Dead Over Heels

Written by Charlaine Harris

Narrated by Thérèse Plummer

Best-seller number five from Charlaine Harris' beloved Aurora Teagarden series places the amateur sleuth directly in harm's way. Detective Sergeant Jack Burns and Aurora never got along, and now Jack's dead body has been dropped from a plane directly into Aurora's back yard. Murder is personal this time for Aurora- but has she received a mere message, or a gruesome warning? ''Infectious prose, engaging characters, crafty plotting ''- Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 8, 2009
• ISBN: 9781440789649

Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing for over thirty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area. She has written four series, and two stand-alone novels, in addition to numerous short stories, novellas, and graphic novels (cowritten with Christopher Golden). Her Sookie Stackhouse books have appeared in twenty-five different languages and on many bestseller lists. They’re also the basis of the HBO series True Blood. Harris now lives in Texas, and when she is not writing her own books, she reads omnivorously. Her house is full of rescue dogs.

Reviews for Dead Over Heels

[Kristi Neal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Always a fun and engaging read and never too serious.

[krumbs_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Again, reading to fill in the gaps in the series. I suppose I'm hoping if I read the books I missed, the later ones will seem better. Nope. I don't get the appeal of this character. How can so many people be so obsessed with her? She's not that interesting, she's moody, she doesn't seem terribly attractive, and she's kind of a b*tch. Really, I'm also kind of annoyed that she's rich. The windfall she got a few books ago could have gone to someone more deserving! Or at least more generous.

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Roe's life is finally getting back to normal when another body lands in her backyard, literally. People try to convince Roe that it was just a coincidence but she knows better. The victim was Jack Burns, a policeman who is publicly suspicious of Roe and her proximity to so many murders. (Totally understandable). He also has a connection with Angel, Roe's trusty bodyguard and friend. When more strange incidents occur, Roe goes into detective mode. She really just can't help it.I enjoyed this book. Roe is really funny and the cast of characters is growing quite comfortable to me. Harris does an excellent job of throwing in enough twists to keep you quessing. I am really glad that Roe has returned to the library.

[rhinoa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Roe (Aurora) returns as another body turns up on her doorstep. This time they are literally falling from the sky as a body is dumped out of a plane landing at the feet of Roe. Turns out it is none other than Jack Burns, a local detective who has always had a mistrust of Roe.Roe's natural curiosity leads her to follow her instincts as strange occurances being. Someone she knows is badly beaten, another is stabbed and Roe stuggles to find the connections, the why and the who. Her friend and bodyguard Angel is possibly connected and is acting rather strangely. She is usually so healthy, but lately she has been sick and dizzy, unable to keep up with her exercise. Roe doesn't know much about her past, or her husband Selby, and begins to wonder. Plus her husband Martin is barely around. He is working harder than usual and away on business leaving Roe to wonder if working through their problems was a mistake.Some of the books in this series have been a bit hit and miss. I am glad to say this one was a hit. It blended mystery with character development and kept you guessing at every turn. Lots of little incidental details and lots of possibile storylines for future books in the series. Roe is definitely back on form.

[hagelrat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the fifth aurora teagarden book and is another light, entertaining murder mystery. In this book Detective Jack Burns, who has long felt Roe must be guilty of something, drops out of the sky, dead. Roe is back at the library part time, which gives her life structure again, she and Martin made it through the bumps of book four and her relationship with the Youngbloods is stronger. Harris is good at these light, fun stories, like the earlier Sookie Stackhouse books, full of character and charm.

[cfk_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've not read this series before and did enjoy both the mystery and the characters. Totally did not see the bad guy, which I love!

[drapple_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Althought this installment features the same charming characters, the plot is a bit thin. The motivation of the killer is completely out of left field, given the details provided to the reader.

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was not quite as much a fan of this one - it just felt scattered, and the denouement was much too sudden and unearned. It wasn't terrible, and there were some entertaining scenes, but It's not the best of them.

[capnrandm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This particular Teagarden mystery had completely slipped my memory, and I didn't figure things out until Roe did.

[reannon_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fifth in the Aurora Teagarden mystery series, set in Lawrenceton, Georgia. Roe is married, and has gone back to working in the local library part-time. She and Angel, her bodyguard/general help are in the garden one day when a body is dropped from a small plane and almost lands on Angel. it turns out to be that of Jack Burns, a policeman with whom Roe has had a number of unpleasant encounters over the years.Good book but not outstanding.

[condorena · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While this is my least favored of the Charlaine Harris series I still must recommend this as a decent mystery.

[onyx95_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having a body fall out of the sky into her yard left even Roe (Aurora Teagarden) wondering if there was some connection between the death of police Detective Jack Burns and him landing in her yard. Everyone knew that Jack and Roe didn’t like each other but what connected the strange things that had started happening around Roe and Angel (Youngblood, bodyguard, neighbor and friend)? The mysterious delivery of flowers, a pretty ribbon on Madeline (the cat), the death of the Librarian assistant, the attack of Shelby (Angel’s husband), then another police officer was stabbed. Could these things all be connected to Angel, Roe or is it all just a coincidence?Book 5 ….. I was so happy to see Roe and Martin still together, still trying to make the marriage work. I really enjoyed the new side of Angel and the scene between Shelby and Roe in the kitchen was fun and in character for Roe. This time through, the mystery was fun to try to piece together. The character development is so much more complex now that we ’know’ her better. This was (for me) one of the better Aurora Teagarden stories. Not sure why, it wasn’t action packed but it kept a very good pace and the personal aspects of the crime as well as other situations Roe found herself in, gave the book a good overall fun and happy feeling to me.

[cheriepie69_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This fifth installment in the Aurora Teagarden Mystery series is just as cute and cozy as it's predecessors. The story takes place about two years after the events of the previous book, The Julius House. Roe and Martin have settled into married life quite comfortably, and things have been relatively quiet around the small Atlanta suburb of Lawrenceton, GA for the last few years. But that all changes when a body is dropped from a low-flying airplane, right onto Roe's lawn! But just wait a day or two because you know that won't be the only dead body showing up!

[pacey1927 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So I have been working my way through the Aurora Teagarden mystery series. I read Sookie first and they still remain high on my all time favorites list. Than I tried a couple of Aurora books and a couple of Harris's other series Lily Bard. By the second Aurora book I had a definite preference for those over the Lily Bard books. The third and fourth books were the best and I had hoped that would continue on to "Dead Over Heels". Unfortunately, that didn't happen and I shut the final page, disappointed. I don't care for Aurora's husband Martin. I don't think theirs is a very steady marriage. I do like the two bodyguards introduced in "The Julius House" and I am a little worried about a plotline introduced for them here. My biggest problem with this story is a untter lack of consistancy in the characters. Roe Teagarden was introduced in the first book as a plain Jane schoolteacher type who hadn't had many man interested in her through the years. By the second book she had two men courting her. I thought this was cute and her time due. Now in this book she has her husband (neither of her first two beaus), an ex-beau, a stalker, and a hint of a romantic interlude with a friend. Its too much and unbelievable to read these books and to know that nothing major has changed about the character yet she suddenly has FOUR men currently wanting her. The mysery itself fell flat after an exciting first couple of chapters. The murderer, when revealed, was dull and his behavior was completely out of character for him also. Harris's writing is still as engaging as ever. There is no doubt that this woman can WRITE. But this story just felt rushed and I know that every author has his or her highs and lows, and this maybe the lowest quality book published by Harris. I intend to finish out the series as there are only a couple books left, but I sure miss the Roe Teagarden from the beginning of this series.

[beckyjg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dead Over Heels opens with a bang. Or perhaps splat would be a more accurate description of the sound of a man's body falling from an airplane onto a lawn. The man, Lawrenceton police detective Jack Burns is thoroughly and grotesquely dead but really, why do things like this always happen to poor little Aurora Teagarden?The arrival of Detective Burns on her front lawn is just the first in a series of weird and often violent events that dog Roe's footsteps with increasing and disturbing frequency. But how, and why, would a ribbon turning up around mean cat Madeleine's neck, a library coworker's brutal beating, the arrival of a gorgeous flower arrangement from an anonymous admirer, and the stabbing of former boyfriend Arthur Smith be related to the gruesome death of Jack Burns? And what the hell do all of these things have to do with Roe?As always, Charlaine Harris produces a compulsively readable, beautifully detailed mystery, full of quirky characters and Southern charm.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Aurora Teagarden's quite day was interrupted by a body plummeting from a low-flying aircraft. When it turns out to be a detective who disliked Roe, Roe has to find out who is doing it because more bodies start stacking up.It's light murder, nothing exceptional but an interesting read.