Before Another Dies

Madison Glenn #2

by Alton Gansky

Running for congress is hard work for Madison Glenn.But she never expected it to be murder.Running the coastal city of Santa Rita. Campaigning for a congressional seat. Staying one step ahead of a high-powered corporate broker's demands. Life couldn't get more difficult for Mayor Maddy Glenn—or so she thinksEnter three murders in three days. Rumors fly of a serial killer at large, and the press has a field day with Santa Rita's embattled mayor. Especially when a strange pattern the victims were all fans of a radio talk show whose enigmatic host specializes in the weird and unusual. Coincidence or clue? For Maddy, the search for answers is about to become personal. Refusing to play it safe, Maddy is caught in a lethal game in which seconds count. But even her renowned grit and tenacity—and her emerging faith--may not be enough to prevent more brutal deaths. Including her own.Praise for Alton Gansky's The Incumbent.". . . will keep you guessing until the very end . . . most impressive is the character of mayor Maddy Glenn. . . I recommend The Incumbent to any lover of a good mystery."—Tim LaHaye

Genres: Christian Fiction, Mystery, Christian, Fiction

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

Alton Gansky is the author of 30 books--24 of them novels, including the Angel Award winner Terminal Justice and Christy Award finalist A Ship Possessed. A frequent speaker at writing conferences, he holds a BA and MA degrees in biblical studies. Alton and his wife reside in Southern California.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book on clearance for two dollars at a local Christian bookstore, and I'd have to say that it was money well-spent. Like an episode of Monk or Murder, She Wrote, Before Another Dies is a light-hearted murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. The story wasn't as engrossing as I would have liked, and I found it slightly long; I also thought it was unnecessary to have a minor female character in an "almost-bikini," even though some might argue that fit her role, which I won't give away here. On the plus side, Alton Gansky (a male) does a wonderful job of narrating from thirty-something woman Madison Glenn's perspective, and the main character/narrator and her allies are mostly likable. In short, if you like old-school whodunits, you'll probably enjoy this. Now, if I could only find The Incumbent, the previous entry in the series...

[Ryan P Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Page-Turner That Delivers on Every Level

Before Another Dies is everything I want in a Christian suspense novel - smart, fast-paced, and genuinely hard to put down.

This is Book 2 in the Madison Glenn series, and Gansky picks up perfectly. Mayor Madison Glenn is running the coastal city of Santa Rita while campaigning for a seat in Congress, fending off a corporate power broker, and dealing with city hall politics. Then three murders in three days hit, rumors of a serial killer spread, and the press turns on her.

What I loved most is the hook: all the victims were fans of the same weird and unusual radio talk show. Is it coincidence or a clue? Gansky uses that thread brilliantly to keep you guessing until the very end.

Alton Gansky is a male author writing from a 30-something female mayor's perspective, and he nails it. Maddy Glenn is tough, likable, witty, and real - her grit and emerging faith feel authentic, not forced. The supporting cast, especially her new assistant Floyd, adds great humor and heart with some really clever dialogue.

It's clean, well-plotted, and full of twists. The mystery is classic whodunit style - think *Monk* or *Murder, She Wrote* - but with higher stakes. The politics, the personal danger, and Maddy's refusal to play it safe make it so much more than just a murder mystery. The faith element is present in a natural, encouraging way, never preachy.

At 336 pages it moves fast, the writing is tight, and the final chapters had me racing to see if Maddy could stop the killer before another dies... including herself.

If you love inspirational suspense with strong characters, a smart plot, and clean entertainment, this is a must-read. Better than book one, in my opinion. I'm going straight to book three.

Highly recommend.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a new author to me and I found them by a recommendation if I liked such and such a book you might like this and I was pleasantly surprised. I would like to read the rest of the series. I do not think this is the first in the series

[Iris Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good writing, interesting characters, clean, and funny. Some very clever conversations. I plan to read more of his books. I may even read this one again for the clever phrases.

[don w creger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clean entertainment

Well developed characters, excellent plot . Hard to put down. Christian perspective. I have read several of Gansky's books & have loved them all.

[W. Franklin Lattimore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than book one.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read, this, the second in the series. While the first book added some religious flavour in the closing pages, here we have more of a religious presence, though not too painful as to make me want to stop reading. A good mystery and story I could see happening, with good characters and some decent dialogue. Reads very quickly, which is never an issue.

Mayor Maddy Glenn is moving to secure a seat in Congress [note, Mr. Gansky, the 'c' is capitalised]. Her daily mayoral duties leave her extremely busy and she has to put out fires all over the place. When a body shows up in her parking stall, the troubles begin. New assistant and wannabe gumshoe, Floyd tries to crack the case, but more bodies turn up (some hitting really close to home). Add to the murders some love triangle stuff and the ice-cold intereaction between the mayor and a councilwoman and you have the story, in a very basic nutshell.

I will admit some issues/flaws with the story. Gansky (perhaps in hopes that readers who have not read THE INCUMBANT will do so afterwards) refers to some of the happenings in the previous novel, but does so in such code that it seems lame. To paraphrase 'the issue of last summer is too painful to remember, but I will always hold it close in my heart', or reference to a friend's 'unfortunate event at the pier'. I suppose some may be intrigued and go back to read THE INCUMBANT but in all the series novels I have read, if you do not begin at Book 1, some spoilers seep out... and not some form of flowery language that alludes to them in a silly way.

Well done, Mr.(Pastor) Gansky. One more in the series to go... which I shall devour soon!

[Eva]

Again, I really like this series!!

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but not super strong writing.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alton Gansky uses an interesting and engaging plot to tell the story of a mayor looking to protect her city. I liked the twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end of this "who-done-it".

[Faith Stilts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable to read but not the level of suspense I was hoping for. The last chapter was pretty good but the rest of the book should have been on that level. Nice plot twist at the end.