Book Review: Dead for Life

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Dead for Life     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Ethan Black
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural   Psychological Suspense
Series: Conrad Voort # 4
Simon & Schuster, June 2003, $24.00, 294 pp.

NYPD detective Conrad Voort is one of the richest men in the police department, his family escutcheon going back to the Revolutionary War. Conrad's biggest worry is his cousin's widow Julia is living in his posh townhouse while she's looking for another place to live. She would like nothing better than to replace Camilla in his bed and life.

Conrad and his partner Mickie are escorted to a homicide scene to explain what the killer means when he writes in a note that Voort screwed up. The victim is a former prostitute turned travel agent and the killer says there are going to be three more victims by midnight. Voort takes a lie detector test and wears an electronic bracelet to remain on the case. With each death, more is revealed about the killer's motives which is centered on a mistake Voort made six years ago.

The protagonist is a good man, a great police officer who has to live with the fact that one mistake six years ago led to the killing spree of a murderer who only wants justice for himself, his family and even his city. While working on the case, the hero is under constant pressure because he realizes he will probably lose his job after killer is caught. The killer elicits reader sympathy because the people he is murdering are the true villains who were never brought to any kind of justice. DEAD FOR LIFE is an exciting police procedural that will keep reader attention from first page to last.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner