Dead Man's Hand

Connor Westphal #7

by Penny Warner

The infamous and historic landmark, the Hanging Dummy-an image of a prospector carved from wood-swings from a rope over a Flat Skunk gold-mining shop, in effigy for all the poor hanged souls of the mining years. But it's suddenly lost an ear. Connor's Westphal's roller-coaster is about to pick up speed with a whole new set of distractions-the appendage turns out to be human.

Genres: Mystery

181 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2012

About the author

Penny Warner is an award-winning author of over sixty books, including DEAD BODY LANGUAGE mystery series (Macavity winner), HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY series, and the upcoming Food Festival series. Her middle-grade mystery, THE CODE BUSTERS CLUB, won the Agatha Award for Best Children's Mystery.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This final entry shows the series is running out of steam. Still, it's better than many cozies.

Connor Westphal is reeling over the marriage proposal from her paramour, when her former boyfriend, an advocate for the deaf, shows up, wanting to get back together. The activist is starting a town for the deaf, where they can segregate themselves from the hearing world, and be self sufficient. Sounds a bit like a cult to me, actually.

A local landmark, a dummy of a hanging man, is replaced by a real person. Westphal investigates, and finds inks to local pot growers, a casino, religious cults, and survivalists. It could be interesting, but it seems like Warner is just going through the motions.

Still, it is better than many cozies. I was pleased to learn Warner is beginning a new series after being on hiatus for way too long.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not as good as some of her earlier books. I expected more, since she took three years to write this after writing the last one. This one was a little short and not as developed as some of the other ones (too many "?"s, not enough actual plot development). My one big complaint, however, is that Ms. Warner should read her own books. I've noticed some serious inconsistancies lately. In Silence is Golden, the gender of Casper, Connor's hearing-ear dog, changed spontaneously from female to male. Now, in this current installment, she's back to being a "she." Also, in this book, it seems like the sherrif's girlfriend has moved into the (as far as I can recall) here-to-fore unnamed town of Bogus Thunder. (I believe she used to live in Whiskey Slide, but correct me if I'm wrong.)

However, if you can ignore these inconsistancies (or read the books far enough apart that you forget the details--as it seems the author may have!), the book is overall still quite good. I'd say that, despite being shorter than some of her other novels, it's more-or-less up to par with them, so Warner hasn't slipped that much! It's still a good, quick, fun read, and I would recommend it.

(One last thing...for me, the funniest part of the book was when Connor tried to call for help after being stuck in the tree. This makes me laugh, just because she tried to call for help using her Sidekick. As a Sidekick user for the last 3 years, I'm not surprised that hers didn't work in the wilderness! I have trouble getting mine to work in some of the bigger cities in America! Maybe Connor should switch to a Blackberry. :oP)

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of interesting people live in and around Flat Skunk these days: religious cults, survivalists, environmentalists, pot growers, and gamblers, to name a few. Yet, journalist and newspaper manager, Connor Westphal, takes all of this in stride. Fringe groups have always been drawn to quiet spots on the map. After all, one can pretty much do what one wants in remote locales, except when it comes to murder.

When the townsfolk realize, courtesy of Connor’s dog, Casper, that the ubiquitous wooden dummy hanging in front of the town’s gold-mining shop has been exchanged for the body of Zander Nicholas, Connor’s determined to get the scoop on this story. Questions and theories compel her to take a closer look at the fringe groups. Complicating Connor’s life is the reappearance of her former boyfriend, Josh, newly widowed, and proposing marriage. For Connor, this is an unsettling issue because her current love, Dan, had also proposed recently. Afraid of losing her independence, she’s avoided giving Dan an answer. With all the personal turmoil and quirky, not-so-friendly suspects milling about, it’s no surprise that Penny Warner’s DEAD MAN’S HAND is a fun and face-paced read.

Deaf protagonist, Connor, is an appealing character, and the main reason why I’ll keep reading Connor’s adventures. While she does take big risks to get answers, Connor’s moxy is a large part of her personality, and this trait makes her unpredictable. Her fear about marriage provides an intriguing contradiction to her confidence in her professional life. I truly enjoy spending time with Connor Westphal, and look forward to her next adventure.

[Brittany Farr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last book of Connor Westphal series managed to deliver yet again. I always enjoyed the closeness with the protagonist and the setting of the book since the protagonist is deaf and lives in North California with several references to the Bay Area, where I grew up. This book is based on the murder of a well-known weed dealer, and Connor investigates to find out who was behind the murder, alongside with several other murders while endangering herself, just like how she always does.

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cold, snowy weather that Flat Skunk, California is having this January doesn’t hide a dead body, especially since the body is found hanging in front of one of the stores in town. While it would be easy to rule it an obvious suicide, the sheriff finds evidence that leads him to believe it is murder. Naturally, Connor Westphal sees the chance to get a big news story for her paper, but she can’t get a handle on the story. What is the meaning of the chip from the nearby Indian casino found in the victim’s hand? Or does the victim’s drug dealing have anything to do with his death?

This book didn't have quite the feel of the other books in the series, and some of the regulars were absent or weren't around much. Having said that, I did still enjoy seeing Connor one last time. She makes an interesting and strong main character. I also enjoyed getting to see more of her service dog. The plot was strong and I didn't see the ending coming at all. I enjoyed seeing how things had changed for deaf people even in the short time between when the series started and this book, which came out in 2007. There is much more foul language than is typical for a cozy. This is the final book in the series, and I really liked where Connor wound up. I'm sure that other fans of the series will be happy as well.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.