Untitled Audio (Nina Reilly) [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Perri O'Shaughnessy (Author), TBA (Narrator)

Book Description

Series: Nina Reilly | Publication Date: September 1, 2010

Perri O’Shaughnessy “will keep you turning pages into the night,” applauds USA Today, in praise of the celebrated novels of suspense starring the audacious yet all-too-human defense attorney Nina Reilly. Now, in a spellbinding new thriller, O’Shaughnessy plunges Nina back into the center of a murderous family game, and reawakens a very real nightmare she had every reason to believe was dead . . . and buried.

A mix of slick and seamy, South Lake Tahoe, California, is the perfect setting for adventurers, criminals—and lawyers. In addition to coping with her demanding, sometimes creepy, clients, Nina Reilly is dealing with prickly personal issues involving her sixteen-year-old son Bob, his estranged father, and her investigator, confidante, and sometimes lover Paul van Wagoner. Then, in walks disaster. The millionaire owner of a Tahoe ski resort, Philip Strong is the father of Jim Strong, a sociopath who devastated many innocent lives, including Nina’s. Two years earlier, she had to defend Jim against charges of murder. He shattered her life, then vanished. Paul van Wagoner made sure of it.

Now in negotiations to sell his ski resort, Philip has received a letter purportedly from his fugitive son in extradition-free Brazil, demanding his share of the profits. Philip is convinced it’s authentic. Nina’s certain it’s a con, but to prove that means exposing the secrets of someone very close to her. Then two local women are brutally murdered. Nina begins to question their links to her new client, and the truth about Jim Strong’s sudden disappearance. As Nina’s worst fears flood back, with time running out, she’s about to discover that the dreams of the dead can still destroy the living.

With its breakneck pace, pulsing human drama, and serpentine twists, Dreams of the Dead establishes once again why Perri O’Shaughnessy has been hailed as “a master of the legal thriller” (Vincent Bugliosi).

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Perri O'Shaughnessy is the pen name for two sisters, Pamela and Mary O'Shaughnessy. Together they have written twelve Nina Reilly legal thrillers, a stand-alone thriller, KEEPER OF THE KEYS, and one short story collection, SINISTER SHORTS. Pamela, a graduate of Harvard Law School, practiced law in Monterey, San Pablo, and South Lake Tahoe, California, for sixteen years. She lives in northern California. Mary worked as a multimedia editor for many years. She lives with her husband and children near San Francisco. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Abridged edition (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743597508
• ISBN-13: 978-0743597500
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars taut thrilling twister, July 12, 2011

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dreams of the Dead (Nina Reilly) (Hardcover)

Lake Tahoe attorney Nina Reilly and Philip Strong share a tragedy. Two years ago, his son Jim killed his adulterous wife Heidi and allegedly murdered his younger brother Alex. Soon after the homicides, Jim vanished and was assumed dead (see Acts of Malice).

Philip informs Nina that he was finalizing the selling of his Lake Tahoe resort ski lodge but the sale was blocked in court allegedly by Jim who is apparently living in Brazil. Philip believes the affidavit is a fraud filed by someone trying to obtain his son's share of the receipts. Nina fears Jim lives and remains a threat to her family and friends especially when females associated with casinos are suddenly murdered.

The unexpected but realistic twists to this Nina Reilly thriller make for a powerful tale as Nina recalls what her then boyfriend prosecutor said when she defended Jim that. He believed the man was a psychopath who will go after her and her family if he is convicted. She believes he is back in Tahoe while her "protector" Paul von Wagoner knows someone stalks his former lover. Dreams of the Dead is a super thrilling twister.

Harriet Klausner

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A killer is missing and presumed dead, but is he showing back up to punish his family some more?, July 13, 2011

By 

Julie A. Smith "Julie @ Knitting and Sundries" (Cleveland, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dreams of the Dead (Nina Reilly) (Hardcover)

In Lake Tahoe, the body of a killer is dumped from a boat into the water.

Nina Reilly, a 38 year old criminal defense attorney, receives a visit from the father of the man who killed her husband. Philip Strong owns the Paradise Ski Resort, and his son Jim has been missing and presumed dead for over two years, having disappeared shortly after killing his wife, his brother, and Nina's husband.

Philip is now trying to sell the property, having gone into the hole when a large amount of money was embezzled prior to Jim's disappearance, but a letter has arrived from Brazil that can put a stop to the sale, leaving the remaining family bankrupt and unable to pay off the debts of the resort. The letter is from Jim, stating that he does not approve of the sale, and demanding his share of any proceeds.

Now Nina is being asked to investigate the letter, and to do what she can in court to allow the sale, which has a tight deadline, to go through. Her friend Paul, who is also a private investigator, had assured both her and her son Bob that Jim had been taken care of, and now there's a letter from this supposedly dead man showing up, a man who, for obvious reasons (arrest warrants), can't come up from Brazil in person to prove his existence?

Meanwhile, one woman ends up dead in a hotel room, and the housekeeper who saw her killer finds herself in danger as well.

If Jim is still alive, how? If he isn't, who is impersonating him? Who stands to gain from having the proceeds of the sale go to an escrow account? Who in the family was the actual embezzler? Who is the new killer"

I haven't read the prior Nina Reilly books (but I will now), and I'm happy to say that this one works well as a standalone novel - the author gives you enough background into prior history to keep you from being lost.

Nina is extremely likeable and believable, with a love of expensive high heels and a wonderful assistant named Sandy Whitefeather who keeps everything in the office running smoothly.

There is wonderful character development, romantic love interests, mystery and suspense. There are many mysteries to unravel, and what appears to be more than one bad guy (or gal). I was surprised at who ended up being the villain or villains, and equally as surprised at who ended up being NOT a villain. If you like a well-turned, suspenseful story with touches of humor and romance, this is the one for you.


First Sentence (from a galley; may be different in final copy):

The dreams of the dead are unimportant to the living.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wowser!, July 15, 2011

By 

BookBargainsandPreviews.com "www.bookbargains... (New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dreams of the Dead (Nina Reilly) (Hardcover)

This was a fantastic legal thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat and turning page after page. Even after the chapter ended, I was planning to take a break, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. There was so much action and suspense that I had to keep reading. This book had so many twists and turns it was like a wild roller coaster ride that I didn't want to end. Excellent!