Should Old Acquaintance Be Dead by Jean Sheldon - Book Review

The 25th High School Reunion is one that Kerry Grant will never forget!The year was 1981. Kerry was a student at Pulaski High School. She had made arrangements to meet Shayna so they could work on the new stage set. Kerry arrived about ten minutes late. As she entered the auditorium it was dark and she yelled for Shayna to turn on the lights. Kerry found her way to the stage using the wall as her guide. She bumped into something and thought it was a sandbag. Kerry bent down to find the edges and realized it was not what she thought it to be. As the lights went up Kerry did see a sandbag but lying next to it was Shayna's body. The official investigation ruled Shayna's death an accident. They believed the snap hook holding the sandbag's strap malfunctioned and released it from the steal grid above.Kerry did not believe this was an accident. To make matters worse, Kerry was questioned almost as though she did something to hurt Shayna. Why? They thought Kerry was too calm about all of this.Now, twenty-five years later, Kerry and Jennifer receive invitations to their high school reunion. After some discussion, they decided to attend. They would enjoy seeing some old friends but the real motivation for Kerry is to try and find out something more about what happened to Shayna.Kerry's wish did come true when she ran into Lisa Whitaker at the reunion. Lisa told Kerry she could prove someone murdered Shayna. Lisa told Kerry to meet her on the stage in twenty minutes and she would show her exactly what happened to Shayna. As Kerry headed for the auditorium to meet Lisa, she began to have an eerie feeling too similar to what happened the last time she went there to meet Shayna. What happens as Kerry gets to the stage?Is Kerry able to solve this case before she becomes a victim?Jean Sheldon writes a mystery that is so entertaining to read. Not only does this novel keep you in suspense but it also gives you several laughs along the way. The reader will laugh when Kerry and Jennifer discuss the pros and cons of attending their high school reunion (mostly cons). I am sure this will sound familiar to many readers who are trying to decide whether or not to attend their high school reunion. The attribute I like the most about Jean Sheldon's writing is her character portrayal. As she introduces each character, the reader will get a very clear image in their mind as to what the character looks like. This is not only done for the main character, Kerry, but even for the ones who play a minor part in the book. Readers will like Kerry Grant because she is strong willed and determined to do things her way - including wearing jeans to her high school reunion! Every now and then it takes this reviewer a little time to really get "into" a novel; however this was not the case with Should Old Acquaintance Be Dead. I was hooked right from the beginning and had that feeling throughout the entire book.Once you read this novel, you will also want to go back and read "Identity Murder" which is the first Kerry Grant novel. We look forward to the next Detective Kerry Grant novel "A Chilling Goodbye" which will be released in the Spring of 2008. Be sure to add "Should Old Acquaintance Be Dead" to your list of books to read. It is well worth it!Visit Jean Sheldon's Website dr seuss book collection