Sing Me a Death Song

by Jay Bennett

The headline in the newspaper screamed at Jason. The photo of Marian haunted him, her sad eyes filling his heart with dread. For Marian Feldon is Jason's mother. And on his eighteenth birthday she will die.

Marian Feldon will be executed for the murder of her lover. Everyone, even her lawyer, is convinced of her guilt -- except for Jason. He knows his mother could never murder anyone. But certain doom is only a few days away. And there is no one to turn to, nowhere to go.

Then, at the bedside of a dying stranger, Jason learns something that could free his mother...something that sends him down a nightmarish trail of double-crossing, deceit, and danger. But Jason is desperate, and he'll risk anything to save his mother's life. Even death.

Genres: Young Adult

144 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Jay Bennett (born in New York City, December 24, 1912, died June 27, 2009 in Cherry Hill, NJ) was an American author and two-time winner of the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Bennett won the Edgar for Best Juvenile novel in 1974 and 1975, for The Long Black Coat (Delacorte Press) and The Dangling Witness (Delacorte Press), respectively. He was the first author to win an Edgar in consecutive years. A third book, The Skeleton Man (Franklin Watts), was nominated in 1987. Bennett is best known among English teachers and young adults for these and other juvenile mysteries, like Deathman, Do Not Follow Me (Scholastic).

Reviews

[Abby M · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Sing Me a Death Song", written by Jay Bennett was a book that was slightly lour of my comfort zone. I wanted to try something new with this read and not that I didn't enjoy it, because I didn't think it was the worst book, but it definitely wasn't my favorite.

This book was about a son, Jason, and his mother, but in this case it was not a normal mother-son story. His mother was in jail, convicted for the murder of her husband. Jason is set on her innocence, but everyone else, including the lawyer who's defending her case so poorly and so bias, thinks otherwise. Jason goes on a journey to prove the innocence of his mother, but his time is limited as the execution date is just days away. Just as he is losing all hope, he gets a call from Frank Morgan, a police officer dying from cancer who had been working on her case. He tells him that there is evidence of his father being killed by a group of gambling men. This sends Jason on a ruthless journey to find this evidence before time is up.

This book had some intense scenes that really captured me as a reader, like when he was captured and taken into the house or when the wife of the man who captured him told him the truth about what was going to happen to him when he wakes up. Those were the parts I really enjoyed. They made me want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.

On the other hand, the book was very predictable for me. The whole time, I could tell she was innocent, and in a good mystery book, there would be some sort of point that would make you question whether she really was or not. Also, when he was on the journey to save his mom, could predict every move he was going to make, and every move the people who were following him were going to make. This ruined the book for me and sometimes made me not even want to finish the book.

Overall, I would recommend this book to people who love really basic mystery thrillers but not to people who love a good twist or who love to never know what's going to happen next. To me, this book isn't a must read, but is a good book to expand your reading or try something new.

[Camille Spurlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I selected this book because it had an interesting storyline, and something really intrigued me about it. I was very surprised by the very short chapters, but that didn't deter me from getting into the book. The book was very profound, and it made me see things in a different light. When I was younger I thought the death sentence was basically a good punishment; a life for a life. But when I was little I never thought about the people who would be affected by it, and you see that in the story. That savage town cursing his mother, saying she gets what she deserved, not caring that they used to love her and that she was truly an innocent person. In the book there was a line that really got to me. Jason was on the beach looking at a newspaper that talked about his mother death sentence. A man came up to him saying that she deserves it, and when he said that, Jason asked him if he believes in God. And he says, "Sure I believe in God, A just God. What's wrong with that?" Jason says, "Nothing...I used to believe in a merciful God." And that honestly spoke to me. Now at the end of this book, I wasn't crying, tears were just coming out of my eyes. I really do recommend it for everyone, it reinstated my belief in the death penalty and that's it's absolutely horrible.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and festively heartwarming romance!

This was an endearingly sweet read the type enjoyed best while snuggled up under a blanket sipping cinnamon spiced hot chocolate on a winter's evening.
Our shy, perceptive, on the cusp of eighteen, Harmony, in all her innocent naivete, delights as she quietly tugs at your heartstrings. Aptly named - with her natural affinity for the pianoforte and harmonious chemistry with David - it's just lovely to see how the story unfolds as   she blossoms with confidence under the notice of our hero, piccolo virtuoso, David.
One accidental meeting sparks an instanteous soul deep connection and magnetically tunes them, so blindly in their attraction, that you can't help but me swept along.
A gratifyingly charming novella that centres around well formed and colourful characters with mild touches of angst, vulnerability and insecurity, all interwoven with heated moments of intimacy, tenderness and thrumming chemistry and not forgetting a huge dollop of deliciously romantic first love! Rather lovely!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series! Eleven Piper's Piping was an enjoyable holiday ready. Loved Harmony and David and their convoluted love story!
Thank you Emily EK Murdoch, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback..

[Adelaide McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute, shortish story! Reading it went quick but I didn't feel rushed through it. Hoping to learn what's going on w/ the family in later boos~

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this novella to be okay. I didn't really connect with the couple in this book. It wasn't a bad story, it was more of me not caring for the characters personalities.

[Bishop Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good tale I’m not gonna lie- it was short but good! I couldn’t really get attached to the characters I feel like the story went by too fast.

[Sherifat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, it was a book that took me on a suspenseful journey. I will definitely reread "Sing Me A Death Song" and other books by Jay Bennett. What had caught my eye was the cover, the title, and the blurb about Jason's mother being on death row. At first, I thought the main idea of the story was that a mom is on death row and her son needs to find evidence to clear her name before it's too late. But, I think that the author was trying to tell us that, "Hey you see that someone about to be hanged? They may have someone who cares about them. Have you ever thought about that as you scream and curse and say "they deserve it." How can killing someone be just, simply because it's done in a court of law? Besides killing the person doesn't fix the crime they may or may not have committed. So why do we kill the accused?

[Shaniyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short book about a boys journey to prove his mothers innocents. He is 10 when his mother is accused of killing her lover. The whole town believes she is guilty, even her own lawyer. Everyone but Jason (her son) who goes through "it" to prove his mothers innocents.

[Bennett R]

GOOD

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's so good you just have to know what happens next you finish it within 3 hours tops

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this book. I really liked it for a lot of reasons, it was super interesting, very beautiful, and had many super cute relationships in it. My one problem came with the ending, which was that the author never wrapped up the romance. I would definitely recommend this book, but if you are, like me, a person who reads books for the romance, don't get too involved.