Scan barcode
gabmc's review against another edition
3.0
This book had chapters written by 20 different crime/thriller authors. Ex NYPD Detective Perry Christo was forced to leave the police force under questionable circumstances. His marriage collapsed at the same time and he only see his 15 year old daughter on weekends. He is now a private detective. He receives a call from Julia Drusilla, a very wealthy woman who is trying to find her daughter. She is not close with her daughter, Angel, and hasn't even seen her in over a year. She tells Perry that Angel is due to inherit a huge fortune on her 21st birthday, but only if she signs some papers on the actual day. Perry goes to meet Julia's ex-husband, who leads him to her best friend, who leads him to her boyfriend, etc. I felt like lots of clues were planted along the way but when the book ended I wasn't completely happy with the resolution.
susan_ok's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this book was interesting - 20 mystery writers getting together to each writer a chapter of a whodunnit for a good cause. The writing was less interesting. This book took forever to get off the ground. Only my guilt at finishing books I count towards the annual reading challenge kept me going.
corriespondent's review against another edition
3.0
Book flowed really well, a testament to good editing and collaboration between the many authors. Story was a bit predictable.
mbragg's review against another edition
1.0
It was a good effort but the plot was just too convoluted and the ending felt very random and rushed. Don't bother if you want to read something with any substance.
jkmfrog's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
samalvarez823's review against another edition
5.0
I think it's amazing that 20 different authors can pull an entire story together like this and it be awesome! The fact that they each wrote a chapter and no chapter had anything that didn't make sense in it was amazing!! Great read!
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
Superbly accomplished. The premise is one story with many authors. It could have been a helluva train wreck, but in the hands of Jonathan Santlofer as editor the book flowed rather seamlessly. Many of the writers are favorite authors, only one or two that I really didn't dig and there were a few I'd not heard of before but have been added to the WWBL.
Rich woman hires down-at-heels private investigator to find her daughter before said daughter's inheritance birthday. Seems simple enough, but as all excellent mysteries are, not everything is as it seems.
Definite recommend.
Rich woman hires down-at-heels private investigator to find her daughter before said daughter's inheritance birthday. Seems simple enough, but as all excellent mysteries are, not everything is as it seems.
Definite recommend.
johnckill's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not really a fan of the mystery genre, but I needed a cheap audio book to kill time on a long drive. The main character was interesting and I'd read other novels with him in it if they were written. There were a couple truck sized plot holes, and the resolution kind of came out of nowhere. That being said, it was well written by the various authors.
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.