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Moe Prager #5
Empty Ever After
There are no second acts for the dead...or are there? For over twenty years, retired NYPD officer and PI Moe Prager, has been haunted by the secret that would eventually destroy his family. Now, two years after the fallout from the truth, more that secrets are haunting the Prager family. Moe Prager follows a trail of grave robbers from cemetery to cemetery, from ashes to ashes and back again in order to finally solve the enigma of his dead brother-in-law, Patrick. He plunges deeper into the dark recesses of his past than ever before, revisiting all of his old cases, in order to uncover the twisted alchemy of vengeance and resurrection. Will Moe, at last, put his past to rest? Will he find the man who belongs in that vacant grave or will it remain empty, empty ever after?
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2007
54 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
Reed Farrel Coleman
166 books749 followersaka Tony Spinosa
Reed Farrel Coleman’s love of storytelling originated on the streets of Brooklyn and was nurtured by his teachers, friends, and family.
A New York Times bestseller called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed is the author of novels, including Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series, the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry.
Reed is a three-time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories—Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story—and a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.
A former executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America, Reed is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA University. Brooklyn born and raised, he now lives with his family–including cats Cleo and Knish–in Suffolk County on Long Island.
Reed Farrel Coleman’s love of storytelling originated on the streets of Brooklyn and was nurtured by his teachers, friends, and family.
A New York Times bestseller called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed is the author of novels, including Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series, the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry.
Reed is a three-time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories—Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story—and a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.
A former executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America, Reed is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA University. Brooklyn born and raised, he now lives with his family–including cats Cleo and Knish–in Suffolk County on Long Island.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
May 8, 2008
EMPTY EVER AFTER (PI, Moe Prager, New York, Cont) – Ex
Coleman, Reed Farrel – 5th in series
Bleak House Books, 2008, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781932557640
First Sentence: We walked through the cemetery, Mr. Roth’s arm looped through mine.
PI Moe Prager has secrets he’s kept from his wife, now ex-wife. Now those secrets are making themselves known with tragic results. It’s Moe’s job to find out who hates him so much they want to destroy his life and the lives of those he loves.
With each new book by Coleman, I am reminded just how good a writer he is. He is an author who elevates the genre.
While his sense of place and dialogue are very strong, he excels at character development. Coleman never assumes the reader has read the previous books in the series, but incorporates the back story in such a way that it becomes part of the plot rather than distract from it.
Moe is a complex character but one that has evolved through the series. He is not all static character, but a very realistic one. Moe is Jewish by birth, but not by faith, yet that plays an interesting role in the story and the character.
The story is dark, the ending shocking but with an element of hope. Even though one needn’t have read the previous books in the Prager series, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series for the joy of reading it, and everything else Coleman has written.
Coleman, Reed Farrel – 5th in series
Bleak House Books, 2008, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781932557640
First Sentence: We walked through the cemetery, Mr. Roth’s arm looped through mine.
PI Moe Prager has secrets he’s kept from his wife, now ex-wife. Now those secrets are making themselves known with tragic results. It’s Moe’s job to find out who hates him so much they want to destroy his life and the lives of those he loves.
With each new book by Coleman, I am reminded just how good a writer he is. He is an author who elevates the genre.
While his sense of place and dialogue are very strong, he excels at character development. Coleman never assumes the reader has read the previous books in the series, but incorporates the back story in such a way that it becomes part of the plot rather than distract from it.
Moe is a complex character but one that has evolved through the series. He is not all static character, but a very realistic one. Moe is Jewish by birth, but not by faith, yet that plays an interesting role in the story and the character.
The story is dark, the ending shocking but with an element of hope. Even though one needn’t have read the previous books in the Prager series, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series for the joy of reading it, and everything else Coleman has written.
April 17, 2015
Most of this book is an examination of Moe's past cases and who among those former characters would like to make Moe suffer. A good refresher if it's been a long time since you've read the first four books.....but this complicated level of revenge seemed implausible. Moe is sardonic as ever...... always an interesting character.
June 15, 2014
"Empty Ever After" is Reed Farrel Coleman's fifth book in the Moe Prager series. I quite liked the first novel in the series (and rated it with three and a half stars). Despite verbose writing and off-putting pomposity of including a foreword, a prologue, an epilogue, and an afterword, it was a good story, with realistically portrayed characters and sharp sociological observations. Alas, in my view the current installment is a much weaker book.
Moe Prager, an ex-cop, now a PI and a part-time wine merchant, works on the case, whose roots again reach deep into the past, to the events surrounding Patrick's disappearance. Patrick's grave is desecrated and Moe receives a dire warning. Soon, strange events begin to occur to people close to Moe and he suspects that someone who holds a grudge against him wants to hurt him bad.
The main fault of the novel lies in total implausibility of the premise; I am unable to say more without revealing big spoilers. Also, while it is possible that readers who, unlike me, enjoy extreme "twists and turns" in a plot will be satisfied with the ending, I find at least two plot twists simply ridiculous. Although Mr. Coleman's prose is much tighter than in the first novel of the series, the dialogues frequently do not read well; they sound like artificial conversations from TV soaps, and one is almost expecting the canned laughter track. I find the prologue and the epilogue the best parts of the book; they are somber, moving, and well written. The Israel Roth character adds some gravity to the novel.
Two and a half stars.
Moe Prager, an ex-cop, now a PI and a part-time wine merchant, works on the case, whose roots again reach deep into the past, to the events surrounding Patrick's disappearance. Patrick's grave is desecrated and Moe receives a dire warning. Soon, strange events begin to occur to people close to Moe and he suspects that someone who holds a grudge against him wants to hurt him bad.
The main fault of the novel lies in total implausibility of the premise; I am unable to say more without revealing big spoilers. Also, while it is possible that readers who, unlike me, enjoy extreme "twists and turns" in a plot will be satisfied with the ending, I find at least two plot twists simply ridiculous. Although Mr. Coleman's prose is much tighter than in the first novel of the series, the dialogues frequently do not read well; they sound like artificial conversations from TV soaps, and one is almost expecting the canned laughter track. I find the prologue and the epilogue the best parts of the book; they are somber, moving, and well written. The Israel Roth character adds some gravity to the novel.
Two and a half stars.
November 10, 2014
Finally Moe Prager caught me. It took four good books to finally read one that, being alone a very good novel, can be rated excellent if taken as the fifth and final chapter of the first part of Moe's life. The plot, with a page turning mystery, pushes Moe around all the events told in previous books, touches all the loose ends and wraps them up for a bitter/sweet final. This book helps the previous ones to make more sense. About Coleman, I particulary enjoy the final notes after the novel's end: it explains a lot about the core of the story, its meaning, his struggles and his opinions. They are almost exactly the answers to the kind of questions I would have asked him after reading his books.
September 1, 2009
i loved Reed Farrel Coleman's first three books in his Moe Prager detective series. I only liked the fourth one. And I hated the fifth one.
You are dead to me Mr. Coleman.
You can't kill off a lovely woman just because you think it will make the story more compelling and "real life." Okay, so I don't know if that's really why he did it, but whatever. He shouldn't have. He could have ended the series on a much happier note without ruining the story.
AND I simply didn't think this book was as well written as the first three. You don't really expect authors to get worse with age... he did.
You are dead to me Mr. Coleman.
You can't kill off a lovely woman just because you think it will make the story more compelling and "real life." Okay, so I don't know if that's really why he did it, but whatever. He shouldn't have. He could have ended the series on a much happier note without ruining the story.
AND I simply didn't think this book was as well written as the first three. You don't really expect authors to get worse with age... he did.
May 19, 2013
It's hard to use like as a standard for judging RFC's books. They are very good books, but I'm never sure I really like them. I do like Moe however, so I'm always compelled to read the next book. This book is no different from the others in the really fine writing and character development. Like all of them, it is very dark, yet somehow I was not bummed out when I finished it. That's because of Moe - the mensch who tries to do the right thing, frequently with disastrous consequences. There's always hope of redemption for Moe, who never surrenders. This is a good book and well worth reading.
August 25, 2018
*3.75 stars.
"You have to have faith in God's big plan, so I'm told, and that misery is all just part of it" (7).
"We aren't great cooks, but we are great eaters" (27).
"Those parcels were for super-sized homes, ones with garages the size of aircraft hangars. Sarah had a friend who called them Garage Mahals" (40).
"'What Mr. Roth used to say was that the problem with God wasn't that he didn't answer prayers. The problem was his answer was usually no'" (61).
"Elmont was a faceless town that was close enough to the city line to blow kisses at New York..." (67).
"To say the images were muddy would be insulting to mud" (82).
"And regardless of what people say, there is only ever one truth of things. There are different versions of reality, not of the truth" (87).
"'I don't remember the kid callin' Cyclops anything, but his expression called him Asshole'" (102).
"...At least when a song gets stuck in your head, there's a melody to mitigate the annoyance. Like I don't already have enough crap to drive me nuts" (104).
"Hot showers are mostly forgettable events, but there are times when they're just a notch or two below desperation sex. This morning's shower was the stuff of top ten lists" (143).
"I think if we could remember our individual days life wouldn't seem so fleeting. But we aren't built to work that way, are we? We are built to forget" (157).
"Maybe the priest did have a heart. Still, he used it sparingly" (158).
"I opened my eyes to the Irish Wolfhound of dog days" (163).
"'Kiss my ass,' I heard myself mutter. So too, apparently, did the woman standing next to me. She just shook her head no" (169).
"You have to have faith in God's big plan, so I'm told, and that misery is all just part of it" (7).
"We aren't great cooks, but we are great eaters" (27).
"Those parcels were for super-sized homes, ones with garages the size of aircraft hangars. Sarah had a friend who called them Garage Mahals" (40).
"'What Mr. Roth used to say was that the problem with God wasn't that he didn't answer prayers. The problem was his answer was usually no'" (61).
"Elmont was a faceless town that was close enough to the city line to blow kisses at New York..." (67).
"To say the images were muddy would be insulting to mud" (82).
"And regardless of what people say, there is only ever one truth of things. There are different versions of reality, not of the truth" (87).
"'I don't remember the kid callin' Cyclops anything, but his expression called him Asshole'" (102).
"...At least when a song gets stuck in your head, there's a melody to mitigate the annoyance. Like I don't already have enough crap to drive me nuts" (104).
"Hot showers are mostly forgettable events, but there are times when they're just a notch or two below desperation sex. This morning's shower was the stuff of top ten lists" (143).
"I think if we could remember our individual days life wouldn't seem so fleeting. But we aren't built to work that way, are we? We are built to forget" (157).
"Maybe the priest did have a heart. Still, he used it sparingly" (158).
"I opened my eyes to the Irish Wolfhound of dog days" (163).
"'Kiss my ass,' I heard myself mutter. So too, apparently, did the woman standing next to me. She just shook her head no" (169).
September 8, 2018
For over twenty years, retired NYPD officer and PI Moe Prager has been haunted by the secret that would eventually destroy his family. Now, two years after the fallout from the truth, more than secrets are haunting the Prager family. Moe Prager follows a trail of graverobbers from cemetery to cemetery, from ashes to ashes and back again to finally solve the enigma of his dead brother-in-law Patrick. He plunges deeper into the dark recesses of his past than ever before, revisiting all of his old cases, in order to uncover the twisted alchemy of vengeance and resurrection. Will Moe, at last, put his past to rest? Will he find the man who belongs in that vacant grave or will it remain empty, empty ever after.
Reed Farrell Coleman is one of the great writers chosen by the family of Robert B. Parker to continue the stories of Jessie Stone and Spenser. He does such a good job that I thought I would trek into his other works. I have become a fan of his Moe Prager character will recommend that series to any one interested.
Reed Farrell Coleman is one of the great writers chosen by the family of Robert B. Parker to continue the stories of Jessie Stone and Spenser. He does such a good job that I thought I would trek into his other works. I have become a fan of his Moe Prager character will recommend that series to any one interested.
June 9, 2017
Empty Ever After is a fast-paced, spine-tingling, cunningly-devised mystery. The conclusion left me breathless, with my head spinning. It's an excellent read!
Favorite passages (2008 hard cover edition):
"Kites bathed in dying orange light flirted with the Verrazano Bridge and dreamed of untethered flight." (page 67)
"The group had attracted some national media attention in the early part of the decade, but by 1990 had fallen into the creases of history the way pocket change dissappears into the furniture." (page 72)
"It [the bedroom] smelled of camphor, cloves and orange peel, of lilacs and roses, of dried flowers from a dried up life tied in a sack and tucked away in a corner somewhere amongst her unrealized dreams." (211)
"Death is the most egalitarian of things. Cemeteries, like a constant whisper in the ear, had a nasty way of reminding you of that fact." (230)
Favorite passages (2008 hard cover edition):
"Kites bathed in dying orange light flirted with the Verrazano Bridge and dreamed of untethered flight." (page 67)
"The group had attracted some national media attention in the early part of the decade, but by 1990 had fallen into the creases of history the way pocket change dissappears into the furniture." (page 72)
"It [the bedroom] smelled of camphor, cloves and orange peel, of lilacs and roses, of dried flowers from a dried up life tied in a sack and tucked away in a corner somewhere amongst her unrealized dreams." (211)
"Death is the most egalitarian of things. Cemeteries, like a constant whisper in the ear, had a nasty way of reminding you of that fact." (230)
February 16, 2022
Coleman, in his Afterword: "Yet, even had I known there would be more Moe books to follow, I realized that things had to change. The books had become too heavily burdened with backstory. Moe’s past was essential to the success of the books, but it also became an albatross. I found I was spending too much time explaining details from the earlier books."
So he knew what he was doing wrong, and STILL he repeats his errors. Take out the details from the prior stories and there is very little left in this novel. Almost as bad as reading a J.A. Jance novel. No point in reading the first book in the series, because it will be repeated, along with all the subsequent books, in the last of the series.
So he knew what he was doing wrong, and STILL he repeats his errors. Take out the details from the prior stories and there is very little left in this novel. Almost as bad as reading a J.A. Jance novel. No point in reading the first book in the series, because it will be repeated, along with all the subsequent books, in the last of the series.
January 19, 2022
I wish I didn't let so much time pass between reading the 4th and 5th books of the series. Even though Coleman provides quick summaries of previous storylines throughout the book, I felt like I was forgetting important pieces. Moe starts investigating the sudden reappearance of Katy's brother, Patrick, even though he's been dead for 20 years. As Moe works to untangle the weird occurrences of present, his past comes roaring back. Coleman wrote that he wasn't sure if this would be the last Prager novel. I think he did a great job wrapping up everyone's stories while also keeping the door open with new characters. I'm glad there's more to read.
April 27, 2022
In many ways Coleman and Ken Bruen go hand in hand. Sharp dialog, forward trajectory plotlines, a hard boiled atmosphere, local color (Brooklyn/Galway), and ethnic flavor (Jewish/Irish). But Bruen clearly had Coleman beat on darkness - until this 5th in the series. A tale of revenge, guilt, secrets, and ghosts changes everything for Moe Prager, when he believed the worst change had already happened. This is a rough journey as characters from the previous books, living and dead, come back into Moe's life.
January 22, 2023
The story was complicated, probably more than it needed to be. Moe Prager, ex-cop, now PI, has his lies catch up to him. His ex-wife won’t talk to him, his daughter Sarah still cares about him, but is very protective of her mother, Katy, who is Prager’s ex, who goes off mentally due to a desecration of her brother Patrick’s grave, and then stuff goes down involving drug dealers, revenge, ex-cops, tattoo artists, and on and on. Just got a little too much for me.
February 5, 2017
Not a book that would really stand alone well but it does a good job of tying up all the loose ends and revisiting the characters from the previous books. For me, it was not quite up to the standards of the other entries in the series but Moe is a great character and the writing was as well done as always.
August 20, 2025
Way too much retelling of what happened in the first four books as they looked for the person committing the crimes in this book. And many of those characters had absolutely nothing to do with this story.
May 22, 2017
And most of my questions are answered, as intended. Really loved this book.
July 10, 2017
Ok, but familiar
Necessary backstory to close several arcs, but a third was already-trodden ground. Excellent writing as always. Some new themes thankfully introduced at the end.
Necessary backstory to close several arcs, but a third was already-trodden ground. Excellent writing as always. Some new themes thankfully introduced at the end.
August 1, 2019
You must have read the other books first to understand - that's why I only gave 4 stars (I don't remember everything).
May 12, 2021
I quit on it. Too dreary. Dredges up the same old Katy/Patrick/Frank yet again. Yuck.
December 10, 2021
Another good Moe Prager mystery (#5) - well written and unputdownable.
October 27, 2022
In this reissue, it was a difficult read due to the small print and close lines. This is the conclusion of a sprawling tale over many decades (and books). Difficult.
September 15, 2023
Very good story, but Moe’s life is getting sadder and sadder.
October 9, 2023
Intricate. Good twist and turns.
December 6, 2024
Best of the series do far. Wrapped up all of the prior plots and had a killer mystery. Excellent.
July 5, 2025
I didn't love the ending, but Reed Farrel Coleman can write. I enjoyed the dialogue immensely, it was like I was Moe Prager. Some of the plot decisions were disappointing, but I love this series.
August 5, 2008
The latest in the Moe Prager series brings our reluctant PI to the near present. It's the turn of the century. The Twin Towers still stand, George Bush is a non-entity, and Moe Prager is suffering from a nineties hangover. His daughter is grown. His hated father-in-law is dead. His wife has left him. Moe finds his only solace in running a chain of wine stores with his brother, a business he seems to hate, but takes refuge in anyway. He also keeps his feet wet as a PI by running an agency with former NYPD detective Carmella Melendez.
Just as Moe is getting used to being a bored divorced man in his middle age, the ghost of Patrick, his ex-wife's brother, begins haunting the former Mrs. Katy Prager. To the point of driving her insane.
Moe makes it his mission to find out who is impersonating Patrick and why. The scheme sounds a bit far-fetched, but skillful writer Reed Farrell Coleman is, he makes that a plot point. Someone has gone to considerable expense and effort to make Katy think she is seeing her dead brother to the point of desecrating his grave and getting an actor a tattoo identical to Patrick's. Even the sister of Patrick's late gay lover is involved as someone apparently has vandalized his grave, too.
But if there's one tragedy in all this, it's that the person behind this charade isn't just robbing Katy of her sanity. He is destroying what's left of the Prager family. Not even halfway through the book does it become clear that Moe and Katy will never be friends again, let alone reconcile. And the secrets Moe held for so long thinking they'd protect his family only serve in the end to break them irrevocably apart.
This is dark, painful closure for virtually all Coleman's Prager stories. Moe is left utterly alone at the end and yet...
And yet he is still in the wine business with brother Aaron. He is still not only Carmella Melendez's partner, but someone she knows she can turn to in the wake of an unwanted pregnancy.
This could easily be the end of the Prager series. It can also be the start of the next chapter. Reed Coleman doesn't let Moe get off that easy. He doesn't let the reader, either.
Nor should he.
Just as Moe is getting used to being a bored divorced man in his middle age, the ghost of Patrick, his ex-wife's brother, begins haunting the former Mrs. Katy Prager. To the point of driving her insane.
Moe makes it his mission to find out who is impersonating Patrick and why. The scheme sounds a bit far-fetched, but skillful writer Reed Farrell Coleman is, he makes that a plot point. Someone has gone to considerable expense and effort to make Katy think she is seeing her dead brother to the point of desecrating his grave and getting an actor a tattoo identical to Patrick's. Even the sister of Patrick's late gay lover is involved as someone apparently has vandalized his grave, too.
But if there's one tragedy in all this, it's that the person behind this charade isn't just robbing Katy of her sanity. He is destroying what's left of the Prager family. Not even halfway through the book does it become clear that Moe and Katy will never be friends again, let alone reconcile. And the secrets Moe held for so long thinking they'd protect his family only serve in the end to break them irrevocably apart.
This is dark, painful closure for virtually all Coleman's Prager stories. Moe is left utterly alone at the end and yet...
And yet he is still in the wine business with brother Aaron. He is still not only Carmella Melendez's partner, but someone she knows she can turn to in the wake of an unwanted pregnancy.
This could easily be the end of the Prager series. It can also be the start of the next chapter. Reed Coleman doesn't let Moe get off that easy. He doesn't let the reader, either.
Nor should he.
March 12, 2008
Empty Ever After
Reed Farrel Coleman
Bleak House Books, 2008, 272 pps.
ISBN No. 978-1-932557-640
Can you keep a secret? Moe Prager can keep a secret for a long, long time. In “Empty Ever After” Moe’s secrets are not secrets any more.
Patrick Maloney was Moe’s brother-in-law and has been dead and buried for a number of years. That is until recently. Patrick’s grave has been disturbed. Patrick’s remains have disappeared. This is only one of the many strange events that bring Moe’s past secrets to light.
Moe is a retired NYPD officer and is now a PI. He is divorced from Katy but when Patrick’s grave is disturbed, he rushes to her side. Katy swears her dead brother's voice is on her answering machine and that he is appearing in various places but disappearing before she can get to him. Their daughter Sarah is very concerned about her mother’s welfare.
Moe is determined to find out the purpose of the attacks on his family and to do everything within his power to protect his loved ones.
Moe’s search for answers takes the reader down Moe’s memory lane. Moe must seek out someone from his past with a very twisted mind to take revenge this long after Patrick’s death and in this form.
Empty Ever After is the fifth novel in the Moe Prager series. It is not necessary to read the previous novels in the series to totally enjoy number five. This is the best one yet in my opinion.
Reed Farrel Coleman
Bleak House Books, 2008, 272 pps.
ISBN No. 978-1-932557-640
Can you keep a secret? Moe Prager can keep a secret for a long, long time. In “Empty Ever After” Moe’s secrets are not secrets any more.
Patrick Maloney was Moe’s brother-in-law and has been dead and buried for a number of years. That is until recently. Patrick’s grave has been disturbed. Patrick’s remains have disappeared. This is only one of the many strange events that bring Moe’s past secrets to light.
Moe is a retired NYPD officer and is now a PI. He is divorced from Katy but when Patrick’s grave is disturbed, he rushes to her side. Katy swears her dead brother's voice is on her answering machine and that he is appearing in various places but disappearing before she can get to him. Their daughter Sarah is very concerned about her mother’s welfare.
Moe is determined to find out the purpose of the attacks on his family and to do everything within his power to protect his loved ones.
Moe’s search for answers takes the reader down Moe’s memory lane. Moe must seek out someone from his past with a very twisted mind to take revenge this long after Patrick’s death and in this form.
Empty Ever After is the fifth novel in the Moe Prager series. It is not necessary to read the previous novels in the series to totally enjoy number five. This is the best one yet in my opinion.
Read
October 28, 2011Empty Ever After, by Reed Farrel Coleman, b, Narrated by Andy Caploe, Produced by Audible Inc., downloaded from audible.com.
Moe Prager is living alone in this fifth novel in the series. He has a fragile relationship restored with his daughter, but Katie doesn’t want to see him. Then, he gets word that the grave of his brother-in-law, Patrick, has been robbed of his body. He further hears that there has been some tampering of Patrick’s lover’s grave in Ohio. Then, a look-alike to Patrick starts turning up where either Moe or Katie can see him. The look-alike is so similar in looks to Patrick that Katie has a mental breakdown and tries to commit suicide. But Moe knows that Patrick is dead, and pursues the case even after the police believe they’ve found the person who instigated the look-alike activity and who committed several murders. This book was not very satisfying to me, although it did tie up the loose ends once and for all. Moe had to revisit his cases and everyone who had reason to hate him. This meant going over old ground in the cases which made up the other four books in the series. In tying up the ends I felt that Coleman implemented a sort of scorched earth policy. I guess I hope we’re done with Moe now. Andy Caploe has narrated all of the books and has done a really good job especially of establixhing a Moe Prager character.
Moe Prager is living alone in this fifth novel in the series. He has a fragile relationship restored with his daughter, but Katie doesn’t want to see him. Then, he gets word that the grave of his brother-in-law, Patrick, has been robbed of his body. He further hears that there has been some tampering of Patrick’s lover’s grave in Ohio. Then, a look-alike to Patrick starts turning up where either Moe or Katie can see him. The look-alike is so similar in looks to Patrick that Katie has a mental breakdown and tries to commit suicide. But Moe knows that Patrick is dead, and pursues the case even after the police believe they’ve found the person who instigated the look-alike activity and who committed several murders. This book was not very satisfying to me, although it did tie up the loose ends once and for all. Moe had to revisit his cases and everyone who had reason to hate him. This meant going over old ground in the cases which made up the other four books in the series. In tying up the ends I felt that Coleman implemented a sort of scorched earth policy. I guess I hope we’re done with Moe now. Andy Caploe has narrated all of the books and has done a really good job especially of establixhing a Moe Prager character.
December 21, 2013
This was another great but dark book and the fifth in the Moe Prager series by Reed Farrel Coleman. I've really enjoyed all of the books in the series so far and this is certainly one of the best. The book was written to be a possible last book in the series and it certainly reads that way as it resolves a number of ongoing issues in the series. Of course in a dark series such as this one, the resolutions are not necessarily what the reader wants but what the author felt was needed. After all, the title is Empty Ever After. I know this series in ending soon but for me I still have four more of these books to read (once the last one is published) and of course whatever new books Reed writes in the future.
September 3, 2008
Very satisfying--Moe Prager is a great character, as are the others in Coleman's world. Some of them reach resolution, though I won't tell you who; can't spoil things. In fact, I hesitate to say much about the story itself, for the same reason. Coleman does deal with issues beyond "who done it," which gives depth to the story. While I do get a bit weary of mysteries (books or tv) being about someone coming after the detective him (or her) self, that worked for me here, as an intro to the series & characters. The mystery itself was just fine, with plenty of surprises, but not so many as to make one dizzy. I'm going to have to find more Coleman.
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