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Never Trust a Dead Man
Selwyn is brokenhearted when the beautiful Anora chooses to marry the awful, but rich, Farold. It's bad enough when Farold beats Selwyn up in front of the villagers. But nothing prepares Selwyn for Farold's being found murdered. All accusing fingers point to Selwyn, who is promptly sealed in a burial cave with Farold's corpse.
But they're not alone in the cave. A witch appears with an offer of escape if Selwyn will be her servant. The witch brings Farold back from the dead in the form of a bat. Too bad he doesn't know who really killed him. There's no choice left for Selwyn except to join forces with his worst enemy, a dead man, to find the real murderer.
But they're not alone in the cave. A witch appears with an offer of escape if Selwyn will be her servant. The witch brings Farold back from the dead in the form of a bat. Too bad he doesn't know who really killed him. There's no choice left for Selwyn except to join forces with his worst enemy, a dead man, to find the real murderer.
194 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1999
20 people are currently reading
567 people want to read
About the author
Vivian Vande Velde
51 books994 followersVivian Vande Velde (born 1951, currently residing in Rochester, New York) is an American author who writes books primarily aimed at young adults.
Her novels and short story collections usually have some element of horror or fantasy, but are primarily humorous. Her book Never Trust a Dead Man (1999) received the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She says that she really likes to write for children. She likes to do school talks to children. She does many book conventions and also gives writing classes.
Her novels and short story collections usually have some element of horror or fantasy, but are primarily humorous. Her book Never Trust a Dead Man (1999) received the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She says that she really likes to write for children. She likes to do school talks to children. She does many book conventions and also gives writing classes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
February 25, 2019
This was better than I expected. I found it humorous at times and wasn't bored. I'm usually not a fan of stories with witches, but the way this one was written it didn't really bother me that much (it almost felt like that wasn't the focus of the book). Overall, I liked this book.
October 7, 2008
This was a really fun book to read, it start out a little slow, but once Selwyn met the witch, Elswyth, the story gets really interesting. Selwyn is a young boy who lives with his parents on there farm outside a small town. The time period is old days, before electricity. One day out of nowhere Selwyn is convicted of murdering another boy from the village. He is convicted because he and Farold were after the same girl and Farold won. So Farold’s dead body and Selwyn are thrown into the tombs together. Selwyn is all but dead when the witch finds him, and she says that she will get him out if he serves her for one year. As they are getting ready to leave Selwyn asks the witch if she could bring Farold back to life, and she says that is fine but it will cost him another year. He agrees, and now he owes two years of service. Just as the witch is casting the spell Selwyn jerks and screws up the spell sending Farold into a bats body. It gets worse when they find out that Farold doesn’t even know who killed him, I mean how could he, he was stabbed in the back, oh and it was Selwyn’s knife that did it. So now Selwyn gets a disguise from the witch and a few more things, and before he knew it he owes 5 years. The disguise fails, and Selwyn has to go back and find the witch to get a new one, him and Farold put their heads together and decide that he should be a girl who was sent away to learn, or at least that what Selwyn thinks. Once back in the village Selwyn finds out that the girl he is pretending to be was sent away because she was pregnant and the father is thought to be Farold. After only one night Selwyn finds out that there are a lot more people who are happy Farold is dead. Doing a little more probing, Selwyn finds that Farold’s uncle Derian, is the one who stabbed him, but why? The he finds out that Derian killed him to inherit the mill that Farold got when his parents died in a fire, and that fire was actually started by Derian. Derian’s plan was to kill Farolds family and then he kills Farold so he can marry the same girl Farold was after. In the end the witch was going to let him off, but Selwyn says he will work off 1 year, and so he does.
1. One thing you could do is have students write what they would do if they were in Selwyn's place. Would they take the terms the witch sets? What disguise would they choose to go into the village wearing.
2. Have the students put on a play in which they act out one of their favorite parts.
1. One thing you could do is have students write what they would do if they were in Selwyn's place. Would they take the terms the witch sets? What disguise would they choose to go into the village wearing.
2. Have the students put on a play in which they act out one of their favorite parts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2019
A fun quick read. A funny little mystery involving a witch with attitude, a ghost in a bat’s body, and a boy out to prove his innocence.
February 28, 2019
The was a good read, that kept my interest for the majority of the story. I was curious to know who the murderer was and the reason why. Both of those were answered by the end. I think YA readers would enjoy reading this book, it was a very easy read.
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February 10, 2018This is another book from my daughter's Battle of the Books this year that I read. I didn't find this book that captivating. The magic seemed gratuitous.
November 2, 2013
A Trickster Eric Novels review
I've been reading Never Trust a Deadman by Vivian Vande Velde lately. It's part of my effort to clean out my personal queue so I can focus more on the reviewer one. I wasn't disappointed; this is a great book. It's basic premise is a whodunit; Selwygn investigates the murder of a fellow named Farold because he was accused of the murder himself. What attracted my attention is that this is fantasy style whodunit; Sewlwygn revived Farold in the former of a bat to aid his investigation by making a deal with a witch. I find it the mark of a great mystery that its appeal is not solely in suspense and the identity of the culprit and this has much more besides.
PLOT
The story begins in-media res with a mob coming to arrest Selwyn. I like this as a starting place because, for all the reader knows, Selwyn might have done it. As the evidence mounts, I found myself siding with the mob against him because it is s convincing case. This makes them seem less like assholes despite their behavior. On the other hand, it is still a scary thought if he is innocent because there's nothing he can do about his kangaroo trial and sentencing.
Another thing I like about the start is that is takes its time. 70 pages before the premise is fulfilled 'investigating a murder with a bat'. The whole book is 194 pages. I like it because there is no rushing and everything is fully set up for the main event.
Overall I like how the mystery developed and information was revealed. Selwyn keeps a running tally of suspects and their motivations. There's one Contrived Coincidence that stretches my Suspension of Disbelief but other than I don't see holes in the story.
CHARACTERS
This is why I like the book so much; characters and their interaction. I did not read this book to find out the killer's identity but to watch the leads interact on their way to their conclusion. Their bickering cooperation is funny and I enjoyed seeing them develop as the town itself was developed through retrospective information.
From the back cover I was afraid Selwyn would be a This Loser Is You sort of guy but he's not like that at all; the book spends zero pages making relatable or 'average' or anything like that.
Twists of character were also a delight. This is the kind of story that opens up a can of worms and makes other things come to light as Selwyn digs deeper for the one truth he's interested in.
POLISH
This story is written from Selwyn's prospective and in limited third person. This is a good tone for this book because the reader sees the world as Selwyn perceives it but without the self-conscious 'I' getting in the way. It works because it is consistent.
I didn't see anything in the way of grammar or spelling errors.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Never Trust a Dead Man" a B+
I've been reading Never Trust a Deadman by Vivian Vande Velde lately. It's part of my effort to clean out my personal queue so I can focus more on the reviewer one. I wasn't disappointed; this is a great book. It's basic premise is a whodunit; Selwygn investigates the murder of a fellow named Farold because he was accused of the murder himself. What attracted my attention is that this is fantasy style whodunit; Sewlwygn revived Farold in the former of a bat to aid his investigation by making a deal with a witch. I find it the mark of a great mystery that its appeal is not solely in suspense and the identity of the culprit and this has much more besides.
PLOT
The story begins in-media res with a mob coming to arrest Selwyn. I like this as a starting place because, for all the reader knows, Selwyn might have done it. As the evidence mounts, I found myself siding with the mob against him because it is s convincing case. This makes them seem less like assholes despite their behavior. On the other hand, it is still a scary thought if he is innocent because there's nothing he can do about his kangaroo trial and sentencing.
Another thing I like about the start is that is takes its time. 70 pages before the premise is fulfilled 'investigating a murder with a bat'. The whole book is 194 pages. I like it because there is no rushing and everything is fully set up for the main event.
Overall I like how the mystery developed and information was revealed. Selwyn keeps a running tally of suspects and their motivations. There's one Contrived Coincidence that stretches my Suspension of Disbelief but other than I don't see holes in the story.
CHARACTERS
This is why I like the book so much; characters and their interaction. I did not read this book to find out the killer's identity but to watch the leads interact on their way to their conclusion. Their bickering cooperation is funny and I enjoyed seeing them develop as the town itself was developed through retrospective information.
From the back cover I was afraid Selwyn would be a This Loser Is You sort of guy but he's not like that at all; the book spends zero pages making relatable or 'average' or anything like that.
Twists of character were also a delight. This is the kind of story that opens up a can of worms and makes other things come to light as Selwyn digs deeper for the one truth he's interested in.
POLISH
This story is written from Selwyn's prospective and in limited third person. This is a good tone for this book because the reader sees the world as Selwyn perceives it but without the self-conscious 'I' getting in the way. It works because it is consistent.
I didn't see anything in the way of grammar or spelling errors.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Never Trust a Dead Man" a B+
September 10, 2016
Selwyn, seorang pemuda tujuh belas tahun, baru saja putus dari kekasihnya. Anora, nama sang mantan kekasih, lebih memilik Farold yang lebih kaya. Selwyn baru saja meratapi nasib malangnya akibat dicampakkan sang mantan kekasih dan dipermalukan Farold, ketika warga Penryth menuduhnya telah membunuh Farold. Ya, Farold tewas terbunuh dengan luka tusuk di punggung, dan entah mengapa pisau Selwynlah yang ada di tempat kejadian perkara.
Karena semua bukti mengarah ke Selwyn, warga Penryth menghukumnya dengan mengurung Selwyn dalam gua kuburan massal agar ia mati pelan-pelan. Di tengah keputusasaan Selwyn karena kelaparan dan ketakutan, tiba-tiba Elswyth, seorang penyihir, muncul di sana. Dengan kekuatan sihir Elswyth, Selwyn bisa keluar dari gua itu dan Farold bisa hidup kembali dengan wujud seekor kelelawar (sebenarnya ada sedikit kesalahan teknis sampai-sampai Farold hidup dengan wujud kelelawar). Dimulailah petualangan mereka untuk mencari pembunuh Farold sebenarnya.
Semula Selwyn menyamar menjadi seorang pengembara, tetapi karena tak kunjung membuahkan hasil, ia akhirnya meminta Elswyth untuk mengubah wujudnya menjadi Kendra, anak pemilik kafe di Penryth. Dan, oh, dengan sangat mengejutkan Selwyn menemukan ada banyak sekali orang yang diuntungkan atas kematian Farold. Ia mencurigai banyak orang yang mungkin membunuh Farold!
Jadi sekarang, siapa pembunuh Farold?
Mampukan Selwyn membela diri?
baca review selengkapnya di http://widybookie.blogspot.com/2013/0...
Karena semua bukti mengarah ke Selwyn, warga Penryth menghukumnya dengan mengurung Selwyn dalam gua kuburan massal agar ia mati pelan-pelan. Di tengah keputusasaan Selwyn karena kelaparan dan ketakutan, tiba-tiba Elswyth, seorang penyihir, muncul di sana. Dengan kekuatan sihir Elswyth, Selwyn bisa keluar dari gua itu dan Farold bisa hidup kembali dengan wujud seekor kelelawar (sebenarnya ada sedikit kesalahan teknis sampai-sampai Farold hidup dengan wujud kelelawar). Dimulailah petualangan mereka untuk mencari pembunuh Farold sebenarnya.
Semula Selwyn menyamar menjadi seorang pengembara, tetapi karena tak kunjung membuahkan hasil, ia akhirnya meminta Elswyth untuk mengubah wujudnya menjadi Kendra, anak pemilik kafe di Penryth. Dan, oh, dengan sangat mengejutkan Selwyn menemukan ada banyak sekali orang yang diuntungkan atas kematian Farold. Ia mencurigai banyak orang yang mungkin membunuh Farold!
Jadi sekarang, siapa pembunuh Farold?
Mampukan Selwyn membela diri?
baca review selengkapnya di http://widybookie.blogspot.com/2013/0...
October 17, 2012
When Selwyn is falsely accused of murdering Farold and shut into a cave with all of the dead bodies of by-gone years, he's pretty desperate to get out and prove his innocence.
Or just getting out works fine for him as well. By any means necessary.
So when a witch, Elswyth, stumbles upon him and offers him a way out, Selwyn takes it. He agrees to be her slave\minion for 1 year if she lets him out. But wouldn't proving his innocence be easier if he could just ask Farold who killed him? So he asks Elswyth to bring back Farold which adds another year (or two) to his sentence. But Selwyn messes up the spell and Farold, though back, is now a bat. Quite useful, that.
And Farold was stabbed in the back, thus managing not to see his murderer.
Selwyn has one week to find the real killer before he must return to Elswyth and become, basically, her slave. So he asks for a disguise, racking up more years, and heads into town.
Selwyn thinks it should be fairly easy. Not everyone in the town could be a suspect, right?
Wrong. Turns out Farold was a scum-bag while he was alive and practically everyone has some reason to have wanted him dead, from blackmail to inheritance to a woman scorned.
Even though I would have hated Farold when he was alive; as a back-to-life animal of some sort, I actually kinda liked him. Especially in the last chapter.
Pretty enjoyable mystery with enough suspects and motives to keep you guessing.
February 9, 2016
Another one of Vivian Velde's strange books. In this case the main character is Selwyn, living in an ancient-type village. He's accused of murdering another boy named Farold and is put into a burial cave along with Farold's corpse.
Which, theoretically, should have been the end of Selwyn except for the fact that a witch named Elswyth made her way into the cave to get some materials for her spells and agreed to free Selwyn for a year's worth of service to her.
Selwyn wants to prove his innocence and he arranges for the witch to bring Farold back to life, temporarily, to find out who really killed him. The bargain is a hard one, though, for Selwyn will now be indentured to the witch for six years.
Things don't go as planned, though, and Farold comes back to life, but as a bat. At least for a while. Selwyn is disguised as a pilgrim and Farold hangs on to his hat, but that doesn't exactly work well, so Selwyn ends up disguised as a girl and Farold as her pet bird.
Which, theoretically, should have gone ok except that Selwyn has to explain what happened to the baby that he/she was supposed to have had and didn't happen to know anything about. The number of suspects keeps growing, too, getting up to eight people who had motive for killing Farold.
Then you still have to add a duck, a girl with the duck, an old mill, and a dead bird to the mix. All in all you have a good mystery with really good humor.
Which, theoretically, should have been the end of Selwyn except for the fact that a witch named Elswyth made her way into the cave to get some materials for her spells and agreed to free Selwyn for a year's worth of service to her.
Selwyn wants to prove his innocence and he arranges for the witch to bring Farold back to life, temporarily, to find out who really killed him. The bargain is a hard one, though, for Selwyn will now be indentured to the witch for six years.
Things don't go as planned, though, and Farold comes back to life, but as a bat. At least for a while. Selwyn is disguised as a pilgrim and Farold hangs on to his hat, but that doesn't exactly work well, so Selwyn ends up disguised as a girl and Farold as her pet bird.
Which, theoretically, should have gone ok except that Selwyn has to explain what happened to the baby that he/she was supposed to have had and didn't happen to know anything about. The number of suspects keeps growing, too, getting up to eight people who had motive for killing Farold.
Then you still have to add a duck, a girl with the duck, an old mill, and a dead bird to the mix. All in all you have a good mystery with really good humor.
September 20, 2010
First Selwyn's crush refuses to marry him--and then he's accused of murder! But luckily for Selwyn, he's saved from a slow death by a crotchety old witch. In exchange for years of service to her, she helps him disguise himself to find out who really murdered Farold. And with his disguise firmly in place, Selwyn is discovering some uncomfortable truths about people he thought he knew well...
VVV has a talent for showing us the world through a character's eyes, only to slowly reveal how deeply wrong their assumptions were. She used this to great effect in User Unfriendly, but it works less well here, simply because she takes less time to do it. I don't think VVV earns the plot twists she uses--the reveal with the witch, for instance, was telegraphed from the start but didn't feel probable (even though it is one of my favorite tropes). If I'd spent more time inside Selwyn's head, or if there had been more scenes of interaction between the characters, I would be all over this book. As it is, it seems like a pale imitation of VVV's excellent Dragon's Bait.
VVV has a talent for showing us the world through a character's eyes, only to slowly reveal how deeply wrong their assumptions were. She used this to great effect in User Unfriendly, but it works less well here, simply because she takes less time to do it. I don't think VVV earns the plot twists she uses--the reveal with the witch, for instance, was telegraphed from the start but didn't feel probable (even though it is one of my favorite tropes). If I'd spent more time inside Selwyn's head, or if there had been more scenes of interaction between the characters, I would be all over this book. As it is, it seems like a pale imitation of VVV's excellent Dragon's Bait.
July 8, 2016
Selwyn, a simple farmer, who’s trying to get on with life after his romantic interest, Anora, turned him down for arrogant, rich Farold. It’s all good until Farold turns up murdered with Selwyn’s knife in his back. Selwyn knows he didn’t do it, but the villagers don’t see it that way. Their punishment, lock the murderer up with the murdered. So Selwyn finds himself stuck in the burial cave with only corpses, bats, and his thoughts for company. Until the witch, Elswyth wanders in, needing potion ingredients from a dead man. After trading a year of servitude to Elswyth for the way out, Selwyn then wants to clear his name. Who better to find the murderer then Farold himself, thus through a series of events and more years of servitude to Elswyth Selwyn finds himself with his least favorite person Farold in the form of a bat, a disguise and seven days to find out who killed Farold before working for Elswyth.
A really fun mystery. The only thing you know for sure is that Selwyn didn’t do it, as more and more suspects line up. It’s a quick, easy read, and really no complaints about it.
A really fun mystery. The only thing you know for sure is that Selwyn didn’t do it, as more and more suspects line up. It’s a quick, easy read, and really no complaints about it.
February 2, 2013
Selwyn is a normal guy. When he loses his girl (ok, she never was his to begin with) to the village jerk (Farold), he's naturally heartbroken. When Farold turns up murdered, Selwyn is, naturally, a little glad. Who wouldn't be? That little bit of happiness goes away when Selwyn is accused of being the murderer, promptly convicted, and then buried alive with his "victim." With the assistance of a witch (who likes to hit Selwyn), and the return of Farold (as a bat), Selwyn sets out to crack this case. Eventually, Selwyn ends up owing nine and a half years of servitude to the witch, and he might not even solve the case!
I quite enjoyed this book. It takes a while for the action to get started, but once it does it gets pretty exciting. I enjoyed the little twists that were in the novel, and it was especially humorous when Selwyn had to disguise himself as a girl. This mystery was especially intriguing to me as I learned all of the different things Farold had done to make someone want to murder him.
I quite enjoyed this book. It takes a while for the action to get started, but once it does it gets pretty exciting. I enjoyed the little twists that were in the novel, and it was especially humorous when Selwyn had to disguise himself as a girl. This mystery was especially intriguing to me as I learned all of the different things Farold had done to make someone want to murder him.
December 12, 2011
What if you were accused of a murder that you didn't commit? That is what happens to Selwyn in Never Trust a Dead Man. Selwyn, a young farmer, wanted to marry the beutiful and kind Anora, but she chooses Farold, the nephew of the rich miller. When Farold is killed a few weeks later, everybody in the village is sure that Selwyn did it. Their solution: seal Selwyn in with Farold's body. Selwyn is sure that he'll die, until he meets a witch that rescues him and helps him try to discover who actually killed Farold. The more that Selwyn investigates, the more people that he discovers that would be willing to kill Farold. Who is the real murderer and why did he or she kill him?
I really enjoyed this book. The interaction between Selwyn and the other characters, especially with Farold and the witch Elswyth. The plot was really good. The murderer at the end surprised me, but was believable. Overall, a great book.
I really enjoyed this book. The interaction between Selwyn and the other characters, especially with Farold and the witch Elswyth. The plot was really good. The murderer at the end surprised me, but was believable. Overall, a great book.
July 4, 2012
Selwyn is a young man who is love with Anora, but Anora is in love with Farold and is going to marry him. That is, before somebody murdered Farold while be was asleep. Selwyn is accused of the murder, Farold was killed with Selwyn's knife, and is put in the cave with the dead to die also. A witch named Elswyth helps Selwyn out. But for every thing she does for him he has to devoted one year of his life to serve her. So to prove his innocence he first is disguised as a pilgrim with his bat. They bring Farold's soul and put it in a bat on accident. Then he is disguised as the daughter of the bar owners and Farold is "her" bird.
This book was fun to read because Elswyth was entertaining with what she said and how she kept on adding years to Selwyns service.This was an adventure story that I really liked and I would reccommend it to people who like mysteries. I probably would read other books by this same author.
This book was fun to read because Elswyth was entertaining with what she said and how she kept on adding years to Selwyns service.This was an adventure story that I really liked and I would reccommend it to people who like mysteries. I probably would read other books by this same author.
July 6, 2011
This was such a cute book and so worth it's recommendation. Though it sounds like a horror story - it's not really. The book follows Selwyn who is falsly accused of murder and his punishment is to be buried in the tomb with the body. A witch rescues him and helps him solve the murder in exchange for years of service. Selwyn agrees and she brings back the dead boy in the body of a bat. I can not say hilarity ensues but what follows is a touching and entertaining story as Selwyn discovers people are not who they seem to be and there were plenty of secrets in his village. At under 200 pages it's not for the youngest reader but the language is simple (even if some of the names are not) and it's neatly broken into 22 chapters so a strong younger reader could really enjoy it. I would put the level at about 4th grade but the story would interest older readers as well.
Enjoy reading!
Enjoy reading!
October 24, 2012
This was such a cute book and so worth it's recommendation. Though it sounds like a horror story - it's not really. The book follows Selwyn who is falsly accused of murder and his punishment is to be buried in the tomb with the body. A witch rescues him and helps him solve the murder in exchange for years of service. Selwyn agrees and she brings back the dead boy in the body of a bat. I can not say hilarity ensues but what follows is a touching and entertaining story as Selwyn discovers people are not who they seem to be and there were plenty of secrets in his village. At under 200 pages it's not for the youngest reader but the language is simple (even if some of the names are not) and it's neatly broken into 22 chapters so a strong younger reader could really enjoy it. I would put the level at about 4th grade but the story would interest older readers as well.
Enjoy reading!
Enjoy reading!
November 3, 2011
Picked this up because I'd heard something good about the author... or maybe her name just stuck with me because it's such a beautiful name.
Anyway, this is a YA fantasy/mystery with a fairytale feel to it.
A young man, Selwyn, is accusing of murdering his rival in love, Farold. The men of the village quickly sentence him to death and seal him up, alive, in a burial cave with the body of his supposed victim. Luckily for him, the cave isn't quite as impenetrable as they believe, and a tricky witch finds Selwyn and makes a bargain with him. He and Farold's spirit, incarnated into the body of a bat, are given a limited amount of time to investigate the village and find the true murderer in order to clear Selwyn's name.
It's not a major work, but it's a quick and entertaining tale.
Anyway, this is a YA fantasy/mystery with a fairytale feel to it.
A young man, Selwyn, is accusing of murdering his rival in love, Farold. The men of the village quickly sentence him to death and seal him up, alive, in a burial cave with the body of his supposed victim. Luckily for him, the cave isn't quite as impenetrable as they believe, and a tricky witch finds Selwyn and makes a bargain with him. He and Farold's spirit, incarnated into the body of a bat, are given a limited amount of time to investigate the village and find the true murderer in order to clear Selwyn's name.
It's not a major work, but it's a quick and entertaining tale.
December 5, 2011
The main character is a 17 year old boy who is the son of the farmer. He lives in Penryth. He is in love with a young girl who had chosen to marry another boy and they had gotten into a fight. Then the boy was murdered and they blame it on Selwyn, the main character. He is then placed in the burial cave with the dead boy and the others. He is left there for dead. He ends up escaping and going on an adventure to figure out who killed Farold.
I found this book to be very interesting. The story line is very easy to caught on to. The story is told in such a way that it keeps your attention for the entire book and allows you to make your own assumptions. Although the murderer is from someone who you would never expect. I loved this book also the fact that it is a short read.
I found this book to be very interesting. The story line is very easy to caught on to. The story is told in such a way that it keeps your attention for the entire book and allows you to make your own assumptions. Although the murderer is from someone who you would never expect. I loved this book also the fact that it is a short read.
August 31, 2015
Vande Velde is a very clever writer. She has all the skills of plotting, dialogue and humor. This young adult fantasy is light weight but entertaining. You'll while away a few hours and not regret it if you are young and fanciful.
Selwyn and Farold are two very young men in the same medieval village. They both like the same lass and when Farold is murdered Selwyn becomes the chief suspect. Quick justice has Farold wrapped in a sheet and interred in the wall of a cave with Selwyn given a death sentence by being walled in with Farold. Selwyn is rescued by a witch with an agenda and Farold is brought back to life (though not as intended) to aid Selwyn in proving his innocence.
Plenty of riffs on local mores, idiocy and a "surprising" resolution.
Selwyn and Farold are two very young men in the same medieval village. They both like the same lass and when Farold is murdered Selwyn becomes the chief suspect. Quick justice has Farold wrapped in a sheet and interred in the wall of a cave with Selwyn given a death sentence by being walled in with Farold. Selwyn is rescued by a witch with an agenda and Farold is brought back to life (though not as intended) to aid Selwyn in proving his innocence.
Plenty of riffs on local mores, idiocy and a "surprising" resolution.
February 4, 2014
This book is the reason I started reading Vivian Vande Velde. I've always hoped to find another just as good as this. Some of her other books are very good too, but none as richly entertaining as this.
It's been more than 10 years since I first read this book, long enough to forget the major plot points (except for the bat). It's still as captivating as ever. The only part I wasn't entirely satisfied with was the reason for the murder. But it's also part of what makes it so subtly brilliant. You would never have expected it. This is Vivian Vande Velde's finest work thus far.
It's been more than 10 years since I first read this book, long enough to forget the major plot points (except for the bat). It's still as captivating as ever. The only part I wasn't entirely satisfied with was the reason for the murder. But it's also part of what makes it so subtly brilliant. You would never have expected it. This is Vivian Vande Velde's finest work thus far.
October 4, 2019
Two things I didn't know going into this e-book: one, it's a comedy; and two, it's a children's book. (I thought young adult, but it's more like middle grade. I would say elementary, but it's a very tiny bit risque.)
I expected a serious story. The synopsis says the book is about someone accused of murder, and he has to work together with the dead man to solve the crime and find out who the real killer is. What it doesn't tell you is that there is no zombie, no dead man walking; through a series of unfortunate, goofy mistakes, the dead man's soul winds up in a bat, then a parakeet, then a duck. And he still talks and can't make proper animal sounds. It's supposed to be funny, and if I had realized any of that going in, I would have probably found it hilarious and clever. Instead I was expecting a serious murder mystery and expected it to be eerie. It took me at least half the book to warm up to the idea that it was supposed to be funny.
But from there I did enjoy the story. The main character is not real bright. The murder victim is smarmy as all get-out. The love interest is not the innocent damsel she pretends to be. And there are witches. It's all rather cartoony, and even though I liked this book, I think it would have made for a much better cartoon than a novella. The dialogue and antics seem funny, but it would be MUCH funnier to actually watch the witch hitting the boy on the head with her walking stick five times over, than to read about it happening.
It was a fairly good murder mystery. My only problem was that there is such a huge cast of characters (literally an entire medieval village of them) that I couldn't keep anyone straight. I figured out about seven of the characters and the rest were just sort of there, but unfortunately the killer was one of those that blended in for me and I had to remind myself who that was.
Overall, a fun read that I think kids would enjoy. It was a bit juvenile for me, being an adult, but I liked it much better than the author's young adult vampire romance, "Companions of the Night." I would recommend it to fans of "The Chronicles of Prydain." It's very similar, but...oddly...far less dark.
I expected a serious story. The synopsis says the book is about someone accused of murder, and he has to work together with the dead man to solve the crime and find out who the real killer is. What it doesn't tell you is that there is no zombie, no dead man walking; through a series of unfortunate, goofy mistakes, the dead man's soul winds up in a bat, then a parakeet, then a duck. And he still talks and can't make proper animal sounds. It's supposed to be funny, and if I had realized any of that going in, I would have probably found it hilarious and clever. Instead I was expecting a serious murder mystery and expected it to be eerie. It took me at least half the book to warm up to the idea that it was supposed to be funny.
But from there I did enjoy the story. The main character is not real bright. The murder victim is smarmy as all get-out. The love interest is not the innocent damsel she pretends to be. And there are witches. It's all rather cartoony, and even though I liked this book, I think it would have made for a much better cartoon than a novella. The dialogue and antics seem funny, but it would be MUCH funnier to actually watch the witch hitting the boy on the head with her walking stick five times over, than to read about it happening.
It was a fairly good murder mystery. My only problem was that there is such a huge cast of characters (literally an entire medieval village of them) that I couldn't keep anyone straight. I figured out about seven of the characters and the rest were just sort of there, but unfortunately the killer was one of those that blended in for me and I had to remind myself who that was.
Overall, a fun read that I think kids would enjoy. It was a bit juvenile for me, being an adult, but I liked it much better than the author's young adult vampire romance, "Companions of the Night." I would recommend it to fans of "The Chronicles of Prydain." It's very similar, but...oddly...far less dark.
September 21, 2020
This book has a solid setup: a teenage boy, framed for murder, is forced to try to solve it with the assistance of a sarcastic witch and the ghost of the murder victim, the latter of whom is not inclined to be helpful. Vande Velde does a decent job with the mystery plot, plus she writes some snappy dialogue and has a sense of humor. Unfortunately, this isn't quite enough to cover for the lack of depth of the characters and setting (a generic vaguely-medieval fantasy world). The problem is that Vande Velde is amusing, but rarely rises to the level of funny. For instance, at one point our hero has to impersonate a girl in his village, with the aid of a disguise spell. I found the idea that he could have any success at this to be totally unbelievable -- among the people he has to fool were her parents! -- but if Vande Velde had really committed to this as a farce, along the lines of Bertie Wooster carrying out some hare-brained scheme, I might have been willing to go along with it. Instead, this utterly implausible sequence is merely used for amusing incidents in the service of the mystery plot. And to be fair, that part is done well, Vande Velde has clearly read her Christie: she just needs to read some Wodehouse as well.
March 7, 2018
When the love of his life, Anora, chooses another, Selwyn is heartbroken. When Anora's fiancée is found murdered, Selwyn is the prime suspect especially when the murder weapon is his lost knife. Betrayed and accused by his village, Selwyn is buried alive for his crime in the caves above the village-with the victim. Desperate to escape and clear his name, Selwyn bargains with a witch to help disguise him to find the real murderer. A week deadline, disguise, and a possible partner from the victim who was his archenemies. A story full of mystery, witty remarks, and magic.
I really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful from the beginning and was intriguing throughout the story of who the real murderer would be. The only disappointment I would say is that finding out who the murderer is and the ending was sped through very fast. I felt it was a little more rushed but it made sense since the setting is very small with few characters in the book. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it to any young reader.
I really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful from the beginning and was intriguing throughout the story of who the real murderer would be. The only disappointment I would say is that finding out who the murderer is and the ending was sped through very fast. I felt it was a little more rushed but it made sense since the setting is very small with few characters in the book. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it to any young reader.
June 26, 2018
Set in medieval times, Selwyn Rowesonis suspected and convicted of murdering 17 year old Farold, the rude miller's son. The two boys didn't like each other, and Farold stole the love of Selwyn's life, making him the prime suspect. Selwyn is thrown into the burial caves with Farold's body, and the villagers expect him to die there. Selwyn, however, meets a witch who agrees to rescue him if he pledges a few years of his life in service to her. She does this, and eventually she agrees to bring Farold back from the dead. The spell goes wrong, however, and Farold comes back as a bat. Selwyn and bat Farold then work to uncover just who murdered Farold to begin with. This is a great mystery, I loved reading about how Velde worked this murder mystery into a humor novel as well. It was simple, yet unpredictable. For anyone who likes murder mysteries with a touch of dry humor, then this book is for you.
October 11, 2024
3.5 stars (it got bumped up on account of the half for the humor)
A good Halloween tale, it is set in a vaguely Medieval-era European town/village and Selwyn, a young 17 year-old boy, is accused of murdering another boy Farold because he won the hand of the girl they were both fighting over.
After being found guilty by the villagers, he is entombed with Farold's body in a cave and left to die. Luckily for him, a witch comes along in search of ingredients for her spells and he bargains with her to gain help to prove his innocence. As part of the deal, she was going to bring Farold back to life for a brief time so he could tell them who killed him but Selwyn messes up and instead Farold is brought back in the body of a bat.
Together, Farold and Selwyn investigate his murder and learn not everything was as it seemed in their small town and they have a multitude of suspects who wanted Farold dead.
Some classic VVV humor and a good ending.
A good Halloween tale, it is set in a vaguely Medieval-era European town/village and Selwyn, a young 17 year-old boy, is accused of murdering another boy Farold because he won the hand of the girl they were both fighting over.
After being found guilty by the villagers, he is entombed with Farold's body in a cave and left to die. Luckily for him, a witch comes along in search of ingredients for her spells and he bargains with her to gain help to prove his innocence. As part of the deal, she was going to bring Farold back to life for a brief time so he could tell them who killed him but Selwyn messes up and instead Farold is brought back in the body of a bat.
Together, Farold and Selwyn investigate his murder and learn not everything was as it seemed in their small town and they have a multitude of suspects who wanted Farold dead.
Some classic VVV humor and a good ending.
June 27, 2024
Wat een leuk verhaal was dit. Helemaal onverwacht trouwens. Selwyn is een jongen die woont in een heel klein dorpje ergens in een middeleeuws land. Hij is verliefd op Anora, maar zij kiest voor Farold, de neef van Derian, de molenaar van het dorp. Hij zal de molen erven en wordt daarmee een rijke man.
Op een dag komen alle mannen van het dorp naar de boerderij van Selwyn en zijn ouders. Farold is vermoord en Selwyn krijgt daar de schuld van.
Hij wordt met het lijk van Farold naar de grotten gebracht waar iedere dode van het dorp is geëindigd, gelukkig wordt hij gered door de heks Elswyth, die hem en Farold terug mee naar buiten neemt. Elswyth heeft Farold tot leven gewekt,wel als een vleermuis. Farold wil ook wel weten wie hem heeft vermoord. Elswyth geeft Selwyn een ander uiterlijk (Hij wordt het meisje Kendra) en samen gaan ze op onderzoek uit.
Op een dag komen alle mannen van het dorp naar de boerderij van Selwyn en zijn ouders. Farold is vermoord en Selwyn krijgt daar de schuld van.
Hij wordt met het lijk van Farold naar de grotten gebracht waar iedere dode van het dorp is geëindigd, gelukkig wordt hij gered door de heks Elswyth, die hem en Farold terug mee naar buiten neemt. Elswyth heeft Farold tot leven gewekt,wel als een vleermuis. Farold wil ook wel weten wie hem heeft vermoord. Elswyth geeft Selwyn een ander uiterlijk (Hij wordt het meisje Kendra) en samen gaan ze op onderzoek uit.
May 28, 2017
Selwyn, falsely accused of the murder of Farold, is buried alive with Farold in the burial caves. Elswyth, a witch from a nearby cave, enters the cave from an unknown entrance and agrees to help Selwyn in exchange for a year of service to her. At first, Selwyn just wants out of the cave, but then he realizes he must fine out who the real murderer is. So, Elswyth agrees (for more service time) to bring Farold back from the dead. But Selwyn messes up and Farold's spirit returns in the body of a bat. Together, this unlikely pair return to the town of the murder (in disguises) and soon find out that a lot of people had a motive to kill Farold.
Good read! Funny, suspenseful
Good read! Funny, suspenseful
July 21, 2018
Never Trust a Dead Man is the story of two rivals, Selwyn and Farold. This rivalry doesn't last, however, as Farold is murdered, and everyone suspects Selwyn to be guilty. Because of this, Selwyn is sealed away in a cave with Farold's corpse. As Selwyn awaits his bitter end, a witch offers him freedom from this fate in exchange for his servitude. With the witch's help, Selwyn is able to find out who really killed Farold, with the spirit of Farold (in the body of a bat) aiding him.
I recommend this book. The concept of having Selwyn solve the crime he was convicted of while aided by the man he was thought to have murdered was neat and made the book interesting.
I recommend this book. The concept of having Selwyn solve the crime he was convicted of while aided by the man he was thought to have murdered was neat and made the book interesting.
May 6, 2018
I haven't read a book by this author that I haven't really really liked. This one reminds me of Dragon's Bait, with the interesting ending. I do like the character development that we see in both Selwyn and Farold and the surprising characters of the other villagers. And Selwyn does come through in the end with the identity of the murderer. What do I like best? Could it be when he is transformed into a girl? Vivian Vande Velde is a terrific writer.
February 25, 2018
Young Selwyn is accused of murdering his rival, Farold, and sentenced to die in a cave next to the dead man's body. With the help of a crotchety witch who happens to be in the cave looking for potion ingredients, he escapes, along with an unexpected companion, and then sets out to unmask the real murderer.
A fun, inventive, young-adult book, full of lots of laughs and surprises.
A fun, inventive, young-adult book, full of lots of laughs and surprises.
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