Always Kiss the Corpse on Whidbey Island

By: Sandy Frances Duncan, George Szanto

Narrated by: John Morgan

Sandro Vasiliadis, a nurse at the Whidbey Island General Hospital, has died of an apparent heroin overdose. When his grieving mother bends over to kiss her son's corpse at the viewing, she shrieks, "That's not Sandro!" Convinced that her son must still be alive, Maria Vasiliadis hires Kyra Rachel and Noel Franklin to solve the mystery. With questions of foul play continuing to swirl around the death, the detectives' inquiries lead them deeper into Sandro's life and eventually to a medical clinic that specializes in transgendering.

The second in the Islands Investigations International Mystery series, Always Kiss the Corpse takes Kyra and Noel's investigation from the rush of Seattle to the seeming peace of the San Juan Islands in this thrilling pause-resistor. It's only once the detectives come to understand Sandro in life that they unlock the secret to his death.

©2010 Sandy Frances Duncan and George Szanto (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Duncan and Szanto bring their A-game to this daring and complex novel." (Lou Allin, Crime Writers of Canada)

Thought it was from 20-30 years ago

IF this book had been written around 20 years ago, then it would have been a good exploration of the ignorance and bigotry surrounding the issue of being transgender. The big problem THEN would be that this book portrays an experienced-in-providing-support-to-fellow-trans-folk, trans female as 1. defining “transitioning” as not being complete until bottom surgery has been undergone; and 2. referring to trans women as “he”s, until that surgery has been completed; AND portrays trans-expertise doctors as focussed on genitalia. IN REALITY, ZERO surgery is required for one to be fully transitioned; one must just be living as one’s true self (and, for many reasons, surgery can be skipped altogether). Sometimes, that even means living as genderfluid or even as genderqueer; not rigidly as a stereotypical female or male.
HOWEVER, it turns out that the book was first published in 2010 (11 years ago). While extremely accurate in showing that often (even NOW in 2021!) a hetero, cisgendered woman is completely unknowledgeable about transsexuals (e.g. I’ve counselled some parents who are, and encountered young people who are), how exactly a gay man in 2010 could have been ignorant to the level portrayed in this book is confusing. YES, in 2021, among us queers there is still a VERY high percentage that is bigoted against trans folk. However, I hope that in 2021 most gay men at least understand what “trans” means!!! Well, I HOPE. Maybe there ARE a whole bunch of gay men who ARE as ignorant as portrayed in this book?!?
At least this book does a good job of explaining that a trans woman really IS a woman born into the “wrong” gender.
One note re the narrator; someone local to Southwestern B.C. /the Pacific Northwest should have been consulted before narration began. “Whatcom” (County, Road, etc.) is NOT pronounced “WATT, tiny pause, comm”. It’s “watt-cum”, pronounced with the syllables flowing quickly. There’s another place name pronunciation error, but I’ve forgotten what it is.
Oh, and, the author was for some reason ignorant of the fact that the B.C. Government has for years and years been providing trans-related surgery (top, bottom, whatever, just not most facelifts and boob implants) FOR FREE, as a part of its universal healthcare. That is a VERY important distinction from the U.S. for-profit system, and thus should have been noted. Instead, the Canadian in the book merely is depicted as concerned as to the length of hospital stay that would have been allowed to a patient in B.C. And it’s an odd concern; free hospital care is provided for as long as medically necessary.

Horrible racist wording of ignorance

This story isn't bad but the homophobic terms and improper character imaging. I know this was put out in 2013 but trans has been around for long time and no one says transvestite

the worst piece of uninformed transphobic garbage

the narrator was fine.
the story was bad. really bad. it was like the authors read a few sentences written about transgender folx written by uninformed and ignorant people in the 1960s and then ran with it. I am so disappointed that this was even published. if I could give this zero stars I would.

If you are trans don’t read this book

If someone is going to write a story focusing on transgender people they should learn the facts about this marginalized group. If the authors did some research I can only assume that they are both transphobic. There are so many transphobic comments any trans person that read this book would have the same response as myself and that was to get enraged.