Inherit the Dead by Jonathan Santlofer

Inherit the Dead Reviews

• 
  Kristen

  This was a disappointment for me. I didn't finish it.
  
  Several of the reviews noted the differences in writing style due to the fact that each chapter of this book being written by a different author. Some other reviewers had a problem with that, but that wasn't my issue, and the differences in style didn't bother me, possibly because I listened to this on audiobook so the style shifts weren't as noticeable as if I'd been reading a paper book.
  
  My problem with this book was two-fold:
  
  1) there wasn't a single character in the book that I found in the slightest measure likeable or even relatable. I found all the characters, including the main one Peri, to be selfish or mean or downright rotten.
  
  2) It's hard to care about a bunch of nasty people, and I realized about halfway through that I really just didn't care what happened to any of them enough to keep going. I wasn't even interested enough in what happened to the missing Angel to stick with the story.
  
  I really wanted to be done with these people, so I am sending this one back to the library. This was a big miss.
• 
  Mauoijenn

  This was really neat. I don't think I have ever read a book that had seperaye chapters written by totally different authors. Twenty, in fact. This was a good old crime who-done-it mystery. I enjoyed it. Some authors were better than others but the story flowed well together.
• 
  Nurse Lisa In Ohio (PRN Book Reviews)

  Title: Inherit the Dead
  Author(s): see the above list for all 20(!!) names! :)
  Published: 2013
  Genre: mystery, fiction, thriller, crime, anthology, law enforcement, private detective, proceeds go to charity. (Some swearing, though not much. Some violence - murder - adult innuendos but no sex).
  Format: ebook via Samsung Galaxy 4 Nook ereader
  Read: June, 2015
  
  NOTE: proceeds from the sale of this anthology are donated to charitable organization: Safe Horizon. Safe Horizon is (VERY SUMMARIZED) a victim's of violent crime support group that was established in the late seventies. The website is:
  www.safehorizon.org, for detailed information about what this organization does and has done, to help people for many years.
  
  My GoodReads rating: five "round robin" stars! I leaned towards FOUR for the story itself, but 20 authors? ONE novel? I couldn't not rate at five! Lol ;))
  
  Brief remarks:
  
  Truly though, this was really a great read!
  
  It has to be extremely challenging to get TWENTY WELL KNOWN & MUCH PUBLISHED AUTHORS (ie: Mary Higgins Clark, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child, Cj Box, see what I mean?!), together to write a chapter for one book, but this group pulled it off amazingly well! Somehow, character development was rich, the storyline stayed very interesting and the story itself was kept rolling at a fast clip. I'm super impressed.
  
  In a nutshell, I believe this novel is meant to be a sort of "follow-up", not necessarily a sequel however, to "No Rest for the Dead" which was another round-robin style book published in 2011. "Inherit the Dead" easily stands alone and needs no other introduction or "pretending", imo. Based around billionaires, the lust for more money, and the lengths people will go to to get richer, we follow a private detective as he tries to solve the case.
  
  There were times when the storyline kinda bummed me out as the MC, Perry Christo, is a divorced dad that misses his kid and has fallen from grace as a former police (NYPD) detective-wrongly. Whenever I felt "down" about the story however, I reminded myself that it is some pretty excellent writing to illicit such a strong emotions from a reader! Makes me respect and admire this project even more! :D
  
  This is not the kind if book that I would classify as a thriller-keeps-me-up-at-night-cannot-stop-reading mystery, yet a very strong, well written, twists and turns filled "who freaking dunnit"?! <--- a question I asked myself MANY times right up until the climax of events. Very cool indeed.
  
  Enjoy and thanks for reading my post! :)
  
  Cheers,
  Lisa (@NurseLisainOhio)
• 
  Beth

  What a marvelous idea. Twenty well known mystery/suspense writers, each writing a chapter to create a cohesive mystery and then donating the proceeds to Safe Horizon!
  
  I was amazed at how seamlessly the story flowed but what would you expect from such a fabulous line up of authors.
  
  Perry Christo was forced out of the police department after a corruption scandal. Now a few years later he has a successful private investigation business.
  
  Julia Drusilla calls Perry, claiming that her daughter, Angelina Loki is missing. Angel is about to inherit a very large trust fund on her 21st birthday.
  
  The deeper Perry investigates the more he realizes that everyone around him is lying and has something to hide.
  
  Inherit the Dead is a wonderfully written mind teasing mystery. The plot twist and turns will have you questioning and second guessing till the end. Each chapter starts with the contributing author so not only do you get a great story but a good taste of each author's individual work...making us want more.
  
  I received this ARC copy of Inherit the Dead from Simon & Schuster - Touchtone in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication October 8, 2013.
  
  Written by: Jonathan Santlofer, Alafair Burke, Stephen L. Carter, Marcia Clark, Max Allan Collins, John Connolly, James Grady, Heather Graham, Bryan Gruley, Charlaine Harris, Val McDermid, S.J. Rozan, Dana Stabenow, Lisa Unger, Sarah Weinman, Lee Child, Mark Billingham, Lawrence Block, C.J. Box, Ken Bruen
  Hardcover: 288 pages
  Publisher: Touchstone
  Publication Date: October 8, 2013
  ISBN-10: 1451684754
  ISBN-13: 978-1451684759
  Rating: 4 Stars
  Genre: Mystery
  Age Recommendation: Adult
  To learn more about this book and Safe Horizon check out:
  Safe Horizon' Website.
  
  Find this book on:
  Amazon |
  Barnes & Noble
  
  For more reviews check out
  Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on
  Facebook.
  
  
• 
  Alex Cantone

  Inherit the Dead had been on my “to read” list for a couple of years now. I was intrigued by the concept of 20 crime writers, each writing a chapter of a contemporary noir story of a missing heiress, with proceeds of the book going to a charity for victims of crime. And, through some no-doubt judicious editing it works, almost seamlessly.
  
  On the good side, it allowed me to sample the work of different authors, some familiar to me, some I will follow up on, others I didn’t like the style. On the down side I found it a little tedious, with MC PI Perry Cristo dwelling too long on his shortcomings as a father and former detective, while driving between Manhattan and the Hamptons. Most of the incidental characters are good, even if the family members were tedious and precious.
  
  Verdict: not a bad effort.
  
• 
  Casey

  Well...as someone who has attempted back and forth writing projects with friends before, I could appreciate the concept behind this novel. However, the end result was just too self-aware and patchy. The writers I loved already did an admirable job carrying the story along, but others...well, let's just say that I didn't discover anyone whose work I want to explore. Our PI Perry hits pretty much every detective cliche except for having a drinking problem (seriously, he even wears a trench coat), and the ending is a twist more at home in a soap opera than a serious crime novel.
• 
  Hpnyknits

  Full disclosure- I skipped full chapters, and missed nothing.
  The problem with all these writers, is that too many felt they needed to establish the character, instead of building on what was written before.
• 
  Jerry B

  We’ll admit to picking up this book because Lee Child’s name was linked to it. We first thought it was an anthology of short crime stories, only to discover it was a single novel of 20 chapters, one each of which was written by a published author in support of a charitable effort that supports victims of crimes known as Safe Horizon (as explained in a brief afterword). Lee’s contribution was a rather skimpy two-page introduction that basically patted the twenty authors on the back for being nice enough to cooperate. A short appendix provides a brief paragraph about each writer – for the record (in alpha order, not the order in which they write): Mark Billingham, Lawrence Block, CJ Box, Ken Bruen, Alafair Burke, Stephen L. Carter, Marcia Clark, Mary Higgins Clark, Max Allan Collins, John Connolly, James Grady, Heather Graham, Bryan Gruley, Charlaine Harris, Val McDermid, SJ Rozan, Dana Stabenow, Lisa Unger, and Sarah Weinman.
  
  The actual crime story was about a former NYPD detective, Perry Christo, now a private eye, who was hired by a dying mother to find her missing 20-year-old daughter who would soon become a rich heiress. The mysterious death of the mother near the story’s end added to the intrigue, as did some unknown stalker who was tailing Christo throughout much of the story, who was only identified at the very end. We felt all the different writers did an amazing job of weaving the story together so well that we were really unaware that it was quite a group effort. We found ourselves rooting for Christo, who needed some success in his life; and found the tale relatively suspenseful and entertaining. However, we did not at all like the denouement, feeling we had been ill prepared for the stalker’s significant involvement in the whole affair. So – while by no means a great work, it is an oddity that just might be worth a quick perusal.
  
• 
  Bill

  This was a fun book to read because the authors seemed to be having a ball writing it. Each of the authors would write a chapter, most of the time leaving some sort of a cliffhanger or a tight squeeze that the next author would have to work out a solution for. In the first half of the book each author would introduce a new player in the story. Then once everyone was known the authors would mix it up, so they might not be the person that you thought they were at first. And of course, they all bring some of their unique styles to the narrative.
  
  Linda Fairstein wanted to draw attention to "Safe Horizon, the largest victims' support charity in the United States". So Jonathan Santlofer agreed to put the book together and called on 20 renowned crime writers to be a part of this book in support of Safe Horizon. "They all said yes." "and rallied around a good cause" (From the Introduction)
  
  I give this book 4 Stars out of 5 and A Big Thumbs Up. I enjoyed the idea of a serial novel written by so many authors that I read and follow. It was fun and interesting and supports a good cause. Read "Inherit the Dead" if you like any of these authors. I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.
  
  I received this Digital Review Copy for free from edelweiss.com.
  
• 
  Mojo Shivers

  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.
• 
  Matt

  Perry Christo has tried to carve out a life for himself after a disgraceful exit from the NYPD. Surviving as a PI, Christo is called to a socialite's apartment for his next assignment; to find her missing daughter. After discovering young Angelina 'Angel' Loki has been missing for upwards of two weeks, Christo must begin that much further behind when it comes to his investigation. As he follows leads and tries to interview those who knew Angel well, he discovers that there are many who have a means to have taken her, each with their own motive. Christo also struggles with his single-dad life and trying to keep a relationship with his teenage daughter, which only adds to the struggle. While someone has been stalking Christo, potentially in search of Angel as well, the story flits from the heart of New York to the posh suburbs of the Hamptons, taking the reader on an adventure not soon to be forgotten. An explosive and somewhat hairpin turn ending (but so in line with this type of compilation), leaves the reader catching their breathe as the last chapter comes to a close.
  
  I have always enjoyed these compilation novels, where well-known authors take time of their busy lives to add yet another layer to an evolving story. While I have read but a few of the authors in the compilation, and heard of only a few more on top of that, all contributors helped weave together a wonderfully dark novel. Never one to study writing nuances, I was not easily able to discern the writing styles, but could see that each author chose their respective niche to add to the larger plot. The reader should not expect a stellar story, nor a thoroughly riveting dialogue or concrete-strong character development, but they can, and should, expect the story's progression as it takes sharp turns from chapter to chapter, coming to a crashing conclusion just in time for the reader's heart to resume beating.
  
  Kudos to all those who took the time to add their own personal flavour to this collection. Its successes show that even the busiest author can spare some time for a good cause.
• 
  Gary

  An interesting concept, a thriller novel with each chapter written by a different writer. Some well known writers such as John Connelly, Mark Billingham, Val McDermid and Lisa Unger along with other lesser known make a good stab at making this charity novel work but I don't think they quite pulled it off. I had a few preconceived ideas before I read this book that it would not flow very well with all the individual contributions but I don't think that was an issue. It just didn't have a strong enough plot. A decent read but not a classic.
• 
  Mark

  Fun concept of 20 authors collaborating on a police/PI mystery/thriller…Some of my fav authors are here and the result was an entertaining noir story of a disgraced NYPD detective, turned PI, hired to find a NYC heiress that has seemed to have vanished into the wilds of the Hamptons…I rather enjoyed the noticeable differences in style of the authors as they tag team the story…Decent and fun reading!
• 
  Dan Banana

  Good book, not great book. Descent story with some intrigue, action, suspense and mystery but, just didn't grab this guy.
• 
  Lisa

  This book was written by multiple authors, I think 20. Each did a chapter, in which I like this idea. And they did a pretty good job. The characters’ personalities were kept the same throughout. It was done for a charity and to raise awareness of domestic abuse. I hope I’m getting this correct. While each chapter had me wanting to know what happens next, it was almost sort of repetitive going along. But at the end of each chapter, there would be something that made you want to read the next so bad. I liked how each author added their own little jewel to it. Perry is a P. I. who was once a police officer. As a cop, he had tried to do a drug bust on some well known people in the community, one being a well respected pastor. His higher ups on the police force were all looking the other way, some even taking cuts to cover it up. Perry refused to do this so he got let go. It was made to look like he bungled up the case because the wrong person got arrested and was choosing to take the fall for the bd guy. This was something that never got resolved. That was just life. I read to get away from the real world so I was hoping this would all be brought to light and Perry’s honor restored.
  
  Perry is hired by a well to do lady to find her missing daughter who happens to be 20 years old and hasn’t seen her mother in a year I think. The dad who is no longer married to the mother, says she has been missing for two weeks. The story is about Perry’s search for Angel and where it leads him. He is untrustful of the mother and the father, along with some other characters the girl spends time with. I didn’t like the parents. No wonder the girl isn’t around. And everybody has secrets of their own. It was a kind of dark and mournful kind of read. My heart aches for Perry with his loss of being a policeman and how honest he had been. He had also lost his wife who got custody of the daughter. His family for generations had been cops. His dad and his dad’s dad and so on. He lived and breathed it. I really didn’t care for his ex wife, what little I knew about her. No one seems to have any redeeming qualities. But all the while, at the end of each chapter, there is someone following Perry. The narrator is telling that part in the stalker’s voice. It is really intense and suspenseful. This is what really had me reading on and on. I’m still messed up about the ending. It sucked and left me feeling like the pieces didn’t line up and there needed to be either more chapters for closure and to tie up loose ends or another book. If you are in the mood for a solemn read, this would be the one. It’s one of those you love and hate at the same time but, like a bad car wreck, you can’t seem to look away. Oh, that’s another thing, this stalker tries on multiple occasions to kill Perry. In the end, someone winds up dying, but I’ll let you read and find out who that will be.
  
  I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was SO GOOD! I LOVED him. Especially the stalker’s voice. It was very creepy and fun.
• 
  Cheryl M-M

  One plot, one story and twenty writers, twenty acclaimed crime writers I might add.
  Having multiple authors contribute to an multiple story anthology tends to work better than having them write a chapter each for a one-story book. The anthology gives each person a chance to show their individual ideas. In this case it made the story seem like the main character was suffering from a case of multiple personalities. One writer would write Perry with a slowpoke depressive attitude and the next with a brass almost volatile temperament.
  I think what bothered me the most was the actual lack of storyline. Perry spends nearly the entire book looking for a girl he has never met before, but who has suddenly taken on an imaginary role in his head and life. He obsesses over the unknown and adulates the fantasy girl, as opposed to the real woman. He also starts projecting his own custody issues and problems with his daughter and ex-wife onto the other characters in the book. Everything equates to his personal loss and guilt as a weekend dad. He thinks finding Angel will give him some sort of redemption card. Find missing girl equals being there for her even if he can't be there for his own flesh and blood.
  I found the ending a tad soap opera bizarre and think the extra voice within the chapters could have been utilized better.
  Although the novel wasn't as good as it could have been it deserves attention because it was created with a specific purpose in mind.
  Despite the fact that certain chapters shone more brightly than others, I applaud and support the fact these scribes have come together for a worthy cause, to support the victims of domestic abuse.
  I received a copy of this book courtesy of Edelweiss and the publisher.
• 
  Lauren

  I received this book through the Goodreads Firstreads program.
  
  This book has a lot going for it. Each chapter is written by an established author. The proceeds go to a good non-profit organization. It's a classic missing persons case filled with money. It reads fast and easy.
  
  I never expected it to flow so well. Despite being written by 20 different authors, it is a cohesive mystery. I don't like to discuss plot in reviews because that is available on the book page. At first, I was worried it was a dumbed down version of Night Flim by Marisha Pessl. It's not.
  
  Yes, we have a disgraced detective. Yes, we have a beautiful heiress. But it's more like a really awesome SVU episode brought to print. In fact, I would love to see SVU do a "ripped from the headlines" episode from this book.
  
  I decided not to read it from the "it has a good purpose" perspective, and just for its value as a mystery novel. I have to admit, I was worried about Charlaine Harris' and Mary Higgins Clark's contributions being able to divert from their formulas. But I forgot how good Charlaine Harris is when not writing Sookie Stackhouse novels, and I forgot how Mary Higgins Clark knows how to write a good suspense sequence.
  
  Despite being written by 20 different authors, it flows nicely and creates a good story with good atmosphere. It's 21st Century Noir, and I mean that the best way possible.
  
  Even if youdon't buy the book for its good purpose, check it out from your library for a good read.
• 
  Abbey

  Disgraced cop turned private investigator Perry Christo is hired by a rich heiress to find her missing daughter. But are things really what they seem?
  
  2.5 An interesting concept, for sure. Twenty writers, one book. There were times when I felt the story being pulled in different directions but for the most part, it worked as one cohesive unit. Wish I could say I enjoyed it more, but I didn't feel connected to any of the characters and it took entirely too long to read.
  
  SPOILERISH comments below:
  
  
  
  
  If Perry had tightened the scarf his daughter gave him one more time, he probably would have strangled himself.
  
  Angel's allure seemed overstated and unbelievable.
• 
  Rosemary

  Interesting that 10(?) authors wrote a chapter each. I don't know how that worked. All in all it was a good book. The downside for me was (1) I knew who the killer was much earlier than the Detective, and (2) I thought the entire book was too pedantic, too much repetition and unnecessary detail. I think this could easily have been streamlined to be a short story. BUT, I was introduced to some new writers and look forward to diving into their books.
• 
  Wendy Apps

  Interesting. I wonder if the various writers had an overall brief. Each chapter is written by a different author to make one story but it is not exactly seamless. You can easily tell the different writing styles and sometimes those styles are so different that it seems like a completely different story or character they are writing about.
• 
  Minty McBunny

  Interesting idea, but really uneven (as one would expect) and the plot turned out to be pretty predictable, which makes sense since they all had to work together toward an unknown goal. Not terrible, but certainly not an ideal example of any of these authors' work.
• 
  Paris (kerbytejas)

  This was very enjoyable and really nicely done for a collaboration.
• 
  Dawn Davies

  An interesting concept, I found it difficult to get onto, and noticed the change in writing style at the beginning, but as the book continued it improved considerably, I enjoyed it
• 
  Graff Fuller

  On collaborations like this...I usually like to highlight the authors of the anthology. Rating each work as I go...so that by the end, I can add up all the entries and divide by the different writers...thus, the rating of the book.
  
  So, you will see in the first few chapters I was trying to analyze the different writing styles and voices that the authors had...which either helped, but more often (when the spotlight was shown on it) deterred from the actual narrative, for me.
  
  I then decided to just read it as ONE story. Not looking for problems, but just enjoying the tale being told. And this allowed this story to be more enjoyable.
  
  This wasn't a project to show the particular talents of the authors AGAINST the other authors (look at me, look at me), but to show their ability to meld and weave a SINGULAR story...via TWENTY talented authors (hiding their differences and desires to spotlight themselves...for the greater good of the story. A true collaboration.
  
  I think the process of gow this came to be...is a story in and of itself. I am going to look around to see how this work gor made. The ins and outs. The back and forths. Did each author have a hand (or control any of the ideas of the chapters after them)? Was it workshopped ahead of time...then written, then tweaked by the editor later...to form ONE cohesive story? Inquiring minds want to know.
  
  I believe they did it. I was enthralled within the story. It isn't ground breaking in and of its self (as a story), but the way that it came to be...is a testament in favor of these incredible authors.
  
  TWENTY voices to make ONE narrative....AND it was really good.
• 
  Kimberly #Audiofile

  This is an alright crime novel.
  If it wasn’t said in the audio I wouldn’t have noticed each chapter being whiten by different authors.
  
  3 star listen, narrator was good and fit the novel.
  Mmc was interesting enough. Used to be a cop now a pi, middle aged and has an estranged daughter.
  
  No real angst or story spinners.
  Stand alone.
• 
  Cherie Gilmore

  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
• 
  Gerry

  loved
• 
  Stacy

  This book is written by something like 20 different crime fiction authors, each writing a chapter, to raise awareness of a good cause.
  
  At the start of the book this somehow worked, and I was enjoying it. However, as I progressed through the chapters/authors it kind of fell apart... The standard crime fiction format is a bit lame and formulaic, and having different authors only exacerbated this.