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Title details for Speakers of the Dead by J. Aaron Sanders - Available

Speakers of the Dead

A Walt Whitman Mystery

by J. Aaron Sanders
Mark Bramhall
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Lambda Award Winner 
Speakers of the Dead is a mystery novel centering around the investigative exploits of a young Walt Whitman, in which the reporter-cum-poet navigates the seedy underbelly of New York City's body-snatching industry in an attempt to exonerate his friend of a wrongful murder charge.
The year is 1843; the place: New York City. Aurora reporter Walt Whitman arrives at the Tombs prison yard where his friend Lena Stowe is scheduled to hang for the murder of her husband, Abraham. Walt intends to present evidence on Lena's behalf, but Sheriff Harris turns him away. Lena drops to her death, and Walt vows to posthumously exonerate her.
Walt's estranged boyfriend, Henry Saunders, returns to New York, and the two men uncover a link between body-snatching and Abraham's murder: a man named Samuel Clement. To get to Clement, Walt and Henry descend into a dangerous underworld where resurrection men steal the bodies of the recently deceased and sell them to medical colleges. With no legal means to acquire cadavers, medical students rely on these criminals, and Abraham's involvement with the Bone Bill—legislation that would put the resurrection men out of business—seems to have led to his and Lena's deaths.
Fast-paced and gripping, Speakers of the Dead is a vibrant reimagining of one of America's most beloved literary figures.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 1, 2016

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780399565281
      • File size: 255792 KB
      • Duration: 08:52:53

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Those who think of Walt Whitman as just a poet are in for a surprise. Sanders's mystery reimagines one of America's literary giants as a detective. Mark Bramhall's performance is entrancing, grabbing the listener with an understated delivery that increases in intensity as events unfold. At its core, the book features a young Whitman's efforts to prove that a friend has been wrongly charged with murder. But the novel has many levels that highlight different traits in Whitman, and Bramhall convincingly portrays each facet of his character. He's particularly adept at conveying dialogue, defining even secondary characters with tones and inflections that complement every aspect of this thoroughly enjoyable story. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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