Death Pact (Richard Coleman Novel) [Paperback]

William L. Manchee (Author)

Book Description

Series: Richard Coleman Novel | Publication Date: June 1999

An attorney is appointed trustee over a seventeen-year-old girl's estate. They fall in love and enter into an illicit affair. When the girl's sole relative discovers them and threatens to get the attorney disbarred and sent to jail, she is murdered and the two lovers become prime suspects. Rather than risk separation and a life apart, they vow that if either is convicted they will both take a cyanide pill.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Manchee ... weaves his engaging plot through Swiss chalets, Caribbean marinas, Texas court rooms and captivating characters before twisting readers toward a curious conclusion. In this romantic mystery, Manchee's killer seem's so certain. Then a sail from the Bahamas turns it upside down. But what a ride along the way. Terrific take on temptation and contemporary consequences in Texas -- The Book Reader, Fall/Winter 1999/2000

From the Publisher

Death Pact is Manchee's fourth novel. It is a stand alone romantic mystery about a Richard Coleman, a young Dallas attorney who has made partner in his law firm in just three years. Everything is perfect for Rich until he agrees to be trustee over 17 year old Erica Fox's estate. Erica is used to having her own way so she's not happy that her father has given the control of her money to a stranger. Her solution is to seduce Rich, compromise him and thereby force him to do whatever she desires. What she doesn't count on is falling in love with him and their illicit relationship being discovered by a malicious aunt.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 310 pages
• Publisher: Top Pubns Ltd (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966636627
• ISBN-13: 978-0966636628
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,040,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm originally from Ventura, California where I grew up during the 50s and 60s. My wife Janet and I were married while I was attending UCLA and she was attending nursing school. We immediately started having children and had three boys and a girl by the time I graduated from SMU Law School. With four young children we decided to stay in Dallas, where we had family and friends, rather than returning to California. I started law practice in the late 70's and today practice consumer law with my son, Jim. About twelve years ago I took on a famous romance author as a client and, after working with her for a while, I started wondering if I could write a novel myself. Eventually I gave it a shot and found I really enjoyed the writing process. After that it only took a few generous reviews of my first novel and I was hooked. My current novel, Tarizon: Civil War is my fourteenth and my goal is to continue to write a novel a year for the rest of my life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Predictable but entertaining, July 20, 2011

By 

Denise Crawford "DC" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Pact (Audible Audio Edition)

This audio MP3 of Death Pact is described as a romantic mystery. I would definitely agree with that assessment and I enjoyed listening to this predictable but entertaining book while driving in my car. The novel is about a 30-something lawyer, Rich Coleman, who is put into the position of trustee for 17-year-old Erica Fox when her divorced, wealthy father dies in a skiing accident.

Though she is not of legal age, Erica and Rich begin an affair and he breaches his fiduciary duty on both moral grounds and because of the reckless way he handles the estate left to Erica. Though they try to keep their relationship a secret, they are found out by Rich's partners at his law firm who fire him, as well as by Erica's Aunt Martha and her son Arnold and who both try to get control of Erica and her money. During the course of the contest over the trustee situation, Aunt Martha is found murdered and Erica is arrested and goes on trial. Erica plans to plead temporary insanity but is afraid she will be convicted and urges Rich to enter into a 'death pact' with her -- if she is found guilty, they will both swallow cyanide capsules and thus be together for eternity.

The audio-book, read by Jeffrey Kafer in a capable manner, is not particularly suspenseful and I didn't find surprises or unexpected twists though the author definitely tries to set up some red herrings. The character of Rich seemed a bit immature but I did think it implausible that he would become embroiled in this situation with an underage charge, and his constant unnecessary references to God and going to Mass and such seemed a bit forced for a person who was going to commit suicide and who was having this type of affair. Erica was portrayed as being older and wise beyond her years thus seeking and gaining emancipation, but I did find the love affair a bit disconcerting. The fact of this affair (actually statutory rape) and the breach of fiduciary duty, however, were what set up the focus of the plot -- who really killed Aunt Martha?

I really liked that the entire book was recorded on one CD rather than having to constantly be changing out disks while also attempting to drive. I noticed there was a second book in the series, Plastic Gods (Rich Coleman Novels, 2), and read the blurb before I finished this one so I knew they didn't kill themselves! I don't know if I will read that one or not because of it being so far into the future of Rich and Erica and not focused on them. As an aside, I did find the fact that this book was set in the late 1970s to be a bit disconcerting as certain plot points would have been impossible with cell phones and other present day technology. I also noticed that the author has another series featuring a character named Stan Tuner, and I wonder if they are set more in the current time. I may or may not check them out.

All in all, I'd recommend this book for a quick and easy read (or listen) on a plane, train, or in the car.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful book!, October 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Death Pact (Richard Coleman Novel) (Paperback)

William Manchee has written such a good book. Not only does he surprise the heck out of me with the ending, but he keeps you hooked with every page.

His plots are fresh, the characters very unique, and his words seem to paint the pictures in my head.

Move over Grisham and Turow, there is a new face in town... William Manchee!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great author!, March 26, 2011

By 

Christine Tuttle "chrissy" (Dunellen, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Pact (Hardcover)

After winning a copy of "Brash Endeavor" by William Manchee, I became a fan of his work. I've just completed "Death Pact", which was a non stop thriller from page 1. The entire novel has twists and turns, surprise after surprise......right up until the very end, with an unbelievable ending! Highly recommend this to fans who love to read on the edge of their seats, and can't turn the pages fast enough!