Raise the Dead

Is a frozen embryo a human being? In RAISE THE DEAD, her sixth Austen/Cardenas mystery, Jane Rubino places this controversial issue squarely between Cat Austen and Victor Cardenas when they confront the possibility that the question may have been integral to the murder of Cat's husband. Three years before, Chris Austen had been gunned down by ex-con Raymond Stites. Stites then turned the gun on himself and the crime had been ruled a random act of violence, case closed. RAISE THE DEAD opens days before Austen's death, with a fatal tryst which suggests that Austen's killing was a murder for hire.

Three years later, at the beginning of a hectic Memorial Day weekend, Cat Austen is reporter on the region's annual Scrappalooza, preparing for her brother's wedding and anticipating a proposal from Victor Cardenas, when she begins to receive the ominous phone calls. "I know something about why your husband died....."

The calls are linked to a rival's violent death and Cat is drawn into an investigation that unites her with two very different suspects: fertility specialist Randall Hoffman, who had made it possible for Cat and Chris to have children and Raymond Stites's widow, Kathleen, who unwittingly holds the key to Chris Austen's murder. Punctuated with flashbacks that track the last hours of Chris Austen and Raymond Stites is a fast-moving plot that leads to a stunning revelation.

With Rubino's signature poignancy, plot twists and off-beat humor, RAISE THE DEAD raises issues about the lasting consequences of loving, callous and desperate choices.

About the Author

Jane Rubino is the author of a mystery series set at the Jersey shore and a volume of Sherlockian novellas. She has had a film column, scripted a few short films, and is the author of several articles and essays on topics ranging from food and class in Sherlockian London to the ethnic detective in film.