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. ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )

Quick fun read ( )

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