Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Inherit the Dead: A novel by 20 authors

Readers will enjoy an introduction by Lee Child, an afterword by Linda Fairstein, and chapters by bestselling authors Mary Higgins Clark, John Connolly, Charlaine Harris, CJ Box, Mark Billingham, Lawrence Block, Ken Bruen, Alafair Burke, Stephen L. Carter, Marcia Clark, Max Allan Collins, James Grady, Heather Graham, Bryan Gruley, Val McDermid, SJ Rozan, Jonathan Santlofer, Dana Stabenow, Lisa Unger, and Sarah Weinman. What's more, the editor, Jonathan Santlofer, has arranged to donate any royalties in excess of editor and contributor compensation to Safe Horizon, the leading victim assistance agency in the country making it a worthy and winning triumph.

Pericles "Perry" Christo is a PI with a past; a former cop, who lost his badge and his family when a corruption scandal left him broke and disgraced. When wealthy Upper East Side matron Julia Drusilla summons him one cold February night, he grabs what seems to be a straightforward (and lucrative) case.

The socialite is looking for her beautiful, aimless daughter, Angelina, who is about to become a very wealthy young woman. But as Christo digs deeper, he discovers there';s much more to the lovely Angel than meets the eye. Her father, her best friend, her boyfriends all have agendas of their own. Angel, he soon realizes, may be in grave danger and if Christo gets too close, he just might get caught in the crossfire.

This classic noir tale twists and turns down New York’s mean streets and along Hampton beaches and back roads during a bitterly cold and gray winter where nothing is as it seems and everyone has something to hide.


If you are a thriller and/or mystery fan, this book is a must have. Each chapter is written by a different author such as Heather Graham, Charlaine Harris, John Connolly and Mary Higgins Clark to name just a few. The fact that the proceeds benefit Safe Horizon, a victim assistance agency doubles the joy.

 At first, I found myself focusing on the ways my favorite authors wrote their chapter, including reading the chapter and then trying to guess who wrote it. But then the story grabs you and the novelty wears off and you just settle in for a good old fashioned mystery in which private eye Pericles Christo is hired to find a socialite’s missing daughter before her 21st birthday.

 They did an excellent job of making each chapter flow seamlessly. My only (minor) complaint is that Lee Childs only wrote the introduction. I would have liked to read a chapter by my all time favorite author. I am definitely ready for a part 2!


 
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Roberta 

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The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.

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