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Ruth Francisco
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Confessions of a Deathmaiden Kindle Edition

by Ruth Francisco (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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“Prepare to be totally taken in by this book . . .a beautifully written and constructed story. It is as original as it is absorbing.” —Michael Connelly “Captivating . . . Francisco writes with an attractive combination of matter-of-fact authority and real lyricism . . . A highly original and compassionate heroine. —Publishers Weekly “Vivid . . .compelling . . .original.” —South Florida Sun-Sentinel “Riveting, challenging and utterly original . . .This mystery novel reads like no other, and it’s striking for both its emotional and its intellectual weight.” —Killer Books, Independent Mystery Booksellers Association “Fascinating . . .plenty of suspense.” —Booklist Frances Oliver practices the arts and skills of a deathmaiden, a compassionate professional who helps ease the passage of the corporeal body to the other world, but only when the spirit is ready to make the journey. Her newest client, Tomas, a young Mexican boy living in Los Angeles, is brain-dead, but before she can apply her skills, the boy dies. Believing he was murdered, and outraged that she has been used as a cover for assassination, Frances transforms herself into a sleuth, vowing to unveil the truth. Her journey takes her from contemporary L.A. and the unsettling business of “organ recovery" to the shadowy world of smuggled antiquities, and eventually deep into the rebel-controlled Mexican mountain village where Tomas was born, a journey fraught with danger and betrayal, which nearly shatters her. While in Mexico, Frances visits the Institute for Eternal Living, where she learned the spiritual arts of a deathmaiden, and comes to learn what they never taught her in school: Instincts can fail you, passions can blind you, and evil can wear the most noble face . . .
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    July 5, 2010
  5. File size
    1008 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Frances Oliver, the "deathmaiden" of Francisco's captivating if flawed first novel, helps ease the passage of the corporeal body to the other world, but only when the spirit is ready to make the journey. Her newest client, Tom s, a young Mexican boy living in Los Angeles, is brain-dead, but before she can apply her skills, the boy dies. Believing he was murdered for his organs, this 40-something woman transforms herself into a sleuth to unravel the mystery. Oliver's journey takes her from contemporary L.A. and the unsettling business of organ "recovery" (i.e., harvesting) to the shadowy world of smuggled antiquities and, eventually, deep into the rebel-controlled Mexican mountain village where Tom s was born. Francisco writes with an attractive combination of matter-of-fact authority ("I help people die") and real lyricism, particularly when articulating the fuzzy zone between life and death. But too many convenient coincidences, some awkward foreshadowing and a few overly familiar characters, such as the skeptical but sympathetic policeman and the doctor (named "Faust"!) with a God complex, underline the need next time for a plot more worthy of this highly original and compassionate heroine.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Francisco's Los Angeles-based debut novel combines elements of the crime story with a strong supernatural plot thread. Protagonist Frances Oliver is a trained "death maiden," or someone who helps people let go and move on to the other side. When young Tomas, a terminally ill boy in Frances' care, is suddenly taken by paramedics to a hospital where his organs are harvested, Frances suspects foul play. Convinced that a biotech company is harvesting organs for profit, she follows the trail to Mexico, site of the Institute for Eternal Living, which is investigating her actions and may revoke her license as a death maiden. Francisco's prose is a bit flowery, but it is counteracted by plenty of suspense and a fascinating premise. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003UV98MC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mysterious Press (July 5, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 5, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1008 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

About the author

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Ruth Francisco

Ruth Francisco

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I tend to write novels that are a little controversial. I don't intend to, but a question grabs hold of my mind--Do we have a right to say no to medical technology? What would it be like to be Jackie Kennedy? What might happen if you found out you were adopted as an adult? What would it be like to live with grizzly bears? Where is Islamic extremism taking us?--and it won't let go. I have to explore it, I have to write about it.

Since my interests are varied, my books are varied, perhaps too much so. But whatever the theme, I always explore identity, trying to reconcile the physical and non-physical worlds. My characters respond sensually to the world as I do, they question and doubt. It would be easier to be a different kind of writer maybe. I hope you get something out of my little efforts.

I worked in the film industry for 15 years before selling my first novel “Confessions of a Deathmaiden” to Warner Books in 2003, followed by “Good Morning, Darkness,” which was selected by Publishers’ Weekly as one of the ten best mysteries of 2004, and “The Secret Memoirs of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.” I now have eight novels, including the best-seller “Amsterdam 2012,” published as an ebook. Whenever I have a chance, I write a short story that gets published in "The Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine." I currently live in Florida.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
15 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Teri the Amazonaholic
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
Found the idea of deathmaidens a fascinating concept. I am not sure there is as much science fiction to her job description as the writer believes. Interesting twists and turns in the story. Will investigate more books by this writer.
One person found this helpful
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Traveling Mom
4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, Authentic
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2013
I will forgive this book a number of faults (some slapdash plotting, a few clunky metaphors) for its brave and insightful exploration of how we die. Interestingly, a psychic gave this book to me to read because she said she'd never read a book by someone who understood so well her own relationship to death, that it is not a mistake, but a natural process, like birth, with it's own rhythms and timings. There are plenty of perfectly written books out there with nothing to say. I like a writer who wonders and asks questions and gets us thinking. I'd never questioned organ donation until this book...and now I am.
2 people found this helpful
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Elizabeth Michelli
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2015
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Great read. Wonderful story line.
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John Scalmer
1.0 out of 5 stars So Slow It Stops
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
Very slow, with a main character who was so incredibly self-righteous that it was extremely off-putting. The author goes into so much unneeded detail that it bogs an already slow novel down to such a crawl that it was a real struggle to finish.
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Freddie Omm
4.0 out of 5 stars controversial tale told with gusto
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2012
this book does occasionally stretch credibility - but for me, that was one of the things which appealed...

the book tackles a controversial topic, it deals with death, the ability (or not) to let go - and those plot elements are a way of dealing with that, of distancing something which may become uncomfortable.

i found this readable and challenging - an unusual, entertaining type of read.
2 people found this helpful
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Christina75
3.0 out of 5 stars not terribly compelling (spoiler)
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2009
The premise is pretty intriguing: a boy is murdered for his organs and there in-lies a mystery to unravel. However I found the delivery weak. I also felt that the novel needed more editing. There are some parts that are contradicted only a few paragraphs down. I also found the medical talk to be distracting and boring. I did like the idea of Deathmaidens. The paranormal aspects of the Deathmaidens made it worth my time and effort to trudge through this novel. It seems that Ms. Francisco tried to jam-pack all of her ideas into this first novel. All the ideas, names, medical jargon, ancient Mayan culture, and the Deathmaiden dogma are just a bit too jumbled. All-in-all: a worthy effort by the author, but unfortunate editing.
One person found this helpful
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K. Sozaeva
4.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical and poetic
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2006
I won't rehash the plot again, such as it was, as it has been done through several of the reviews. What I was impressed by was Ms. Francisco's "voice" - her writing style is absolutely amazing. It is very difficult to explain unless someone has read it, other than to say it is almost like reading a poem written as a novel, or having the book sung to you as in some ancient traditions of learning oral histories. Admittedly I can certainly agree that the main character spent way too much time running around the world and by the end of the book I wasn't exactly sure what, if anything, she had managed to accomplish; but reading the book was pleasurable just for the sheer beauty of its words, and in my opinion, that's plenty good enough for me.
6 people found this helpful
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Sneaker Dancer
3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing believable about this one - slightly spoilerish
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2004
I bought this book because I thought the title sounded interesting. I thought that it would be about a hospice worker who sits with dying people so they won't be alone when they pass on. But a few pages into it, I realized that the fictional deathmaidens have mystical powers and can tell when someone is ready to die and even sometimes heal them if they're not ready. So, okay, I like supernatural stories a lot, so I went with it.

But there's just nothing about this book that's believable, even if you can suspend disbelief while you read it. Ms. Oliver arrives for her assignment to help Tomas, realizes through her supernatural powers that he is not about to die and immediately leaves to go buy him some toys. When she returns, he's dead. I realize that she couldn't have known that would happen since she believed he'd live, but why was it so important to run right out and buy a bunch of toys for a comatose child? He needs to wake up before he can enjoy them, lady!

What follows as Ms. Oliver tries to find out the truth is a series of unbelievable adventures, some of which are very unpleasant (think torture chambers and sacrificed chickens). And just when you think maybe it's almost the end, as Ms. Oliver has done more detective work in one book than most other fictional sleuths have in a whole series of books, she announces, "But I had to find out more." Enough already. I love a good long book, but it should be obvious to most readers that this one has worn out its welcome way before it actually does end.

The most unbelievable thing of all, IMO, was that Ms. Oliver, who apparently has never done this kind of thing before, suddenly throws herself into being a detective with no hesitation, no qualms, nothing. Suddenly she is breaking into offices, masquerading as people she is not in order to trick information out of others, and trekking around in war-torn areas of Mexico like a pro.

As far as I can tell, the part about the Tarascans' immune systems and the discussions of mad cow disease are made up out of whole cloth. Not that I'm an expert, but the book kept referring to mad cow disease as a "virus." There was one brief reference to prions but not as a disease entity separate from viruses.

I admit it held my interest enough to keep me reading - I would have given up if I found it completely unreedemable - but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know personally because of the fairly graphic descriptions of torture.
5 people found this helpful
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