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Shandra Covington #2
Dead on Arrival
Curiosity can be a curse, and just like the proverbial cat, feisty Shandra Covington could soon end up dead. As a newspaper reporter, Shandra meets unusual people every day. But Pinky Templeton is the first one who has claimed, quite vocally, to be dead! She would just ignore him as another nutcase, except life-threatening events are happening to those close to her. And Pinky seems to be involved although official records show he died in 1957. Now that he's gone and died again, Shandra feels she must find out the truth even if her police officer friend Bobby Richter doesn't want to help. After all, how many times can one man die? With Pinky, it's hard to tell. Feel the rain pounding on your face as you shiver along with the interesting, and often funny, characters in this rollercoaster of a mystery that will leave you wanting another ride.
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 27, 2021
Out of the 3 books this was the lowest on my list. It was a little bit more stretched and confusing but I still really enjoyed it. I really enjoy some of these new characters introduced and like the more in depth finds of Shandra and Bobby. Shandra sure has a million guardian angels around her for all the craziness she gets into. But I really still found myself enjoying this quick and fun read.
November 20, 2018
Much like the first book in this series, I really enjoyed the mystery, but the main character kind of annoys me. She makes lots of dumb decisions. But overall I liked the story. The ending stunk because it's a cliff hanger. I guess I'll be reading the next one to find out what happened.
January 8, 2020
This book was about Shandra Covington and her trying to solve a mystery. The main characters are Shandra Covington, who is a quirky reporter. Bobby is her best friend since they were little, he is a cop trying to be a detective. Pinky is a guy that comes in to Shandra's office asking for help. Brooklyn is the annoying girl that falls in love with Bobby. Chad is Shandra's horrible boss. Cord is one of her friends that is a PI and likes to ride motorcycles. The protagonist is Shandra Covington and the antagonist is Pinky. The major activities are mostly her getting herself into dangerous situations trying to find Pinky. The genre is mystery.
What I liked about this book is the good storytelling and good characters. What I disliked about the book was how it left you on a cliffhanger and how she constantly got herself into danger. My favorite character was Bobby because he was a nice, fun character. I can relate the characters to my own life a little because Bobby is a cop and I want to be an FBI agent.
I liked this book because it was a fun book to read with good storytelling and interesting characters. My favorite part of the book is the end because it was the most exciting and suspenseful and made me want to read more. The part I disliked is how she always got herself into dangerous situations for no reason. I think others would like to read this book. Others might not like this book because it left you on a cliffhanger. I would not recommend this book because the main character is too annoying.
What I liked about this book is the good storytelling and good characters. What I disliked about the book was how it left you on a cliffhanger and how she constantly got herself into danger. My favorite character was Bobby because he was a nice, fun character. I can relate the characters to my own life a little because Bobby is a cop and I want to be an FBI agent.
I liked this book because it was a fun book to read with good storytelling and interesting characters. My favorite part of the book is the end because it was the most exciting and suspenseful and made me want to read more. The part I disliked is how she always got herself into dangerous situations for no reason. I think others would like to read this book. Others might not like this book because it left you on a cliffhanger. I would not recommend this book because the main character is too annoying.
February 28, 2021
Part 2 of the series. This time Shandra is trying to find out how a dead man keeps showing up alive
September 30, 2021
Good story and suspenseful. I don’t like cliffhanger endings but I will still read the next book. It is an interesting series.
May 9, 2022
Wow, what a cliffhanger ending!!! This was exciting and fun. Must read the next soon.
October 13, 2016
I love series especially when you get drawn in with great characters but I want the book to end not just continue. Yes a good cliff hanger is great but..... We listened to this book on trip - My husband and mom were so disappointed at the cliff hanger ending. Mom's comment I will not read another. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2010
It's a thriller that keeps you turning pages to see what happens next. THis one does leave you hanging at the end. Shandra has a man named Pinky templeton come to her paper's office and tell her he needed help because his wife was trying to kill him. He couldn't go to the police because they wouldn't believe him because he was already dead and so was his wife. He is forcible taken from the building and thought to be a couk.
Later that day there is a car explosion and one of Shandra's friends is hurt and a body...Pinky templeton's is recovered and matched to dental records revealing the match and that he had already died in a car accident in 1950's.
After the explosion, Shandra receives emails saying that she let him die and giving her clues of where to meet him. When she arrives...more maham awaits.
Her PI friend, Cord,helps her uncover the real mystery behind Pinky...he has a son Pinky JR., but it really is a daughter that is trying to finish what her father started... publisising a list of Nazi war leaders identities that are in the US. He was a "printer specialist" hired by the US to help falsify documents for spies after WW11, but somehow the US ended up paying for the wrong side's false identification papers. When he realized this he wanted to escape with his family. His wife didn't agree as she was a Nazi too and tried to kill him and took their daughter. Only Pinky SN. survived and found his daughter and convinced her of her mother's deceit, but was too late to save her father from cancer.
Pinky JR. contacts Shandra to try to finish her father's work. In proving that he could be legally dead but still alive and then leading her to the companies owned by PC Holding, or the NAZI's and finding the list that the clues lead her too.
Shandra has the help of the police, but Bobby her longtime friend, announces his engagement and then his promotion to detective, then he takes the bullet ment for her...stay tuned.
Later that day there is a car explosion and one of Shandra's friends is hurt and a body...Pinky templeton's is recovered and matched to dental records revealing the match and that he had already died in a car accident in 1950's.
After the explosion, Shandra receives emails saying that she let him die and giving her clues of where to meet him. When she arrives...more maham awaits.
Her PI friend, Cord,helps her uncover the real mystery behind Pinky...he has a son Pinky JR., but it really is a daughter that is trying to finish what her father started... publisising a list of Nazi war leaders identities that are in the US. He was a "printer specialist" hired by the US to help falsify documents for spies after WW11, but somehow the US ended up paying for the wrong side's false identification papers. When he realized this he wanted to escape with his family. His wife didn't agree as she was a Nazi too and tried to kill him and took their daughter. Only Pinky SN. survived and found his daughter and convinced her of her mother's deceit, but was too late to save her father from cancer.
Pinky JR. contacts Shandra to try to finish her father's work. In proving that he could be legally dead but still alive and then leading her to the companies owned by PC Holding, or the NAZI's and finding the list that the clues lead her too.
Shandra has the help of the police, but Bobby her longtime friend, announces his engagement and then his promotion to detective, then he takes the bullet ment for her...stay tuned.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2010
Billed as a book for Latter Day Saints who love to read, DEAD ON ARRIVAL - a Shandra Covington Mystery by Jeffrey Savage is a book that I would recommend for ANYONE who enjoys a well plotted and intriguing story with a very believable protagonist. Shandra is a single, talented newspaper reporter who works for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City (that’s about the only reference to the LDS that you’ll find in this book, so don’t expect anything preachy or religious). There is no obscene language in this book, just an intricate mystery with a great female leading character. Shandra loves food, eats when she’s stressed, (don’t we all) but has a refrigerator whose interior looks Mother Hubbard’s cupboard. She is an excellent investigator and a devoted friend, especially when it comes to a cop named Bobby Richter.
A quick and enticing read, this Machiavellian story has as many twists and turns as a corkscrew, probably the most fascinating part of the mystery is the way author, Jeffrey Savage, took a fifty year old government program called Operation Paperclip and made it an integral part of the plot. Not only did it add dimension to the story, it left me racing to my computer to do some further research into this “program”.
If this book were a weekly television show, it’s cliffhanger ending would have you eagerly awaiting the next installment to find out what happened……..I know that I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the exciting exploits of Shandra and Bobby.
A quick and enticing read, this Machiavellian story has as many twists and turns as a corkscrew, probably the most fascinating part of the mystery is the way author, Jeffrey Savage, took a fifty year old government program called Operation Paperclip and made it an integral part of the plot. Not only did it add dimension to the story, it left me racing to my computer to do some further research into this “program”.
If this book were a weekly television show, it’s cliffhanger ending would have you eagerly awaiting the next installment to find out what happened……..I know that I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the exciting exploits of Shandra and Bobby.
January 10, 2011
Jeffrey S. Savage has mastered the hook, and I'm not talking boxing. Each short chapter-ending hooked me to turn the page. It was noticeable right off and continued throughout the book. Sometimes this was achieved by splitting the scene in two at a critical or exciting point. Savage also has a quick way of warming the reader to his likeable main character. This is especially necessary in a series. I enjoyed Shandra's character traits from her curiosity that gets her into interesting situations to her quirky eating habits. I also enjoyed Savage's portrayal of a minor love interest that is mutually agreed upon by the involved characters to not become a love interest. (Read the book and you'll understand.) A character exclusive to this story, Pinky Templeton, is just odd enough to be slightly annoying, yet commands the reader's attention because of it. The intriguing twists about him kept me guessing.
The thing I hadn't expected was the abrupt ending where the story continues with A Time To Die.
The thing I hadn't expected was the abrupt ending where the story continues with A Time To Die.
April 14, 2011
This was a "can't-put-it-down"read for me. I read it in two days, one of which was spent sitting in a comfortable chair with this book as company. Didn't get a lot done around the house that day for sure.
Shandra Covington is a staff writer for the Deseret Morning News. One morning a small, white-haired man in an ill-fitting suit appears at her desk and states that someone is trying to kill him. Her curiosity is ignited and becomes more intensified when the curious little gentleman,
then in a terrified state, blurts out "She's going to murder me". Thus begins this tale that will eventually lead to murder and mayhem in downtown Salt Lake City with Shandra and her close friends right in the middle of it all.
This story ends with a disturbing cliff hanger incident that pretty much guarantees that I will be reading book 3 in this series to see what happens with Shandra and her cohorts. I am a real fan of Mr. Savage and this character that has emerged from his fertile imagination.
Shandra Covington is a staff writer for the Deseret Morning News. One morning a small, white-haired man in an ill-fitting suit appears at her desk and states that someone is trying to kill him. Her curiosity is ignited and becomes more intensified when the curious little gentleman,
then in a terrified state, blurts out "She's going to murder me". Thus begins this tale that will eventually lead to murder and mayhem in downtown Salt Lake City with Shandra and her close friends right in the middle of it all.
This story ends with a disturbing cliff hanger incident that pretty much guarantees that I will be reading book 3 in this series to see what happens with Shandra and her cohorts. I am a real fan of Mr. Savage and this character that has emerged from his fertile imagination.
October 22, 2008
(Genre:LDS fiction/mystery) This story takes place after "House of Secrets" and is another adventure/mystery with the same main character. But the mysteries are stand alones and you don't have to read one to understand the other. I almost gave this book 3 stars because of it's cliff hanging ending. The author has never resolved it (and he is currently writing another series) and that makes me crazy :). But in the end, I love the characters and the story is certainly a roller coaster ride of emotions.
March 13, 2010
This book had all of the essential elements of a good scooby-doo mystery except of course for Scoob and the Gang. That's not necessarily a bad thing; I just would classify this as predictable, light reading despite what the cover looks like. Shandra Covington is the quirky, food loving, meddling, trap setting mystery inc. all rolled into one. Kind of fun, but not at all something you could take seriously.
June 11, 2011
I liked this book, but not as much as the first one. I got tired of Shandra doing stupid things. She's always putting herself in danger, I feel, needlessly. However, I liked the surprise ending, and we still don't know where her father is or if Bobby is really going to marry Brooklyn. So onward to the next installment in the series.
August 7, 2008
Like the first one, fast-paced and with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. I still like the main characters, and enjoyed the inside jokes on a few of the names. However, it ends in a REALLY BAD spot. So I hope the next one is coming out SOON!
December 1, 2008
As good as the first one. This one had me guessing more. I considered giving it 3 stars because the author left the end as a cliffhanger and has now moved on to a new series without finishing this one. So I hear anyway.
January 12, 2010
This is by my friend's son. Very complicated and very clever. Can't predict what will happen next. Good mystery. Don't let the beginning convince you this is a fantasy book. It's not. It's a good mystery.
June 11, 2011
tihs book comes before time to die. I read them out of order because i didn't know it was a series but they still make since when read out of order. he's an LDS author and I like his style of writing and his books.
February 21, 2008
This one was alright but I'm too much of a sap. I need a love story in EVERY book.
September 19, 2008
he needs to write a sequel. i'm dying with suspense!
February 20, 2009
way intense awesome book. Love it
June 17, 2010
loved it.
July 12, 2010
I am really enjoying the Shandra Covington books!! Shandra doesn't let anything stand in her way!!
July 16, 2010
Good writing, good plot, good twists.
October 7, 2010
A good clean mystery with a spunky main character. I'm glad I didn't read this until now that the next book is out because it ends with an awful cliff hanger.
October 18, 2010
Not nearly as good as his other books, it really dragged for me.
February 13, 2011
Liked it even better then the first. Exciting with awesome twists. The ending was amazing!!
April 18, 2011
this was a great series. I read it backwards though. I read the third one first and then the first and second one. I enjoyed them all though!
April 22, 2011
Kept me guessing.
May 18, 2011
This is a goofy book about a man that claims his dead wife is trying to kill him and oh yea, he's dead too. It's light reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews