mojoshivers's review against another edition
4.0
I was prepared to give this book a middling three-star grade. The shifts between the writers’ styles were far more noticeable than I was lead to believe, a lot of the book was spent shuffling back-and-forth between the Hamptons and NYC, and a lot of the characterization just seemed malleable from writer to writer. All these made for a story that seemed inconsistent at best.
But the ending rescued it, which is why they left the esteemed Lawrence Block in the anchor spot. I can’t think of a better writer to land the plane as it were after a very turbulent ride. Not only was the explanation of what was going on concise, coherent, and convincing but it managed to tie in the relevant threads of Pericles’ former case, his own troubled family life, and his prospects for the future without missing a beat.
Say what you want about campfire type novels, when the setup is good and the ending is excellent, a lot of the missteps in the formula can be forgiven. After all, the only thing that matters is that the mystery presented was engaging and comes to a satisfying conclusion. And, under those simplified criteria, this book is a hit. Is it a home run? No. Hardly. But I’d say it’s a solid RBI double.
But the ending rescued it, which is why they left the esteemed Lawrence Block in the anchor spot. I can’t think of a better writer to land the plane as it were after a very turbulent ride. Not only was the explanation of what was going on concise, coherent, and convincing but it managed to tie in the relevant threads of Pericles’ former case, his own troubled family life, and his prospects for the future without missing a beat.
Say what you want about campfire type novels, when the setup is good and the ending is excellent, a lot of the missteps in the formula can be forgiven. After all, the only thing that matters is that the mystery presented was engaging and comes to a satisfying conclusion. And, under those simplified criteria, this book is a hit. Is it a home run? No. Hardly. But I’d say it’s a solid RBI double.
caroparr's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. The gimmick of multiple writers is interesting but in the end not very successful. I found myself trying to figure out how they structured the thing rather than concentrating on the story.
taleisin's review against another edition
2.0
An interesting concept, it was clear that the various authors actually discussed plot with each other. The ending was not what I expected.
ndbeyer's review against another edition
2.0
I like the premise of different mystery writers teaming together to write a book. It could have been very interesting. However, in this case, the private eye was the main character & focus of the book causing each chapter (author) to re-describe him. Some areas were not necessary and some did not provide closure -
panics70's review against another edition
Serial novel written by 20 authors. Authors by chapter.
Chapter 1 Jonathan Santloffer
Chapter 2 Stephen L Carter
Chapter 3 Marcia Clark
Chapter 4 Heather Graham
Chapter 5 Charlaine Harris
Chapter 6 Sarah Weinman
Chapter 7 Brian Gruley
Chapter 8 Alafair Burke
Chapter 9 John Connolly
Chapter 10 James Grady
Chapter 11 Ken Bruen
Chapter 12 Lisa Unger
Chapter 13 S.J. Rozan
Chapter 14 Dana Stabenow
Chapter 15 Val McDermid
Chapter 16 Mary Higgins Clark
Chapter 17 CJ Box
Chapter 18 Max Allan Collins
Chapter 19 Mark Billingham
Chapter 20 Lawrence Block
Chapter 1 Jonathan Santloffer
Chapter 2 Stephen L Carter
Chapter 3 Marcia Clark
Chapter 4 Heather Graham
Chapter 5 Charlaine Harris
Chapter 6 Sarah Weinman
Chapter 7 Brian Gruley
Chapter 8 Alafair Burke
Chapter 9 John Connolly
Chapter 10 James Grady
Chapter 11 Ken Bruen
Chapter 12 Lisa Unger
Chapter 13 S.J. Rozan
Chapter 14 Dana Stabenow
Chapter 15 Val McDermid
Chapter 16 Mary Higgins Clark
Chapter 17 CJ Box
Chapter 18 Max Allan Collins
Chapter 19 Mark Billingham
Chapter 20 Lawrence Block
shelleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
In 2011 I read and enjoyed [b:No Rest for the Dead|9413879|No Rest for the Dead|Andrew Gulli|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348675735s/9413879.jpg|14297989], a novel written by the collaboration of twenty popular crime fiction writers. This year, the same format is presented in Inherit The Dead, combining the talents of authors such as Lisa Unger, Val McDermid, Jonathan Santlofer and Lawrence Block.
This noir detective tale has disgraced ex NYPD homicide detective turned private investigator, Perry Christo, searching for a missing heiress, at the request of her mother. Julia Drusilla claims she is dying and wishes to make peace with her daughter before the inevitable by ensuring Angelina inherits the millions bequeathed to her that must be claimed on the day of her twenty first birthday.
Unsurprisingly the case is not that simple and as Perry traces the whereabouts of the rare beauty that is Angelina he grows increasingly concerned for her safety. He is certain Julia isn't being completely honest with him and Angelina's stoner father doesn't seem overly concerned about his daughter's absence, her 'best friend' deflects Perry's questions by trying to seduce him and the men Angelina are sleeping with, a mechanic and a married senator, aren't anxious to share what they know. It's up to Perry to find out if Angelina has simply run away or if she is running scared.
The plot isn't complicated, there is hardly any action and the pace was a little slow - Perry does a lot of driving while either lamenting his divorce and custody issues or fantasising about Angelina. But there is a satisfying, sharp twist to be found at the end, where the villains don't go unpunished thanks to Perry's dogged determination and sense of justice.
It is obvious that each author has made a concerted effort to make the transition between chapters as smooth as possible though Inherit the Dead is not entirely seamless. There are elements of repetitiveness in individual contributions that should have been edited out. The character of Perry also changes in subtle ways, though for the most part the shifts are negligible since he is never very much more than a stereotype.
Overall I thought Inherit the Dead was a fairly ordinary effort and feel the collaboration could have, and should have been stronger, but it is a quick and easy read, and published for a good cause - to raise awareness of, and funds for, Safe Horizon (SafeHorizon.org)
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
3.0
Surprisingly good flow for a book with so many authors.
The mystery was interesting, but I seriously didn't care about any of the characters, which made for a less enticing story. Seriously, they are all a bunch of nasty, nasty people; who would care about them?
Very good narration by Christopher Evan Welch.
The mystery was interesting, but I seriously didn't care about any of the characters, which made for a less enticing story. Seriously, they are all a bunch of nasty, nasty people; who would care about them?
Very good narration by Christopher Evan Welch.
raven31's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting idea having twenty authors write a book together. And without having seen the chapters that preceded theirs? Great job to them.