The Hearse You Came in on: A Hitchcock Sewell Mystery

Meet Hitchcock Sewell, Hitch for short and the star of this totally enjoyable mystery who just happens to be Baltimore's "most eligible undertaker" or bereavement consultant if you're sort of squeamish or want to be politically correct. "A murder mystery mortician," you might ask at this point, "Can you be serious?" Sure, why not, having a mortician as your lead character is the most unique setup for a screwball mystery series that I seen in a long time. And Hitch is a most totally likable character. (Darling and loveable to most of the female readers of this book, I'm told.)As the story begins Hitch is minding his business and "chaperoning the dead into their graves" at Sewell and Sons (there are no sons by the way, just Hitch and his Aunt Billie) when a beautifully women walks into Parlor One dressed for a hot game of tennis. She says she's Carolyn James and she wants to make funereal arrangements for ... herself. But then she backs down and makes a hasty retreat.For Hitch it is infatuation at first site, and he's sure he's going to have to track down the mysterious Ms. James until the next day when Aunt Billie tells him that a "new client" had just been delivered ... a suicide by the name of Carolyn James. Hitch rushes to look at the body and realizes that he's never seen the woman before.This is just the start of many fun twists and turns that will keep you going throughout the entire book until the very last page. And if you just happen to have an interest in the theater as I do, you won't want to miss the outrageous subplot involving the Gypsy Player's production of Our Town with Hitch playing the part of the stage manager. It takes the idea of concept productions to the hilarious extreme.This book was published two years ago, but I didn't catch up to it until last year. So I give it a belated ***** and recommend it to you all. The author has since added two more books to the series which are currently on my to read list.

Tim Cockey's hilarious debut about Hitchcock Sewell, undertaker-turned-detective is a great comic mystery, with a touch of noir, and some well-turned one-liners. You'll laugh along as Hitchcock gets mixed up with dames, murder and cops with no sense of humor (not necessarily in that order).Cockey's writing is deft & hilariously funny, and his character descriptions are marvelous. You'll definitely feel like you know some of the people he describes. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! (and no, even though I know him, he is NOT paying me for this review.....right, Tim?)Go out, buy this book, and chase away your blues! I read it in two sittings...and I'll be reading it again! Hey, why not buy two, and give one to a friend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a long time! Definitely a page-turner - I finished it within 2 days of purchasing it. Hitch's wry sense of humor and the numerous references to song lyrics added a lot. I would love to see this book made into a movie soon, and I look forward to reading the author's future books!

Hitch is a great character! No really....I laughed, I cried....well, I really didn't cry, but I was sad to know Tim Cockey doesn't have the second book ready to go! What a great story! --I will follow Hitchcock Sewell anywhere he wants to go! I just hope he takes his Aunt Billie and Alcatraz with him!

This book was really fun to read. I rarely find a book that combines a good plot with full characters, pacing AND humor. I won't say anything about the plot, b'c that's too risky of spoiling your discovery, other than to say it works well. Re character, the protaganist feels real, and not excessively... excessive. Sorry for the lack of elequonce - I'm not an author - but the protaganist feels like someone I might know. I like that. It sacrifices the "exotic" potential, but in trade off buys more "familiarity", which I prefer. And no, I'm not from Baltimore (the setting). The pace is nice - it starts leisurely, and then builds. The author isn't in a race, and reading it doesn't feel like having had two too many espressos. Best of all, "Hearse" gave me some very humerous / entertaining scenes, and applies wit throughout. For me, this is just as important as a good plot hook, or accomplished writing skills. Hitch, the protaganist, (or is it Tim Cockey, the author?) has an amusing and wry take on the world that's NOT cynical or "the jaded cop". Does this mean that there aren't any serious parts? No. But it means that the read itself is good, and not merely the stuff that happens between first page and last.