I don't read a lot of short stories but this one caught my attention because it's by one of my favorite mystery authors and stars DD Warren - one of the best fiction detectives ever. Novellas like this are supposed to help fill the time before the next novel and I must admit after reading it, I just can't wait to read the new Lisa Gardner book - NEVER TELL due in February 2019.

A man walked into police headquarters to tell them he was dead. Of course, he was really alive because he was standing there but a few hours after he left, the detectives got a call that he had actually died - really died! DD and her squad go to his mansion to investigate and meet up with a quirky bunch of characters. They have to determine why he previously thought he was dead and who was responsible for his ultimate death. The widow, the doctor and the servants are all suspects and its up to DD to figure out who is responsible despite lots of twists and turns along the way. It was a quick fun read that showcased DD Warren at her best. Now bring on NEVER TELL!

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Well, this one was definitely interesting. A man who believes he's dead, then ends up really being dead. I'll be honest, I'm usually not a big fan of short stories. I feel like I can't really get invested in the characters. But for a short story, this one was really good! So many suspects, so few reasons to kill the golden goose. The big reveal was a shocker and I enjoyed this story from beginning to end.

I received an ARC from NatGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Pretty formulaic but still entertaining - the flashback storytelling was great.... def Worth a gander, y’all!

I always enjoy reading Lisa Gardner’s books. She’s a great storyteller. I was lucky to get this ARC from the publisher. It was a nice little treat. It’s a short story and a quick read. The story starts with Detective DD describing her latest case to her husband. The writing is very conversational and enjoyable. It’s a quick mystery and has a little bit of Agatha Christie feel to it. The mystery is not easily solvable and being a short story it keeps you engaged. Overall a fun read that is highly recommended. Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Publishing for
giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A short quickey but still a terriffic story with the serie’s characters fighting the good fight in an unusual tale

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest review. This was a very short story in Lisa Gardner's series. The beginning was slow but it did get interesting once it picked up the pace. I am glad that I read this, it was a good enough story to hold me over until her next book is released.

Generally speaking, I shy away from short stories. But once in a while, especially if it's coming from a favorite author, I relent. Recent releases by Dean Koontz and Jonathan Kellerman come to mind - short stories they wrote as lead-ins to upcoming books. In fact, I've even read a shorty by this author, who's also on my list of favorites -- albeit one co-written with M.J. Rose for the anthology "FaceOff" a few years back (an outstanding compilation that I highly recommended, BTW). So when I got a chance to read an advance copy of this one, I didn't hesitate.

I'm actually glad it's very short, because I really didn't want to put it down and could finish it in one sitting. As it begins, Detective D.D. Warren is at home with her crime scene analyst husband Alex and their son Jack after a day that began with a very much alive man coming to the station to insist that really, he's very much dead. Believing him to be a bit deranged, the cops send him home. That belief turns upside down a couple of hours later, though, when they get a phone call: It seems the man was on the right track but spoke a bit too soon. Now, his claim is official - and the knife in his back is a dead giveaway that someone else helped him prove his point.

Sections of the book shift back and forth from the after-work discussion to the police station and the beginning of D.D.'s day, from announcement of the man's death to the progress and conclusion of the investigation. Much of that takes place inside the man's ostentatious home, wherein live the man's widow and several exceptionally well-paid servants - all of whom are suspects. Because everything happens in such short order I can't say more without giving away too much, but it's all cleverly written with overtones of the game of Clue: We know it was a knife, but was it the chef in the kitchen? The doctor in the bedroom? The wife in the sitting room? In the end, I'm glad I didn't put money on my chosen culprit; had I done that, I'd be eating ramen noodles for the rest of the week.

After the case wraps up, readers can take a peek at the author's next D.D. Warren book. Me? Thanks, but I prefer to wait for the whole thing and go in cold turkey - but it's there for inquiring minds who want to know ahead of time.

I was lucky enough to have a peek at Lisa Gardener’s novelette THE GUY WHO DIED TWICE , featuring D.D. Warren and the usual cast of her squad, along with her Hubby.

This was a great short story/novelette, true to the D.D. Warren brand.

A disheveled, distraught man walks into Warren’s precinct one day insisting he has been murdered. When he’s challenged about being alive, he refuses to accept the fact. The police bring him home, alive and well, only to be called to his home several hours later.

What evolves is a twisted tale of family deceit, mental illness, revenge and…cooking.

Told in present time to her Husband while they share a glass of evening wine together, and flashbacks where we see how D.D. and her squad solve the strange case presented to them, this book was just long enough, the storyline fully explored, and fun for me to read on a rainy afternoon by the fire.

5 stars to a good read! Thanks Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an arc of the story for an honest opinion.

Quick and short easy read from one of my favorite authors. Like that it was all summed up in less than an hour!