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Almost Dead
Detectives Rosie Young and Vince Mendez chase an elusive villain when not one but two victims turn up alive less than twenty-four hours after their death. The body count continues to climb as the detectives investigate how two seemingly unrelated victims share an almost identical near-death experience but have no memory of the event. The trail of evidence leads to starting revelations of deceit, greed and an international conspiracy in this entertaining murder mystery.
This book is authored by writer James J. Murray. James has experience in both pharmaceutical manufacturing and clinical patient management. Medications and their impact on a patient’s quality of life has been his expertise. His secret passion of murder and mayhem, however, is a whole other matter. An obsession with reading murder mysteries and thrillers left him longing to weave such tales of his own. Drawing on past clinical expertise as a pharmacist and an infatuation with the lethal effects of drugs, James creates short stories and novels that will have you looking over your shoulder and suspicious of anything in your medicine cabinet.
James is a published author of novels and short stories. He writes a weekly blog called "Prescription For Murder" which highlights designing murder scenes and various aspects of writing fiction.
This book is authored by writer James J. Murray. James has experience in both pharmaceutical manufacturing and clinical patient management. Medications and their impact on a patient’s quality of life has been his expertise. His secret passion of murder and mayhem, however, is a whole other matter. An obsession with reading murder mysteries and thrillers left him longing to weave such tales of his own. Drawing on past clinical expertise as a pharmacist and an infatuation with the lethal effects of drugs, James creates short stories and novels that will have you looking over your shoulder and suspicious of anything in your medicine cabinet.
James is a published author of novels and short stories. He writes a weekly blog called "Prescription For Murder" which highlights designing murder scenes and various aspects of writing fiction.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 9, 2016
11 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
James J. Murray
17 books62 followersJames has experience in both pharmaceutical manufacturing and clinical patient management. Medications and their impact on a patient’s quality of life has been his expertise. His secret passion of murder and mayhem, however, is a whole other matter. An obsession with reading murder mysteries and thrillers left him longing to weave such tales of his own. Drawing on past clinical expertise as a pharmacist and an infatuation with the lethal effects of drugs, James creates short stories and novels that will have you looking over your shoulder and suspicious of anything in your medicine cabinet.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 5, 2019
To my delight, I had barely gotten my feet wet just a few pages into the storyline when I was assaulted by an unexpected twist. What a glorious way to jump start the novel! From the very beginning, the timing of the scenes kept pace with a building momentum to an intriguing plot. As the tale progressed, familiarity soon set in for the main characters as their personalities began to shine through. Finishing with a blaze of glory, there was an unexpected turn of events in the end that I never saw coming. It was the perfect nightcap to a fascinating read.
Homicide detectives Rosie Young and partner Vince Mendez made a good team. They were good at what they did - solving homicides. Though all that was about to change in dramatic fashion when they were called upon to solve the latest case. It would be the one that would stand out among the rest. What lie ahead would turn out to be the mother lode of all murder mysteries. This book was well-written, easy to read and comes recommended.
Homicide detectives Rosie Young and partner Vince Mendez made a good team. They were good at what they did - solving homicides. Though all that was about to change in dramatic fashion when they were called upon to solve the latest case. It would be the one that would stand out among the rest. What lie ahead would turn out to be the mother lode of all murder mysteries. This book was well-written, easy to read and comes recommended.
February 11, 2025
A Real Head Scratcher Of A Mystery
Things get weird when not one but two different people wake up in the morgue after being pronounced dead. As Detectives Young and Mendez investigate their path spirals down into murder, drug cartels and somehow art fraud is in the mix too. The dynamic duo must put the pieces of this particular head scratcher of a puzzle together before it’s too late. I thoroughly enjoyed the uniquely surreal and puzzling nature of the case and loved how the detectives worked as a team to solve mystery. It was very well written with great research in the different types of drugs. I hear the author used to work in pharmaceuticals so he must have been home there and it shows. I look forward to seeing more of Young and Mendez.
Things get weird when not one but two different people wake up in the morgue after being pronounced dead. As Detectives Young and Mendez investigate their path spirals down into murder, drug cartels and somehow art fraud is in the mix too. The dynamic duo must put the pieces of this particular head scratcher of a puzzle together before it’s too late. I thoroughly enjoyed the uniquely surreal and puzzling nature of the case and loved how the detectives worked as a team to solve mystery. It was very well written with great research in the different types of drugs. I hear the author used to work in pharmaceuticals so he must have been home there and it shows. I look forward to seeing more of Young and Mendez.
February 21, 2025
Page Turning Entertainment
This book had me hooked from the beginning as I struggled to understand how someone had walked away from a morgue and could not remember a thing about it. Only to then encounter this happening to someone else seemingly unrelated to the other. I thoroughly enjoyed this ingenious who-dunnit plot with a twist that keeps you wondering how this happened and to what possible end. Detectives Rosie Young and partner Vince Mendez have great chemistry as a team, and the characters have great depth. The author’s knowledge of drugs and their potentially dire outcomes come to play in a surprising but believable way. An entertaining and engaging read. Highly recommend!
This book had me hooked from the beginning as I struggled to understand how someone had walked away from a morgue and could not remember a thing about it. Only to then encounter this happening to someone else seemingly unrelated to the other. I thoroughly enjoyed this ingenious who-dunnit plot with a twist that keeps you wondering how this happened and to what possible end. Detectives Rosie Young and partner Vince Mendez have great chemistry as a team, and the characters have great depth. The author’s knowledge of drugs and their potentially dire outcomes come to play in a surprising but believable way. An entertaining and engaging read. Highly recommend!
February 25, 2025
Exciting Page Turner
This one kept me guessing all the way through! It’s so cleverly thought out and put together. How can not one, but TWO people, seemingly unrelated in any way, wake up in the morgue after being pronounced dead? Could it be zombies? The end of the world? No, it’s something even more exciting—A criminal mastermind with an unusual technique.
As the plot unfolds, we leans that the characters are connected in unexpected ways. The twists keeps coming. It’s sounds so very far fetched, but it’s written in a way that makes this plot believable. I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be moving onto book 2.
This one kept me guessing all the way through! It’s so cleverly thought out and put together. How can not one, but TWO people, seemingly unrelated in any way, wake up in the morgue after being pronounced dead? Could it be zombies? The end of the world? No, it’s something even more exciting—A criminal mastermind with an unusual technique.
As the plot unfolds, we leans that the characters are connected in unexpected ways. The twists keeps coming. It’s sounds so very far fetched, but it’s written in a way that makes this plot believable. I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be moving onto book 2.
January 20, 2025
An intriguing plot that had me turning those pages as quick as I could.
Bodies returning from the dead – drugs – paintings – hypnosis, all make up this brilliant story. Then when you think all the loose ends are tied, ‘wham’ the author brings un another unexpected piece of information – loved it.
That said, the story comes an abrupt end, leaving me wanting more which was rather frustrating as I had questions which had been left unanswered. Questions like, what was the outcome of Moreno’s trial, and the relationship between the mother and daughter once the beans had been spilt.
Bodies returning from the dead – drugs – paintings – hypnosis, all make up this brilliant story. Then when you think all the loose ends are tied, ‘wham’ the author brings un another unexpected piece of information – loved it.
That said, the story comes an abrupt end, leaving me wanting more which was rather frustrating as I had questions which had been left unanswered. Questions like, what was the outcome of Moreno’s trial, and the relationship between the mother and daughter once the beans had been spilt.
February 5, 2025
Is it murder if the victim dies but comes back to life again? That is the question posed to detectives Rosie Young and Vince Mendez. Their victims have arisen and left the funeral home and morgue, thankfully before the embalming and post mortem could take place. Miracle? Weird medical condition? Or something even more sinister? And has a crime even been committed? It’s up to Rosie and Vince to find out.
Murray’s excellent ‘Almost Dead’ is a well-written crime thriller and police drama with a great twist, well, more than one and I loved it. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.
Murray’s excellent ‘Almost Dead’ is a well-written crime thriller and police drama with a great twist, well, more than one and I loved it. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.
December 17, 2024
Another fabulous read!
Another fabulous book by James J Murray.
An intriguing story with believable characters, and just the right amount of suspense and twists to keep you reading until the end.
James knowledge of pharmaceuticals is evident throughout his books and this one was no different.
Well done, James, another winner in my opinion!
Another fabulous book by James J Murray.
An intriguing story with believable characters, and just the right amount of suspense and twists to keep you reading until the end.
James knowledge of pharmaceuticals is evident throughout his books and this one was no different.
Well done, James, another winner in my opinion!
January 25, 2025
Gripping Police Procedural Thriller
I thoroughly enjoyed this well-paced thriller, and the unusual nature of the central crimes. The characters were all extremely well-drawn, and the plot and fluent writing made this a page-turner. I look forward to reading the sequels, again featuring the dynamic duo, detectives Rosie Young and Vince Mendez, who made an engaging team. Recommended.
I thoroughly enjoyed this well-paced thriller, and the unusual nature of the central crimes. The characters were all extremely well-drawn, and the plot and fluent writing made this a page-turner. I look forward to reading the sequels, again featuring the dynamic duo, detectives Rosie Young and Vince Mendez, who made an engaging team. Recommended.
February 23, 2025
Unusual and enjoyable thriller!
This was an unusual but enjoyable thriller. When two people who have been pronounced dead suddenly wake up in the morgue with no memory then it’s up to Detectives Young and Mendez to investigate this bizarre and intriguing case.
Almost Dead by James J Murray was an interesting read that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s clear he has knowledge of the pharmaceutical business or has done some amazing research. Recommended!
This was an unusual but enjoyable thriller. When two people who have been pronounced dead suddenly wake up in the morgue with no memory then it’s up to Detectives Young and Mendez to investigate this bizarre and intriguing case.
Almost Dead by James J Murray was an interesting read that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s clear he has knowledge of the pharmaceutical business or has done some amazing research. Recommended!
January 28, 2016
I really enjoyed this book and the different avenues the author used as he takes readers into a complex mystery. Rosie Young and Vince Mendez are detectives and partners, when they are investigating the apparent suicide of 30 year old Sandra Dunne, something strange happens. Miss Dunnes' body is missing, not only that, but then she is found at he very much alive. When this scenario repeats itself again with an artist named Mason. the detectives are in for a murder mystery like none other. I have to say the author surprised me a couple of times ( definitely a good thing) and writes a great believable story. I will have to look for more from this author and think many readers are going to feel the same way!
February 10, 2016
Think "Murder She Wrote" meets "CSI". This is the sort of murder/mystery anyone can read. There's limited violence, and I don't think there was any swearing. It's what I'd call a "relaxing read". It has some suspense to it and held my attention from beginning to end. The supporting characters (aka: suspects/victims) are entertaining and interesting. The main characters (aka: the detectives) are entertaining, but we don't really learn a lot about them on a personal level. It's the "what happened" that draws in the reader. If you like an old-fashioned mystery without all the violence and gore, this is a wonderful read.
March 22, 2016
This is a nice little book, an excellent quick read. James J. Murray weaves together both a complex story and engaging characters in an amazingly abbreviated number of pages. One must bow to the author's ability to round out both the plot and participants while still keeping the reader guessing at what direction the "case" will take them.
The story begins with a tried and true formula, the proverbial murder mystery. However, the narrative diverges quickly from the norm when the requisite lead characters, homicide detectives, find themselves investigating a not-so-dead pair of "victims," and the novelty of the novel proceeds from there.
The story begins with a tried and true formula, the proverbial murder mystery. However, the narrative diverges quickly from the norm when the requisite lead characters, homicide detectives, find themselves investigating a not-so-dead pair of "victims," and the novelty of the novel proceeds from there.
April 11, 2016
If you like CSI, Sherlock Holmes, or Castle then I believe that you will enjoy this suspenseful, intriguing story line . Detectives Rosie Young and Vince Mendez are in shock and confused when bodies start rising from the dead. It is sort of like watching a detective show with a day by day feel of what the detectives are finding out and solving the case, there are times when it feels like you are reading a script for a movie, or even a series.
To read the full interview go to http://maweway.co.za/book-review-almo...
To read the full interview go to http://maweway.co.za/book-review-almo...
February 7, 2016
A little longer than a novella, but shorter than a novel. Although half way through the story I figured out who the criminals were and why the crimes happened, it took James Murray explaining exactly how the people were drugged for me to know those facts. This is a quick read - great for a rainy or cold day spent inside reading. The story is exciting and full of little twists to keep it interesting.
March 5, 2016
Finished! Fun read!
March 4, 2016
Please read my review here
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http://myreadingwonderland.blogspot.c...
March 17, 2016
Okay
Was unusual and that is what I enjoyed but the ending was abrupt and it felt like it was only half a story, the character development was limited.
Was unusual and that is what I enjoyed but the ending was abrupt and it felt like it was only half a story, the character development was limited.
March 17, 2016
It was a good thriller.
Really enjoyed this book. It was an excellent story line. Loved the twist at the end. Felt as if I was there with them. I would recommend this book.
Really enjoyed this book. It was an excellent story line. Loved the twist at the end. Felt as if I was there with them. I would recommend this book.
April 14, 2016
Enjoyed this book
First time I have read anything by the and will keep a look out for other books enjoyed the twist at the end
First time I have read anything by the and will keep a look out for other books enjoyed the twist at the end
May 23, 2016
Clever plot
A really good read- keeps you interested and a good plot. . . . . . . . . .
A really good read- keeps you interested and a good plot. . . . . . . . . .
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews