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Hitchcock Sewell #2
Hearse of a Different Color
Hitchcock Sewell, Baltimore's hippest undertaker and civilian sleuth, is back in a second sly, original mystery.
One of the most charming and offbeat amateur detectives to come around in years, Hitchcock Sewell does for the undertaking profession what Marilyn Monroe did for the ukulele--gives it a touch of class. In this rollicking follow-up to Tim Cockey's "witty, punchy, snappy, well-written, and dang funny debut" (Harlan Coben, author of The Final Detail ), a surprise blizzard dumps more than snow on the steps of Sewell & Sons funeral home--it leaves behind the corpse of a murdered waitress as well. Hitch's television meteorologist girlfriend sees the crime as an opportunity to move into hard news. Her unctuous mentor wants to beat Hitch to the punch. Hitch's snooping takes him from low-life strip joints to high-tone mansions, proving yet again that undertakers and their clue-happy cohorts can be a pretty lively bunch.
One of the most charming and offbeat amateur detectives to come around in years, Hitchcock Sewell does for the undertaking profession what Marilyn Monroe did for the ukulele--gives it a touch of class. In this rollicking follow-up to Tim Cockey's "witty, punchy, snappy, well-written, and dang funny debut" (Harlan Coben, author of The Final Detail ), a surprise blizzard dumps more than snow on the steps of Sewell & Sons funeral home--it leaves behind the corpse of a murdered waitress as well. Hitch's television meteorologist girlfriend sees the crime as an opportunity to move into hard news. Her unctuous mentor wants to beat Hitch to the punch. Hitch's snooping takes him from low-life strip joints to high-tone mansions, proving yet again that undertakers and their clue-happy cohorts can be a pretty lively bunch.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
19 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Tim Cockey
14 books45 followersaka Richard Hawke
Tim Cockey is the author of the award-winning “Hitch” series: The Hearse You Came In On, Hearse of a Different Color, Hearse Case Scenario, and Murder in the Hearse Degree. He has been a story analyst for many major film and television companies, including American Playhouse, ABC, and Hallmark Entertainment. He grew up in Baltimore and now lives in New York City.
Tim Cockey is the author of the award-winning “Hitch” series: The Hearse You Came In On, Hearse of a Different Color, Hearse Case Scenario, and Murder in the Hearse Degree. He has been a story analyst for many major film and television companies, including American Playhouse, ABC, and Hallmark Entertainment. He grew up in Baltimore and now lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
May 21, 2012
In the second installment of the further adventures of Hitch....our undertaker/amatuer detective. The hilarious, and still friendly friendship he has with his ex-wife, makes for some good reading. If you need some chuckles in yer life, and a pretty good who-dun-it, this is a fun/entertaing series.
September 12, 2011
This is the second, and our second, in the five-book Hitchcock Sewell undertaker and amateur sleuth series. Hitch spends little time at his funeral parlor in this one – rather, he really does roam throughout Baltimore chasing one clue after another, and one suspicious party after another, in search for who bumped off a waitress and dumped her body on his mortuary doorstep!
As with the first story, there is plenty of humor to go along with the mystery. However, “Color” features a somewhat more complex plot; and even manages to mount some ongoing suspense, as an overload of potential villains takes till near the final pages to sort themselves out. Hitch turns out to be quite a ladies man as well, spending much of the book prone, but not on his undertaker’s slab! By now, we get a pretty good sense of what these stories will be like, and will no doubt pick one up when we’re in the mood for a light-hearted mystery that is as amusing as it is puzzling!
As with the first story, there is plenty of humor to go along with the mystery. However, “Color” features a somewhat more complex plot; and even manages to mount some ongoing suspense, as an overload of potential villains takes till near the final pages to sort themselves out. Hitch turns out to be quite a ladies man as well, spending much of the book prone, but not on his undertaker’s slab! By now, we get a pretty good sense of what these stories will be like, and will no doubt pick one up when we’re in the mood for a light-hearted mystery that is as amusing as it is puzzling!
October 14, 2008
Less zany than the first one in the series. Hitch is still a smart aleck and defender of the helpless. He gets roped into a tangled web of family deceptions and despair when a body is dropped on the steps of his funeral home when inside a family gathers around a doctor who died of a heart attack. Coincidence, act of defiance, remorse, warning? Nothing and all of the above perhaps.
A better structured plot, a lot less secondary or just passing through zany characters make this second novel in Cockey's undertaker/detective series much more interesting than the first one.
A better structured plot, a lot less secondary or just passing through zany characters make this second novel in Cockey's undertaker/detective series much more interesting than the first one.
September 4, 2007
Fantastic book. If you love to laugh and a good mystery too--this is a great series to read. Excellent story and so funny it will make you laugh out loud. Hitchcock Sewell is a funny undertaker with too much free time.
October 28, 2008
Like reading a Carl Hiaasen novel, except it's about an undertaker in Baltimore instead of a reporter (or whatever) in Florida. Very funny, a lite and entertaining plot, very interesting but still believable characters, quick and fun to read, lots of good wisecracks.
January 6, 2013
Deuxième aventure du croque-mort. Si la lecture est agréable, le héros m'est insupportable : Arrogant, sûr de lui. Même ses vices sont en fait là pour le rendre plus sympathique. Encore une fois : A héros parfait, Mathieu insatisfait.
December 21, 2008
This installment of the Hitckcock Sewell series dragged like a mamma-tamma. Super-convoluted plot with an over-reliance on snowstorms to move the story along. Skip it.
August 20, 2021
If you want a synopsis read the blurb on the cover.
This review is about if the novel works or does not, based on the rules it establishes.
While this one doesn't break any rules (or like the previous novel, immediately put black hats on the bad guys), it does break 2 of the 10 Knox commandments of mystery writing, and borrows an ending from that old TV series Columbo. (Just try reading the last "reveal" without hearing an old detective mutter "just one more thing, I pretended to not know this, but blah blah blah....).
Ronald Knox was a mystery writer in the early part of the 20th century who belonged to the Detection Club, a society peopled by such legendary mystery writers as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, G. K. Chesterson, and E. C. Bentley, and was also a priest. 2 of the commandments he has for mystery writing are (these are not spoilers) No Twins or Doubles and The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader.
BLAM!
There is another rule that skirts the line: No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.
Technically the rule isn't broken...its included.
The writing isn't stagnant, and the characters are mostly static, so you aren't going to have any moments of realization or heartbreak.
This isn't a bad novel, and it isn't as obvious as its predecessor, but it isn't worth going through the adventure with Hitch since his "loveable scamp" routine is as cold as the weather that is talked about ad nauseam.
Enjoy the rerun.
This review is about if the novel works or does not, based on the rules it establishes.
While this one doesn't break any rules (or like the previous novel, immediately put black hats on the bad guys), it does break 2 of the 10 Knox commandments of mystery writing, and borrows an ending from that old TV series Columbo. (Just try reading the last "reveal" without hearing an old detective mutter "just one more thing, I pretended to not know this, but blah blah blah....).
Ronald Knox was a mystery writer in the early part of the 20th century who belonged to the Detection Club, a society peopled by such legendary mystery writers as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, G. K. Chesterson, and E. C. Bentley, and was also a priest. 2 of the commandments he has for mystery writing are (these are not spoilers) No Twins or Doubles and The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader.
BLAM!
There is another rule that skirts the line: No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.
Technically the rule isn't broken...its included.
The writing isn't stagnant, and the characters are mostly static, so you aren't going to have any moments of realization or heartbreak.
This isn't a bad novel, and it isn't as obvious as its predecessor, but it isn't worth going through the adventure with Hitch since his "loveable scamp" routine is as cold as the weather that is talked about ad nauseam.
Enjoy the rerun.
July 27, 2020
The first half of the book dragged on and on, I felt like the character just kept wanting to talk about himself and how he relates with others in his life...way too much. I kept wanting to just put the book down, but I persisted. The last 1/4 of the book got more interesting.
May 30, 2023
He's a bit of a cad, and I normally would drop the series because of that. Yet, I really like the premise of the book and that the main characters run a funeral home. It just gives that unique edge to the mysteries.
May 13, 2018
Better-than-average mystery written with wit and humor.
August 28, 2019
Picked this one up as a take one/leave one at the community center. It was very cute with all the humor, and also had a good hiding of who the killer was until the very end.
March 1, 2020
Definitely able to see where the author has grown as an author from the previous book "The Herse You Came In On" to this one. Excited to read the next 3 books of this 5 book series.
January 3, 2024
Second in the series. I'm still liking the Hitchcock character and the mystery series.
January 30, 2021
Feel like this hasn’t aged well. A good twist at the end but not engaging enough to make it worthwhile.
April 18, 2021
I love to read, but I just don't have time for it like I used to. So I try to choose my books carefully. I'd heard about a new author who supposedly wrote a funny mystery. I sat down with a manuscript ready for a wickedly good time. I'm sorry to say I was disappointed.
The plot is a good one. Hitchcock Sewell -- yes, that's his name -- runs a funeral home with his aunt in Charm City. One evening in December while hosting a wake for a doctor, things are quite upset when a dead woman is deposited at the doorstep. With no identification other than the name badge "Helen" on her waitress's uniform, police have little to go on. Hitch's girlfriend, Bonnie, long pigeon-holed into the weather girl's slot and longing for an opportunity to break a real story, decides to get Hitch to help her investigate this murder. Trips to a strip joint, the zoo, Hitch's ex-mother-in-law's bar, a lawn ornament junkyard, a rival newspaperman, an obstetrician, the symphony, a meeting with the governor, and even the "proper" home of another dead victim all bring out clues. This was definitely not your usual stomping ground for solving homicide. Even the cops kept their distance, having warned Hitch to be careful.
Hitch has a wicked sense of humor and can be sarcastic and witty and downright funny. But it got old real fast. Bonnie, the weather girl, started out with a big part in the story, but that petered out as the plotline advanced. Hitch was pretty much on his own trying to explain Helen's murder and then tying it together with the surviving sister's version of their childhood. Estranged from each other, Helen's sister and Hitch draw at straws while surmising varying versions of what could have been the truth. For me, this became extremely tiresome -- the endless repetitious speculation -- even if it did finally lead up to the truth, which was only mildly unexpected by then.
I started A HEARSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR really wanting to like it. It had its moments and was fun at points. It did catch some of the flavor of Baltimore. It did have humor. But its repetitive nature almost showed disrespect for the reader's intelligence. Hitch was easy to follow and easy
and fun to read but not very original, really, even for being an undertaker in a ruby colored hearse.
The plot is a good one. Hitchcock Sewell -- yes, that's his name -- runs a funeral home with his aunt in Charm City. One evening in December while hosting a wake for a doctor, things are quite upset when a dead woman is deposited at the doorstep. With no identification other than the name badge "Helen" on her waitress's uniform, police have little to go on. Hitch's girlfriend, Bonnie, long pigeon-holed into the weather girl's slot and longing for an opportunity to break a real story, decides to get Hitch to help her investigate this murder. Trips to a strip joint, the zoo, Hitch's ex-mother-in-law's bar, a lawn ornament junkyard, a rival newspaperman, an obstetrician, the symphony, a meeting with the governor, and even the "proper" home of another dead victim all bring out clues. This was definitely not your usual stomping ground for solving homicide. Even the cops kept their distance, having warned Hitch to be careful.
Hitch has a wicked sense of humor and can be sarcastic and witty and downright funny. But it got old real fast. Bonnie, the weather girl, started out with a big part in the story, but that petered out as the plotline advanced. Hitch was pretty much on his own trying to explain Helen's murder and then tying it together with the surviving sister's version of their childhood. Estranged from each other, Helen's sister and Hitch draw at straws while surmising varying versions of what could have been the truth. For me, this became extremely tiresome -- the endless repetitious speculation -- even if it did finally lead up to the truth, which was only mildly unexpected by then.
I started A HEARSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR really wanting to like it. It had its moments and was fun at points. It did catch some of the flavor of Baltimore. It did have humor. But its repetitive nature almost showed disrespect for the reader's intelligence. Hitch was easy to follow and easy
and fun to read but not very original, really, even for being an undertaker in a ruby colored hearse.
October 16, 2015
#2 in the Hitchcock Sewell series.
Baltimore mortician Hitchcock Sewell series - When the murdered corpse of Helen Waggoner is dumped on the front steps of Baltimore's Sewell & Sons Family Funeral Home, which Hitch runs with his Aunt Billie, it's especially perturbing because a wake is in progress. Hitch's new girlfriend, Bonnie Nash, an inept television weathergirl, convinces Hitch to help her make a career move to investigative reporter by finding out who killed Helen. Naturally, complications arise. Helen's young son, Bo, goes to live with her estranged sister, Vicki, who is being harassed by the boy's jailbird father. The search into Helen's background leads Hitch and Bonnie into the Baltimore netherworld of strip joints, prostitution and pornography. When an up-and-coming lawyer and the owner of a strip joint are murdered in a similar style, the investigation expands. The lawyer represented Dr. Richard Kingman, whose wake Helen's body interrupted, and Hitch discovers a connection between Helen and the Kingman family.
Baltimore mortician Hitchcock Sewell series - When the murdered corpse of Helen Waggoner is dumped on the front steps of Baltimore's Sewell & Sons Family Funeral Home, which Hitch runs with his Aunt Billie, it's especially perturbing because a wake is in progress. Hitch's new girlfriend, Bonnie Nash, an inept television weathergirl, convinces Hitch to help her make a career move to investigative reporter by finding out who killed Helen. Naturally, complications arise. Helen's young son, Bo, goes to live with her estranged sister, Vicki, who is being harassed by the boy's jailbird father. The search into Helen's background leads Hitch and Bonnie into the Baltimore netherworld of strip joints, prostitution and pornography. When an up-and-coming lawyer and the owner of a strip joint are murdered in a similar style, the investigation expands. The lawyer represented Dr. Richard Kingman, whose wake Helen's body interrupted, and Hitch discovers a connection between Helen and the Kingman family.
October 5, 2012
"The wake was a bust. Everybody was crowded into the front hall, leaving the dead doctor to his own devices. One of his colleagues was kneeling in front of the couch, gingerly lifting the bloodstained front of the dress and peering inside. He meant well, but it was a perverse sight."
A dead waitress is dumped on the steps of Baltimore's Sewell and Sons funeral home in the middle of an unscheduled pre-Christmas blizzard and a wake for one of John Hopkins prestigious heart surgeons. On the surface, it isn't so odd for dead bodies to be delivered to funeral homes, but they don't normally arrive unannounced nor do they have fresh bullet wounds. So who is she and why this funeral home?
Read my review here: http://mostlyfiction.com/sleuths/cock...
A dead waitress is dumped on the steps of Baltimore's Sewell and Sons funeral home in the middle of an unscheduled pre-Christmas blizzard and a wake for one of John Hopkins prestigious heart surgeons. On the surface, it isn't so odd for dead bodies to be delivered to funeral homes, but they don't normally arrive unannounced nor do they have fresh bullet wounds. So who is she and why this funeral home?
Read my review here: http://mostlyfiction.com/sleuths/cock...
October 13, 2014
I enjoyed the first person narrative - Hitch is both humorous and likeable. How funny that he's an undertaker and it actually made sense how he got entangled in the mystery of Helen. I didn't like how he had Helen and Haden and then Bonnie and Billie - of all the names, you have to have two sets that start and end with the same letters? Toss that in with Helen being Vickie (or not) and it got a little muddled at times for me. Overall, the mystery's resolution was a little underwhelming but I liked how Hitch ended up with the better woman. I would definitely read more in this series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2008
During the wake of a prominent Baltimore doctor, a murdered waitress (also, the daughter of a stripper, nude model, small time porn star, and mother to a 3yo son) is unceremoniously dropped off at the doors of Sewell & Son. So, Hitch and his new meteorologist girlfriend, Bonnie, set out to find Helen Waggoner's killer.
Another good installment to the series; not as good as the first, but it kept me interested anyway.
Another good installment to the series; not as good as the first, but it kept me interested anyway.
July 8, 2008
so i really like these books! the narrator/main character is such a smart aleck that it keeps you laughing. of course i love crime dramas so the plot keeps up your interest throughout. bonus is that it's set in baltimore and i am relating with each location/bit of information in his descriptions. perfect fast beach/airplane read!
March 6, 2011
This lighter murder mystery takes Hitchcock Sewell, a charming undertaker/sluthe, through the Fells Point section of Baltimore and surrounding areas as he tries to determine why someone has deposited the body of a young woman on the steps of his funeral home during a snow storm. Wonderful characters, colorfully depicted - a fun jaunt through Baltimore.
October 7, 2013
The thing I really liked about this book was the ending, because I love a mystery that surprises you, and this one did that for me. However, I didn't rate the book higher because I thought it was a somewhat slow read. I still consider this a very good series, though, and will definitely read the next one.
January 12, 2012
I liked that the main character in this book was a guy in his early thirties who just happens to be an undertaker with a sense of humor and an adventurous soul. I also liked that although he is overall a nice guy (and very generous to others) he also has lots of flaws. I would definitely read another book by this author.
June 9, 2015
OK, maybe I wasn't as alert this time, but he hit me with a huge plot twist in the last 15 pages that I was not at all expecting. This is the second of his three mysteries so far, and having read the last first I can see the clear progression of his talent.
No pretensions for classic literature, just good fun.
No pretensions for classic literature, just good fun.
Read
June 12, 2010My first impression was positive. But after about 50 pages, I decided that I didn't like his writing style. I'm sure he intended the main character to sound witty. But I found the style cliche and affected. Plus, the story line didn't make me want to turn the next page.
August 29, 2011
This is the 2nd book in the Hitchcock Sewell series. A woman is dropped off on the funeral's home steps during a wake for a prominent doctor and Hitch tries to find out who would have done such a thing. It was funny and really went around in circles about who it could be doing the bad deed.
Read
February 26, 2013Hitch Sewell is a most inquisitive undertaker. He also seems to have a roving eye. These two characteristics help him to untangle an array of murders and mysterious deaths. There are more in the series, I'm still thinking about whether I want to read them.
May 12, 2013
Light and interesting read - nicely balances some of the more serious books i am reading. Mystery is my favorite recreational reading genre and i had not ready any of this author before. Not a page-turner, but the story moves along at a decent pace.
January 11, 2014
I am not sure why I chose this neon book off the library shelves, but I am glad I did. The slutty, good-looking hero is wise-cracking, dog-loving sleuth surrounded by murders and a few made-for-tv plot twists.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews