Nobody Lives Forever (Paperback)

by E. Buchanan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Pulitzer Prize-winning crime reporter, columnist for the Miami Herald and author of The Corpse Had a Familiar Face , Buchanan displays deft story tell ing skill in this hard-hitting police procedural, her first novel. Spanning a month of Miami days and nights, the plot centers around homicide sergeant Rick Barrish, a poised and handsome young cop who has recently ended a romance with fellow officer Mary Ellen Dustin and taken up with young Laurel Trevelyn. After describing a series of seemingly unrelated crimes that occur on the first night of the full moon, Buchanan clues readers into Laurel's multiple personality disorder, a secret that will ultimately tie together the assorted subplots here. Murders calculated and unprovoked; drug busts; robberies; the tensions between cops and criminals, rich and poor; and matters of love and hate all play out in Miami's mean, middle-class or manicured neighborhoods. As Laurel's various selves wage an accelerating war for control, wreaking havoc and tragedy for Rick, Mary Ellen and their other partner, Detective Jim Ransom, Buchanan conjures up a city both ordinary and exotic, and as vivid and colorful as her characters.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Pulitzer Prize-winning Miami journalist Buchanan enters police procedural ranks with a stunning tour de force staged in Miami and its environs. Sympathetic detective Rick Barrish and partners grapple with madness and violence near Rick's house: a murder next door and a break-in nearby. Rick's beautiful, insecure (and mentally unstable) live-in girlfriend, meanwhile, experiences inexplicable losses of time. As the detectives look for evidence, more connected crimes occur, jealousy erupts, and the girlfriend's multiple personalities strengthen. The narrative swerves effectively from police to "girlfriend" personae and back, building tension, heat, and inhumanity with frightening resolve. Gripping drama for all collections.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 399 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (April 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821737120
• ISBN-13: 978-0821737125
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #879,825 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as her other work, June 7, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Boynton Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

As a big fan of Edna Buchanan's, I eagerly picked up this book and dove in. About a third of the way in, I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen and, despite that, I was dismayed at the ending. I felt rather gypped, because the main "hero" never had a chance at happiness. The three things that he cared about in this world met a grisley demise! And also, I think no one who loves another could be so dense, but that's just my opinion. But on a good note, Buchanan accurately portrays the South Florida night. If you're a big fan of hers, read it. If not, go to one of the better novels.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good thriller, January 26, 1998

By A Customer

Yeah, as I was saying, a good thriller but a average one at that. Buchanan's prose is very much like that of a cheap romance author's, but that in itself brings about a few good things (and some bad ones too). The Good and the Bad:- Buchanan's debut novel is well written. I mean that it is very simple and straightforward, no need to re-read passages and flip back to the front to really 'get' the meaning. Some parts ARE a little too flowy and quick to qualify for a 'true-detective-novel'. Detail, sometimes, is king as evident in other great books out there. Anyway, the plot is quite good although very ... umm, very IMMATURE. Buchanan shouldn't have made it so evident so near the beginning of her novel that Laurel had problems and that she was a little 'off the top'. It was fun while it lasted but when I got to 1/4 of the book, I was already screaming out the murderer's name(s). There are too many sex scenes. Okay, I know, I should be accustomed to this already (and actually I AM - my collection of J.Collins is quite pristine!), but I feel that as a detective-cum-thriller book, they made her book seem like something out of a Mills and Boon speciality shop. Read the book if you want something light and easy.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nobody Lives Forever, July 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Nobody Lives Forever (Paperback)

Really a disappointing book. I had heard Edna Buchanan had some good mysteries, so searched for the first one she published. The characters were all unbelievable - from the homicide detective who takes home a crazy speeding driver because he is so attracted to her to the goofy parents who let the dangerously deranged woman be out on her own "hoping" she will get better. When the kitten was put in the garbage disposal, I knew I should put this book down. However, I continued on in order to see what Buchanan was all about. Terrible ending - every single main character meets a horrible disgusting demise. - I am debating whether to try one of her later books. With so many excellent mystery writers around, I am not sure I will bother.