Inherit the Dead: A Novel

Lee Child did not write this but wrote the intro. All the other writers did an excellent job of developing the main character ( a flawed and disgraced ex cop in New York who is trying to redeem himself and his self confidence.)The story takes place in New York and the Hamptons where the filthy rich spend their time. Perry (our main hero) is hired by a rich divorcee to find her missing wayward daughter who happens to live with her drunk and wild ex husband in the Hamptons. Perry traipse between the City and the Island trying to find clues. But the more he talks to the various characters, the more things get complicated. People lie, and nothing seems to be what it appears.I am a mystery buff and I deduced the real culprit once they were introduced. The case could have been solved in half the time but with that many writers involved, they had to give each one a chance to get their character development in. If Perry had asked the right questions he would have solved the case in half the time. But they had to make him vulnerable and going back and forth. The was the only part i was frustrated with. Other than that the book was still an enjoyable read because of the writers . And it was for a good cause,

In the end the story overall was exciting and unexpected. There were a few times I just wanted to move on. The concept of multiple writers on one story is fascinating.

I have never read any of the authors, but I’d love the book. I don’t know which one of you wrote the comment about Rush Limbaugh but I thought that was in very poor taste.

I do love a great mystery novel and having the pleasure of reading a novel written by a few of the best...what an interesting premise!The plot, characters, and conflict were all written, but what I kept thinking about while reading had less to do with the story and everything to do with how it was written.For example, did these authors all come together and cover amongst themselves about each part of the story? Or was the writing completed somewhat blindly? Was a decision made before the writing began regarding who would be writing the climax? How were the chapters divvied between each author?It is fantastic how well the story fit together when there are so many different authors, which means the editor did one heck of a job! I love this idea of authors writing a single story for a cause. It was an honor to purchase and a pleasure to read it.

An interesting concept, and it has been done before. This one is definitely well done. A good mystery story that move along nicely.Each author, experienced and well published, writing a chapter. Each taking the story and mystery a little more on, but finally wrapping it up with a clever ending.It would be interesting to know more how they wrote it.

> I added a note to my wishlist (where I place almost everything before purchase) “DO NOT BUY! a collaborative novel”, warning myself not to purchase this POS. But, nevertheless Amazon recommends “Inherit the Dead” to me at every opportunity (because I've purchased every previous Lee Child novel). I must have been sleepy or not paying attention that day when I saw what I thought was a Lee Child / Jack Reacher novel.> This ain’t Jack Reacher. It isn’t even Lee Child. Child only wrote the introduction -- and I thought that even that was lame.> What this is, is a serially collaborative novel in which 20 authors write one chapter each, in a predetermined order. The adjective “serial” means that the authors didn’t work (collaborate) together, but instead they just took their turn when it came up.> If you want to see what sort of mess 20 authors can make of a game of “pass the secret”, you’ll enjoy “Inherit the Dead”. Actually, for such an experiment, it isn’t too bad. I've actually read several other collaborative novels which were worse. Hard to imagine, but true.> If you just want to read a good novel of Lee Child's quality, “Inherit the Dead” is a great disappointment. If character development is your thing, you’ll love “Inherit the Dead” – it’s nothing but character development because every author redevelops every character in every chapter. The plot wanders around aimlessly.> None of the authors pay more than passing attention to the chapters which preceded their “turn”. New plot threads pop up, others vanish. A tangled, unsatisfying, mess -- plain and simple> Click on “Stoney” just below the product title to see my other reviews, or leave a comment to ask a question.

The editing team blending the various authors work together deserves kudos to the max. Reminded me of the old black and white gritty detectives I watched on late night tv. Think Colombo with a smidge of Mike Hammer.

I had enjoyed this wonderful suspenseful adventure of PI that was used to find a young lady that ran away but was not the whole story.

Not as sharp and attention holding as a Jack Reacher story, but never-the-less a great story well executed. I still couldn't put the book down lest I missed something!!! More, more, more.

Really good story, each chapter written by a different author. Very cleverly put together brilliant idea.

Beworben wird dieser Benefiz-Titel zu Gunsten von “Safe Horizon”, einer Opferhilfsorganisation in den USA, als ein Lee-Child-Titel, aber Mr. Child hat hier in erster Linie das Vorwort beigetragen und kommt unter den Beitragenden überhaupt nicht vor. Insofern ist die Art, wie dieser Titel beworben wird schon ein wenig irreführend.20 Autorinnen und Autoren schreiben gemeinsam einen Roman mit 20 Kapiteln, wobei jeder offen-sichtlich ein Kapitel vorlegt. Der Privatdetektiv Pericles (Perry) Christo bekommt von der sehr reichen Julia Drusilla den Auftrag, ihre Tochter Angel Loki zu finden, die seit etwa zwei Wochen verschwunden zu sein scheint. In Finanznöten, und weil er selbst eine Tochter hat, deren Anwesenheit er seit seiner Scheidung schmerzlich vermisst, nimmt Perry diesen Job an und macht sich auf die Suche nach der Vermissten, deren Photo bereits einen seltsamen Eindruck auf ihn macht.Julia Drusilla hatte sich mit ihrer Tochter zerstritten und diese seit mindestens einem Jahr nicht mehr gesehen, oder auch nur gesprochen. Doch nun rückt Angels 21. Geburtstag näher, der Termin, zu dem ihr Treuhandkonto für sie geöffnet werden soll, an dem Julia zu 50% mit begünstigt ist und dazu müssen ein paar Papieren unterschrieben werden.Der Ex-Polizist Perry macht sich in der Welt der Reichen und Schönen auf die Suche nach der ver-schwundenen jungen Frau und muss dabei feststellen, dass diese Menschen doch deutlich anders sind als die mit denen er normalerweise zu tun hat. Ihre Werte, ihre Definitionen von Beziehungen, ihr Bezug zur Wahrheit – all das ist Perry weitestgehend fremd und verunsichert ihn immer wieder.Schnell stellt sich heraus, dass die „Jungfrau in Not“ zumindest eine ihre Nöte nicht mehr hat und dass deswegen jüngere und ältere Herren wie besessen von ihr sind – und offensichtlich entsetzt, dass sie spurlos verschwunden zu sein scheint. So richtig engelsgleich ist Angel wohl eher nicht und damit vergrößert sich das Spektrum möglicher Verantwortlicher für ihr Verschwinden enorm.Die Geschichte mit dem leichten serie-noir-Charakter ist ganz nett, wenn auch nicht übertrieben originell. Die verschiedenen Erzählstimmen der beteiligten Autorinnen und Autoren sind gut aufeinander abgestimmt worden, und so wirkt die Geschichte mehr oder minder wie aus einem Guss – wenn auch nicht ganz. Dabei bleiben auch einige Charakterisierungen ein wenig auf der Strecke, weil sie nicht wirklich weiterentwickelt werden im Verlauf der Handlung und die Erzählung so nicht wirklich mitreißen kann. Die Auflösung der Geschichte ist nicht nur nicht sonderlich originell, sondern bedient sich eines erzählerischen Kniffs am Ende, der sich wirklich eher wie eine Verlegenheitslösung liest.Nicht wirklich zu empfehlen.

I did not find the book interesting. There is a private detective who relates every incident to his life. What I was interested was to find out how he conducted enquiries, not how these matters relate to his personal life. Too elaborate some times. Lost patience in reading. In fact I did not complete the book

A unique compilation of 26 crime and suspense authors coming together and taking on the story from one chapter to another each in his or her own style with a surprise ending