Inherit the Dead

A Novel

By: Lee Child, Lisa Unger, C. J. Box, Lawrence Block, Charlaine Harris, Jonathan Santlofer - editor, Mary Higgins Clark

Narrated by: Christopher Evan Welch

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Twenty thrilling writers. One chilling mystery.

Pericles "Perry" Christo is a P.I. with a past. A one-time NYPD homicide cop, Perry has been struggling since he lost his badge, and his marriage, in a notorious corruption scandal. So when wealthy Upper East Side matron Julia Drusilla calls him one cold February night, he jumps at the chance to work what seems to be a straightforward (and lucrative) case. Julia needs Perry to track down the whereabouts of her beautiful yet aimless daughter, Angelina, who is about to become a very wealthy young heiress.

But as Perry digs deeper, he discovers there's much more to the story of the lovely "Angel." Her father, her best friend, her boyfriend - they all have agendas of their own. This classic noir tale twists and turns down New York's mean streets and around Hampton's beaches and back roads, during a bitterly cold and gray winter - where nothing is as it seems and everyone has something to hide.

Told in the same "serial novel" format that made 2011's No Rest for the Dead such a commercial and critical success, Inherit the Dead is a collaboration among 20 of today's best-selling mystery and thriller authors each taking a chapter of the narrative and infusing it with their signature style.

The editor, Jonathan Santlofer, has arranged to donate any royalties in excess of editor and contributor compensation to Safe Horizon, a leading provider of services to victims of violence and abuse, making this a worthy and winning accomplishment that showcases today's finest writers at their very best.

©2013 Lee Child, Lisa Unger, C.J. Box, Lawrence Block, Charlaine Harris, Jonathan Santlofer, and Mary Higgins Clark (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Good story

The continuity between the authors was excellent. The differences in their storytelling from chapter to chapter was interesting. The story did not lose anything by the changes because all did their part in continuing the flow very well. The clues given during the story made the ending almost but not completely predictable. It's the almost that kept it interesting until the very end.

Boring & badly plotted.

This book was terrible and ordinarily I would have asked for my credit back but given it was for a good cause I didn't and read it through right to the end. It was not a good. The plot was skimpy and the narrator did well to hold it together at all. This was appalling. Sorry. I'd not heard of most of the authors perhaps this was one of the problems. I've read other books structured like this which were fabulous. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them.

Typical of multiple story books

Some stories are very good and some are lukewarm. Same with the narrators but they are worth the purchase. Same goes for magazines.

Predictable

Just wasn’t as gripping as I thought it would be for a Lee Child book.

intriguing and complete story

this was a neat experience. This read has multiple writing styles to experience. thank you

Pacing crawled

While the different styles were intriguing, the amount of time (space? pages?) spent on Perry’s introspection was redundant and tiresome. Kept hoping the action would shift gears before I lost interest. Stuck with it, though, in support of this collaborative concept and the benefitting charitable organization.

Safe Horizons a great cause.

This is a great story but the performance of Christopher Evan Welch could have been better. It is a story about a dying rich woman who hires the disgraced ex-detective Perry to find her missing daughter before it is too late. Not all is as it seems though and soon Perry is caught in a webs of deceit, family secrets and murder. The proceeds of this book go to a great cause in Safe Horizons, an organisation dedicated to helping families and victims of crime.

multiple writers yet one contiguous novel

Enjoyed it tremendously. I always like stories where the main character remains moral throughout the book. I was amazed how well it flowed as if written by one author.

Like the approach and the cause

One of the reviewers commented negatively on the flow of the story, another on repetition. Although some of both were present they did not concern me. I am impressed how different authors pick up the story and write the chapters. That is not an easy task at all. I was suspicious but still in suspense to the end. For the authors to join together to give time and effort to support this important cause is enough reason for a high rating but I also liked Perry and the story.
I will keep my eyes open for a 3rd book in this group.

I didn't give it a fair shake

This book is worth at least 4 because the cause behind it is valuable and noteworthy. I recognize alot of time, talent, and coordination was required by many to pull it together. That being said, I didn't get past the first 3-4 chapters. I kept meaning to but couldn't find that "spark" or "hook" drawing me in to really engage & commit. I hope you find what I could not :)