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Dead in the USA
College girls just want to have fun. That's all Kim French wanted to do...have a little fun. Sure, inviting a male stripper back to her place was risky, but you only live once, right? But when that stripper turns out to be a deranged serial killer, it becomes the last risk Kim will ever take. The Grim Reaper gives Kim's spirit a choice: Oblivion or Vengeance? Hungry for revenge, Kim's ghost chooses to avenge her death and stop her murderer from killing again. The hungry ghost leads two police detectives and a reality TV cop show on the hunt to catch her killer, culminating in the last concert ever played at the historic Boston Garden.
108 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 2013
111 people want to read
About the author
David Price
22 books141 followersDavid Price lives in Maine. His favorite place to write is the family cabin in New Hampshire.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 24, 2013
Price’s DEAD IN THE USA is a tightly woven tale of collegiate angst leading to an ill-fated night of reckless abandon -- and worse -- for our protagonist Kim, her friends, and the detectives who become more deeply involved in the hunt for her killer than they ever bargained for.
Price’s characters are compelling and real; from Kim’s wild, boy-crazy friends blowing off steam after finals to the cocky media figure looking for an inside scoop and his conscientious partner who plays an integral role in leading the police to Kim’s killer, the key players are all believable and bear the weight of the human condition. Price’s dark humor colors the story throughout, and the authentic portrayal of individuals caught in the crossfire of Kim’s vengeful, relentless journey to bring her killer to justice like Ol’ Flem, the janitor, and Crazy Jane, a street urchin, add a rich layer of empathy and intrigue to draw the reader in as the story unfolds.
For such a short work, Price adeptly takes on the well-worn territory of the afterlife with a new and interesting angle, using frank, genuine, and often comical dialogue and interactions between characters both living and dead. Dead in the USA will appeal in particular to Bostonians, but his sharp wit and penchant for sarcasm will captivate any reader along for the ride.
Price’s characters are compelling and real; from Kim’s wild, boy-crazy friends blowing off steam after finals to the cocky media figure looking for an inside scoop and his conscientious partner who plays an integral role in leading the police to Kim’s killer, the key players are all believable and bear the weight of the human condition. Price’s dark humor colors the story throughout, and the authentic portrayal of individuals caught in the crossfire of Kim’s vengeful, relentless journey to bring her killer to justice like Ol’ Flem, the janitor, and Crazy Jane, a street urchin, add a rich layer of empathy and intrigue to draw the reader in as the story unfolds.
For such a short work, Price adeptly takes on the well-worn territory of the afterlife with a new and interesting angle, using frank, genuine, and often comical dialogue and interactions between characters both living and dead. Dead in the USA will appeal in particular to Bostonians, but his sharp wit and penchant for sarcasm will captivate any reader along for the ride.
July 13, 2015
Local New England author David Price wrote the novella Dead in the USA, and I was happy to read it.
Dead in the USA follows the demise of Malibu native Kim French when a cup of coffee turns into her murder at the hands of a serial killer in early 90s Boston.
But Kim's journey isn't over.
She finds herself watching her killer over his shoulder, and soon realizes she has crossed the threshold into the world of the undead. Unable (or unwilling) to move on when the Grim Reaper literally comes calling, she haunts her killer, and leads the police as well as the cast of a reality cop show to his trail.
I won't give away the ending, but the afterlife is a helluva place in Dave's imagination.
I liked the book, but obviously there were some things that struck me off. Some of the sentence structure gets a bit repetitive, and italics were dropped in numerous places. I think my biggest gripe is that I wanted MORE STORY.
Tack on 50 good pages and I'll add a star just for principle. Dead in the USA is an enjoyable read, especially if you're a Bostonian.
Dead in the USA follows the demise of Malibu native Kim French when a cup of coffee turns into her murder at the hands of a serial killer in early 90s Boston.
But Kim's journey isn't over.
She finds herself watching her killer over his shoulder, and soon realizes she has crossed the threshold into the world of the undead. Unable (or unwilling) to move on when the Grim Reaper literally comes calling, she haunts her killer, and leads the police as well as the cast of a reality cop show to his trail.
I won't give away the ending, but the afterlife is a helluva place in Dave's imagination.
I liked the book, but obviously there were some things that struck me off. Some of the sentence structure gets a bit repetitive, and italics were dropped in numerous places. I think my biggest gripe is that I wanted MORE STORY.
Tack on 50 good pages and I'll add a star just for principle. Dead in the USA is an enjoyable read, especially if you're a Bostonian.
June 2, 2015
Kim goes out for a night of clubbing with her friends and consumes two Ecstasy pills, six Tequila Sunrises, and a Long Island Iced tea...then she invites a male stripper back to her apartment. As you can imagine, this wasn't the best laid plan.
So now Kim's dead, and Death itself gives her a choice: move on, or get vengeance? Yep, she chose the latter. Dead in the USA is an thrill ride, taking you from the packed clubs of Boston to a show at the late great Boston Garden. Recommended!
So now Kim's dead, and Death itself gives her a choice: move on, or get vengeance? Yep, she chose the latter. Dead in the USA is an thrill ride, taking you from the packed clubs of Boston to a show at the late great Boston Garden. Recommended!
November 5, 2013
Dead in the USA is a story about a young woman who is brutally murdered after a night of excessive drinking. Don't worry, her death doesn't end the story; it begins it. She remains a vengeful spirit who does everything she can to communicate with the police and the reality tv crew who are working on her case.
I thought the book was well written, a fast read that skipped on the fluff and went right to the meat of the tale. I was a little hesitant when the main character (Kim) died so close to the beginning, but the author did a great job of expressing her loneliness and frustration as her body bleeds out on her apartment floor. As the investigation begins, that feeling turns to anger and a desire for revenge. She learns how to manipulate the environment enough to communicate hints and show clues to her murderer's identity.
I also found it very refreshing to read a book with "dead" in the title that wasn't a zombie story. Nothing against zombie books, but as a ghost story, Dead in the USA really shines. I'll keep an eye out for more books from David Price.
I thought the book was well written, a fast read that skipped on the fluff and went right to the meat of the tale. I was a little hesitant when the main character (Kim) died so close to the beginning, but the author did a great job of expressing her loneliness and frustration as her body bleeds out on her apartment floor. As the investigation begins, that feeling turns to anger and a desire for revenge. She learns how to manipulate the environment enough to communicate hints and show clues to her murderer's identity.
I also found it very refreshing to read a book with "dead" in the title that wasn't a zombie story. Nothing against zombie books, but as a ghost story, Dead in the USA really shines. I'll keep an eye out for more books from David Price.
January 1, 2014
It was a good first novel. It keeps you wanting to read until the very end.
May 30, 2017
I heard David Price read an excerpt from this book at a library reading and it REALLY made me want to find out what happened.However I was waiting on my friend to be ready to read it so we could read it together.But......after a few months I could wait no longer and went ahead and read it.It was a pretty quick read which turned out to be a pretty great story.
September 30, 2017
I bought this from local author, David Price, when I meet him (and other Maine authors) at a comic con in Maine. I loved Kim, sassy even in death! My only wish is that it had been longer and more in depth. Otherwise, a great story.
Want to read
December 2, 2014Won as a first read but never received.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews