Thursday, January 12, 2012

Short Story Review: "Growing Up Dead" by Sylvia Dickey Smith

Featuring “Warren Chadwick” this short story occurs before the opening novel of the Sidra Smart series titled Dance On His Grave. Warren is still running “The Third Eye, Intuitive Investigations” so fittingly the story begins at a fog shrouded cemetery. Warren Chadwick is in the mood to hurt someone and justifiably so. However, he has a possible client lurking in the shadows and fog and that takes priority over his personal problems.

A client that knows about a murder that happened a long time ago here in Orange, Texas. Ethel is the client’s name. She claims no one knows about the murder. A murder that she wants solved and justice delivered.


This short story is an intriguing fast moving tale with plenty of twists and turns. Mixing just the right of inner contemplation with physical action, author Sylvia Dickey Smith shows yet again why the author is so talented.

My thanks to Earl Staggs who “loaned” the book to me through Kindle for PC Program. Earl also helpfully sent along his review and that of Randy Rawls regarding “Growing Up Dead” by Sylvia Dickey Smith. Both reviews previously appeared on Amazon.


Growing Up Dead
By Sylvia Dickey Smith


Warren Chadwick is a middle-aged, hot blooded male and a Private Investigator. He's not sure which of those attributes makes him follow a mysterious young woman into a foggy cemetery. When he catches up with her, things only get more confusing. She tells him there's an old murder to be solved and gives him a clue, but then poor Warren passes out. When he wakes up, his PI instincts take over and he's drawn into a situation so bizarre even he finds it hard to believe. Sylvia Dickey Smith has crafted a tale that includes a little humor, a lot of intrigue, and an ending that will have you wondering about life and death and what may be in between. 


Earl Staggs © 2011

Author of the Short Stories of Earl Staggs and the novel Memory Of A Murder.


GROWING UP DEAD
By Sylvia Dickey Smith

Death. I always thought it was kind of a dead end street (ooh, bad pun), but, obviously, Sylvia Dickey Smith does not agree with me. In her mystery short story, GROWING UP DEAD, she takes us into the life of Warren Chadwick, a private investigator in Orange, Texas. We can assume the life of a PI in Orange isn't too challenging, especially when he has had a mite too much to drink. However, Warren wakes up with a hangover and the strangest remembrance one can imagine. When he attempts to check it out, nothing fits. That is, nothing fits until . . . Well, I can't go there. You'll have to read Ms. Smith's GROWING UP DEAD to get the answer. I did, and I'm recommending it. And yeah, there's a bit of DEATH in it.

Randy Rawls © 2011

Author of Thorns on Roses and the Private Investigator Ace Edwards Series beginning with Jake’s Burn.


As you can see, I'm not the only one who likes this short story. Read the series from award winning Sylvia Dickey Smith as well. Good stuff.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2012

4 comments:

Sylvia Dickey Smith said...

Thanks, Kevin! It is always nice to get an excellent review!

Earl Staggs said...

Kevin, I agree. Readers will enjoy "Growing Up Dead." Then they should check out Sylvia's mystery series featuring Sidra Smart. Good mystery reads every one of them.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

The first thing is to write an excellent story and you did that, Sylvia. All I did was review it and offer my opinion.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

That they should, Earl.