questions.
Interview with Sherryl Clark
-Balanced Story Elements: Plot, Character and Description were all equally represented in the narrative.
-Engaging Characters: Sasha and King are well-developed and interesting, but it’s the secondary characters, such as Tangine, that intrigue me.
-Plot: The plot is well paced and engaging, and while I would have liked for Sasha to be present when the missing Nolan painting was discovered, however I can understand that might not have been practical. Sasha doesn’t want to draw too much attention to herself.
Stray Observations:
-Potential: Dying To Tell Me has a lot of potential, I could easily see it becoming a series.
-Loose Ends: There were a few side-plots that weren’t resolved, which made me think the author would most likely resolve them in a sequel. Fortunately, I was able to contact Sherryl Clark and ask her a few questions.
Interview with Sherryl Clark
November 3, 2017
Was very confusing, but she has a very special gift that she can talk to her new dog king and other dogs can hear her too sometimes. She has another gift that can tell something bad before it happens. Can she solve a mystery before it's too late?
April 30, 2020
It was a really good book and kept me reading it the whole time. I felt like I knew the characters as the book went on. One thing that I didn't like though was the ending because it was the most boring part of the book.
June 9, 2017
Definitely a quick Y.A. Read. It kept my interest, but it was not as intriguing as I was hoping for. Mystery abounds with a touch of the supernatural.
August 16, 2017
Wasn't incredible, but was fairly good.
October 7, 2022
To be honest I don’t like reading but this book way amazing from the first mage it wanted me to read more and turn the page! I loved this book!
September 13, 2015
This is the story of a young girl with telepathic abilities. She covers her abilities up from everyone including her Dad and brother. She does not want to be "the freak". She can also telepathically talk to her dog. Eventually, she uses the "gift" to help her family and to solve a 100 year old mystery.
That is essentially the book although, there is a lot of fluff that leads up to it. I read the entire book but it took forever to get to the point. I had hoped that conclusion would be at least a nice wrap up in a pretty bow. Instead it just ended, no real conclusion but speculations of an ending. I guess if the ending had been a cliff hanger that would have even been better. but no, It just fell flat.
I think I would have liked to have seen Sasha work with her abilities and hone them. This might have appealed to kids that have the real ability of telepathy.
Did I hate this book entirely? Well, actually no. The author writes fairly well but to me the story overall just fell short. I do think that middle grade kids would like this book and maybe older elementary but I certainly would not call this a YA book.
Overall, I will give it a 3.
Disclosure: I earned a copy of this book for free from Usborne books. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon
That is essentially the book although, there is a lot of fluff that leads up to it. I read the entire book but it took forever to get to the point. I had hoped that conclusion would be at least a nice wrap up in a pretty bow. Instead it just ended, no real conclusion but speculations of an ending. I guess if the ending had been a cliff hanger that would have even been better. but no, It just fell flat.
I think I would have liked to have seen Sasha work with her abilities and hone them. This might have appealed to kids that have the real ability of telepathy.
Did I hate this book entirely? Well, actually no. The author writes fairly well but to me the story overall just fell short. I do think that middle grade kids would like this book and maybe older elementary but I certainly would not call this a YA book.
Overall, I will give it a 3.
Disclosure: I earned a copy of this book for free from Usborne books. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon
September 12, 2016
Wonderful when one page into a novel, you relax because you have confidence in the author to construct a credible world and plot and believable characters. Sherryl Clark does this. And yet she tackles the bigger themes of splintered families, single parenthood where the parent's job skills the children and a girl finding her identity.
I liked Sasha as a character. And the way themes were threaded and plot questions answered.
Sasha's teen angst and yet her care for her younger brother and respect for her policeman Dad are so realistically portrayed. The telepathic police dog King is a fabulously reassuring character. And the small country town is keenly observed, especially as a community interacting with a police family during local emergencies.
Sherryl Clark is a significant YA author. Highly recommended and 'Dying to tell me' would transfer brilliantly to audio on the latest digital device. The photographic cover would appeal to the target teen readership also.
I liked Sasha as a character. And the way themes were threaded and plot questions answered.
Sasha's teen angst and yet her care for her younger brother and respect for her policeman Dad are so realistically portrayed. The telepathic police dog King is a fabulously reassuring character. And the small country town is keenly observed, especially as a community interacting with a police family during local emergencies.
Sherryl Clark is a significant YA author. Highly recommended and 'Dying to tell me' would transfer brilliantly to audio on the latest digital device. The photographic cover would appeal to the target teen readership also.
January 29, 2025
Dying to Tell Me by Sherryl Clark offers a strong premise—an intriguing mix of mystery and personal drama. The idea of a character trying to uncover a truth that could change everything is compelling, and there are moments when the story really shines. The book is full of potential, with an interesting cast of characters and a plot that kept me wanting to know more.
That being said, I felt like the pacing was a bit uneven. Some sections of the book moved slowly, while others felt rushed, which made it hard to stay fully immersed in the story. The emotional stakes were there, but I didn't always feel connected to the characters the way I hoped. I found myself wishing for a bit more depth and development in their relationships and motivations.
While Dying to Tell Me has its moments of tension and intrigue, it didn’t completely deliver on the suspense I was expecting. It’s a solid read, but not as gripping as I had hoped.
That being said, I felt like the pacing was a bit uneven. Some sections of the book moved slowly, while others felt rushed, which made it hard to stay fully immersed in the story. The emotional stakes were there, but I didn't always feel connected to the characters the way I hoped. I found myself wishing for a bit more depth and development in their relationships and motivations.
While Dying to Tell Me has its moments of tension and intrigue, it didn’t completely deliver on the suspense I was expecting. It’s a solid read, but not as gripping as I had hoped.
August 14, 2014
I read this book based on a friend's recommendation. I was rather hesitant to read it at first, due to the synopsis. The idea was rather cliche, but my friend told me that I should at least read the book before judging. And I have. It is, quite simply, a disaster of a story.
What one lacks in plot, one usually fills with a good writing style. I have nothing against Clark's writing style, but I would not even call it pleasant. It bore me from the beginning, from the very first line. I was doused with cliche, then hit again, by a fifty ton cliche bus.
Honestly.
What one lacks in plot, one usually fills with a good writing style. I have nothing against Clark's writing style, but I would not even call it pleasant. It bore me from the beginning, from the very first line. I was doused with cliche, then hit again, by a fifty ton cliche bus.
Honestly.
April 7, 2016
Even though this book is for young adults I really enjoyed it. It had a good plot and a bit of mystery with the ghost. The main character is quite likeable and the relationship with her brother and father is nice. There is clearly room for a sequel here. let's hope the writer writes it. It would be interesting to see where the psychic gifts of the main character take her. I enjoyed seeing how the family adapted to moving to the countryside and then had to fit in seeing how they were the local copper's children.
October 30, 2015
'Dying to Tell Me' was a fast paced, mystery adventure story, set in a remote, tired, small country town where not much seems to happen. Well, quite a bit happens and the main protagonist, Sasha, her retired police dog, King and her brother, Nicky, end up having an exciting and harrowing time dealing with local criminals and unsolved mysteries of the past. This story was a highly engaging read with interesting and likeable characters.
November 11, 2011
This one had a bit of a supernatural element, as narrator Sasha is revealed to have some unusual extrasensory powers. Full review on Finding Wonderland: http://writingya.blogspot.com/2011/10...
July 20, 2011
Love the story line. The action was enough to keep the story going but the talking to the dog part is what made it lose stars from me.
September 29, 2014
THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALLLLLLL TIME!!!!! if you like a strange but amazing book you will like this one. Owen of the resonss I like it s much is because it's an Astrailan book.
March 17, 2016
Fast paced and gripping. A great read.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews