Dead for Life: A Novel

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