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Inherit the Dead: A Novel
Inherit the Dead: A Novel
Inherit the Dead: A Novel
Audiobook8 hours

Inherit the Dead: A Novel

Written by Lee Child, Lisa Unger, C.J. Box and

Narrated by Christopher Evan Welch

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

This New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller, is a collaboration between twenty bestselling mystery novelists who have joined forces to create a spellbinding story of love, betrayal, and intrigue. “Readers can’t go wrong with this juicy thriller” raves Library Journal.

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

In this inventive “serial novel” storytelling approach, each of the twenty bestselling writers brings his or her distinctive voice to a chapter of Inherit the Dead, building the tension to a shocking, explosive finale. 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.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 8, 2013
ISBN9781442364356
Author

Lee Child

Lee Child is one of the world’s leading thriller writers. He was born in Coventry, raised in Birmingham, and now lives in New York. It is said one of his novels featuring his hero Jack Reacher is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. His books consistently achieve the number-one slot on bestseller lists around the world, and have sold over one hundred million copies. Two blockbusting Jack Reacher movies have been made so far. www.LeeChild.com  

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Reviews for Inherit the Dead

Rating: 3.8838383838383836 out of 5 stars
4/5

198 ratings14 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Riveting book, each chapter written by a different mystery author but it all comes together.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I had to listen to it again, and it was as enjoyable as first time!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Well written fiction by great authors. Great story, too fast an ending.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I would have liked it much better without the language. Good story, surprise ending
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The idea is good, but the story plods along at a snails pace. To much repeating for my liking. Did not finish the book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What I would like to say is well done to all the authors who contributed to this book in aid of charity. I recently read another book called ‘No Rest For the Dead’ which was the same concept for a charity.This book I found the story was very basic and had it not been that all the authors had put together fr a good cause then I would have found it quite average. What I did find is that because each chapter is by a different author I felt that Perry the main character did keep coming over as a different person and I felt I was reading different books. ‘No Rest for the Dead’ I felt gelled together and felt like one book although that had several authors.At the back of the book all the authors are mentioned and a brief paragraph on who they are and what works they have done. Some of the authors I have read and some I haven’t.Well worth picking up just for the fact that all the authors have put together but don’t expect a real thriller of a book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When twenty writers each contribute a chapter to a novel, the result can be fun or a disaster. Inherit the Dead is a little of both. Inherit the Dead is a remarkably bland novel -- not a disaster, not really bad, but nothing to be really excited about.

    Chapter 1 by Jonathan Santlofer sets up an ordinary premise: Ex-cop turned private detective Perry Christo is asked to find Angel, Julia Druscilla's missing twenty-year-old daughter. If Angel doesn't sign some trust documents on her twenty-first birthday, her share of a sizable trust will be forfeited to Julia. Christo was booted off the police force for misconduct that remains unspecified until chapter 2's writer fills in the details, but we're given to believe that the accusations were false, making Christo a typical wronged-cop-turned-PI. Santlofer also appends a first-person narrative to the end of the chapter, voiced by someone who is following Christo. Some of the other writers do the same, but that aspect of the novel is largely abandoned by its midway point.

    This book was written in support of a charitable cause, so kudos to the writers for taking the time to do it. It strikes me as false advertising, however, to list Lee Child as one of the writers. Child dashed off a three page introduction praising all the writers for being so wonderful but he didn't contribute a chapter of his own. However praiseworthy the other writers might be for contributing their time, any of them writing individually would probably have produced a novel with a stronger plot and fleshier characters.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    AUTHOR: Various TITLE: Inherit the DeadDATE READ: 01/04/2016RATING: 3/CGENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS Crime Fiction/ 2013/ Simon & Shuster/ 296 pgs SERIES/STAND-ALONE: S/ACHARACTERS AUTHOR: Pericles Christo / private eye former police detective TIME/PLACE: 2013/ NYCFIRST LINES The call had been unexpected. The reference -- a friend of a friend of a friend -- too complicated to follow. COMMENTS: This is a serial novel -- 20 authors, each writing a chapter. Perry is called by an aging socialite to find her missing daughter who is due to inherit a large sum of money soon, only if she can be there on her 21st birthday. The daughter has been living w/ her father (her parents have been divorced) out on the island in the Hamptons. Altho' I like the authors writing in this book it is hard to read this w/o hearing distinctive voices ea chapter and losing something in being a cohesive tight storyline. The premise -- gather these great crime fiction writers together to donate for a charitable cause is a good one. The end result for me was a mediocre light read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    At first glance, I thought that Inherit the Dead was a collection of short stories from some of my favourite authors. (20 of them to be exact) Upon closer inspection I realized that it was one story, a serial novel, with each chapter written by a different author. And that there was a purpose behind the compilation - monies raised go to support Safe Horizon - an organization championed by Linda Fairstein. Perry Christo is a disgraced former cop turned P.I. When a wealthy 'uptown' woman summons Perry, he runs - he really needs the money. But the case is odd - Drusilla wants Perry to find her daughter Angel - she hasn't seen her in two weeks, but hasn't bothered with the police either. Christo takes the case, but as he digs, it just gets more complicated - everyone has their own agenda and Angel may have been right to disappear. I was quite eager to read this as I do follow about half of the authors regularly. The initial chapter sets the stage and from there, each author added their own twist and direction. But, sadly, as the book progressed, I found myself losing interest. I like a good meaty mystery. With the format used here, the flow was choppy and the plot seemed cobbled together. Which it was. You can easily identify the hood or twist that dictates where the plot is headed. I did have reading each chapter and identifying the style of known authors. And finding some new authors to try. You would think that with so much talent, it would be a great book. It's a neat premise and a good hook for a fundraiser, but for this reader, it was just an okay read.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Former cop, now private investigator Perry Christo gets what he thinks is a simple gig with a big payoff by locating the daughter of a rich socialite. But things are never easy and it seems.What was intriguing about this novel was that it took an old and tried plot and used twenty different authors writing a chapter each to advance the story. Unfortunately, I found it to be boring to say the least. The characters weren’t interesting, the mystery and thrills not so exciting. Like I said I liked the idea, and this book’s royalties are to be donated to Safe Horizon and I do hope they do succeed, but this but it is not one to stay in my library.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Twenty writers added a chapter each to this PI mystery where the PI is asked to find the missing daughter of a Manhattan socialite. The girl, Angel, needs to sign some documents prior to her twenty-first birthday to get an inheritance.Angel lives with her father in the Hampton's but the father isn't worried about her disappearance. Neither are a number of men she dated.Perry has a daughter about Angel's age so feels empathetic but knows he isn't getting the whole truth.In addition, he's being followed by a person who adds their thoughts at the end of many chapters. This person is set on harming someone.The plot of finding a missing girl to get an inheritance has been done before but it is interesting to see how the various authors add their input to keep the story going. I think mystery fans will enjoy the book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In 2011 I read and enjoyed No Rest for the Dead, 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)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A middle of the road novel, cleverly written by 20 different well known authors. The proceeds from the novel go to charity. While seamlessly meshed, the problem really is the story line. It was OK but only slightly compelling. In other words, after this week I'll forget all about it. Angel, wealthy daughter and future heiress of Julia Druscilla (can anyone say Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel fan when naming these two characters?) is missing. Her father is an occasional alcoholic and not particularly involved in her life. Julia, the absentee mother, bitchy socialite, is dying and wants to see her daughter before she goes to have her sign inheritance papers. The detective, Perry, whose last name already escapes me is hired to find her. He, a former cop, was unduly released from the force due to a fake corruption charge. Washed up and unsettled, he takes the case.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Perry Christo is a former homicide detective who was forced out of his job due to a corruption scandal years ago, also losing his family at the same time. Now years later, he’s working as a private investigator. A very rich reclusive woman hires Perry to find her daughter who hasn’t been seen in the last couple of weeks. She needs to sign papers on her 21st birthday in order to get an inheritance from her grandparents. And no, she doesn’t want the police involved. So begins an investigation through a number of odd friends and family as Perry tries to find Angel.The story is decent. I can’t call it gripping or a thriller, but the characters and situations are interesting and the outcome will have you guessing. And there is an element of intrigue as the story is told both by Perry, with some added narration from someone who is stalking Perry.When requesting this book to review, I thought I was getting an anthology. It blew me away to find this is a serial novel. The story is written by 20 successful crime/mystery writers with each one taking 1 chapter. I’ve never read anything like this before. Other than the different writing styles, the story flows seamlessly between chapters. The character building across different chapters would have you believing the book was written by just 1 author.And what really had me excited when I started reading the intro, was not only that this is 1 story instead of a bunch of novellas, but that the authors donated their time and skills to put this together to raise money for Safe Horizon; explained as the largest charity offering a variety of support and services to victims of violent crimes. In my mind this moves the book from a decent story to a worthwhile read.Read as an ARC via Edelweiss