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Dead for Life: A Novel [Paperback]

Ethan Black (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Book Description

November 6, 2007
THE BIRTHDAY GIFT IS A DEAD STRANGER. THE CARD READS, "THREE MORE BY TONIGHT. YOUR FAULT." FOR DETECTIVE CONRAD VOORT, WHAT BEGINS AS A DAY OF CELEBRATION TURNS INTO A NIGHTMARE, AS HE TRIES TO STOP A KILLER AND FIGURE OUT IF HE COULD SOMEHOW BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A SERIES OF DEATHS.

In the thrilling, fast-paced, and haunting Dead for Life, Voort finds himself in a deadly race against time to stop an ingenious and unsettlingly sympathetic murderer who is intent on carrying out his threat, and who has created a state of near panic throughout Manhattan. What at first seems to be a series of random killings soon takes on a diabolical pattern. Murderer Wendell Nye is a man on a mission, and as his bloody endeavor unfolds it becomes clear that this is not merely the senseless act of some criminal mind, but the impassioned vengeance of a man who has suffered loss beyond endurance. Voort and the killer must reinvent themselves in this life-and-death struggle, battle the past, and become smarter, braver, and more daring -- all by tonight.

Since he first introduced the charismatic Conrad Voort in The Broken Hearts Club, critically acclaimed novelist Ethan Black has continued to shape the multifaceted detective into one of the most true-to-life and emotionally complex protagonists in contemporary suspense fiction. Voort's family members have been police officers in New York since the Dutch settled it. He has trained to be a detective since childhood, and he's head of a vast Voort cop clan. His code of honor dictates that on this day he may have to take himself down.

Drawing the reader ever more deeply into the minds and hearts of two unforgettable men pitted against each other, Dead for Life hurtles toward a shattering climax that will make it apparent that few things are what they seem. The price for past mistakes may be nothing less than life itself.


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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Conrad Voort returns in a new outing for the NYPD Detective, whose birthday celebration is interrupted by a killer who's chosen the date of his first murder to remind Voort of his part in what proves to be a series of bewildering slayings. None of the victims seem to have anything in common, and although the killer leaves notes to Voort at every murder scene to nudge his memory, Conrad can't figure out what the connection to him is. All he knows is that the killer plans to kill four more people before midnight--and that his colleagues on the force are beginning to suspect that the detective knows more than he's telling. Forced to examine his entire life to learn what he's done to set the killer on his bloody path, Voort reveals facets of his character and history that illuminate the choices and consequences that led to this one-sided game of revenge. Dead for Life is a strong, well-told story with a protagonist who's consistently more interesting than the plots his creator cooks up for him. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Memory is the tie that binds NYPD detective Conrad Voort and killer Wendall Nye in this evocative, New York City-steeped thriller (the fourth in Black's well-received series) revolving around questions of personal responsibility and unforeseen consequences. After murdering a beautiful travel agent, Nye leaves the following message: "YOUR FAULT CONRAD. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. BIRTHDAY BOY. THREE MORE BY MIDNIGHT." Voort, the golden boy of an old New York family, has everything; Nye, a former high school teacher, has nothing-his life has been a shambles ever since a mysterious incident six years ago. What is the connection between the desperate killer and the "richest cop in New York"? Nye, as he continues his agenda of death, makes it clear that the blame for his spree stems directly from some past error on Voort's part. Battling the condemnation of his superiors, the suspicions of his fellow policemen and a media out for blood, Voort races through the city on the heels of the killer as the clock ticks and the body count climbs. The well-drawn backstory of Nye's terrible pain and loss-linked to city corruption and graft-is as compelling in its own way as Voort's history of family wealth and privilege. Black (All the Dead Were Strangers; The Broken Hearts Club; Irresistible) upends the standard conventions of good cop versus bad killer and in the process paints a vivid picture of day-to-day life in New York. Only a weak ending mars what is another strong performance by a crime writer who has created an unusual and realistically fallible police protagonist, one readers will follow for years to come.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket Books (November 6, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416585753
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416585756
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,466,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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4 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Thriller, January 23, 2005
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This is the only one of the series that I have read, but I will certainly try another. The strong point of this book is its plot, which is dark and clevery twisted. It definitely keeps you turning the pages. It would make a wonderful movie, in the style of my current favorite TV show, Cold Case. I don't give the book 5 stars, because I don't feel the characters and style of writing are as strong as the plot. Neither are they weak, the writing is clean, without cliches, the dialogue is good, and the characters are interesting - we're just not talking 5 star level Michael Connelly or Michael Gruber brilliance in the genre. It's a winner.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars great, February 5, 2004
By A Customer
This book starts out like just a good book, with some astute observations about modern American culture and an exciting killer set-up. But then it continuously gets better and better and becomes a masterpiece. One of the best and most complete characterizations of a villain that I have ever read. Extraordinarily entertaining. I recently started Black's "Irresistible," but had several other books out from the library with it, and had to return it without finishing. The little that I did read did not seem great. Remembering how "Dead for Life" improved as the story went along, however, I will certainly get "Irresistible" again, and finish it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful--best mystery of year, August 7, 2003
New York police detective Conrad Voorst plans on spending his birthday with his girlfriend (or maybe with his beautiful cousin-by-marriage) but a call from the commissioner changes that. A woman has been murdered and the killer left a message blaming Voorst and promising three more deaths before midnight. Voorst is in trouble with the department--trouble he can avoid only if he can solve the crime and prevent more killing. But the killer is smart and has been planning this day for a long time--ever since the death of his son brought him back from near-death to strike back at all of those who destroyed his life and are working to destroy the city he loves.

DEAD FOR LIFE details one day in the life of Voorst and of the killer. Each is well motivated and strangely sympathetic. Both are deeply flawed but have admirable intentions. Author Ethan Black's strong writing leaves us hoping for an impossible result--that both can somehow be vindicated. Black's pacing pulls the reader in and, in my case at least, demanded late-night reading because I simply could not put the book down.

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You'd think I'd get the shakes, considering what I'm planning today. Read the first page
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New York, Wendall Nye, Con Man, Phillip Hull, Gabrielle Viera, Nathan Hale, Aiden Pryce, Central Park, Mister Nye, Blue Guys, Father Daly, Estelle Moore, Robert Priest, World Trade Center, Detective Voort, Arthur Birnbaum, Chief Ramirez, Sixth Avenue, East River, One Police Plaza, Blue Knight Security, Grand Army Plaza, Riverside Drive, Riverside Park, Sig Sauer
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