Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
Richard Coleman, has made partner in his law firm in record time. Despite his success there is little joy in his life having recently lost his wife in a tragic car accident. It's been a year now and he's tried to adjust to the loneliness and emptiness in his life with little success. Then he meets Erica Fox, the seventeen year old daughter of a high roller, Franklin Fox. Mr. Fox is divorced and needs someone to be trustee over Erica's affairs should he die. After eliminating all potential candidates for the job, Rich ends up being recruited for the task. When Franklin dies, Rich assumes his duties but soon is drawn into an illicit affair. When they are discovered by a meddlesome aunt she threatens to blow the whistle on them and have Rich thrown in jail. When she is later found dead the two lovers are prime suspects. Eventually Erica is charged with the murder but Rich knows she didn't do it, and sets out to prove it. What he doesn't realize is how perilous the search for the truth will be.

277 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1999

110 people want to read

About the author

William Manchee

39 books192 followers
William Manchee is an attorney by trade and practices consumer law in Texas with his son Jim. Originally from southern California, he now lives in Plano, Texas. He is the author of 25 novels including the Stan Turner Mysteries, Rich Coleman Novels, and the Tarizon Saga.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
15 (33%)
4 stars
16 (35%)
3 stars
6 (13%)
2 stars
7 (15%)
1 star
1 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Elaine.
37 reviews
January 26, 2023
A bit of a different mystery in this one. Was a nice easy read and kept me guessing the whole way. Interested to see what the second book holds. Won’t say too much as I don’t want to ruin it but if you want a nice introduction to a couple that I feel will be getting into a lot of trouble then this is the book for you. On to number 2
Profile Image for Beth Phillips.
130 reviews2 followers
January 23, 2020
More of a 3.5 for me. Story was ok but the ending shocked me but was quite a 4 star.
Profile Image for Denise.
2,417 reviews102 followers
July 20, 2011
3.0 out of 5 stars Predictable but entertaining,

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.

This review is from: Death Pact (Audible Audio Edition) won as Goodreads first-reads contest.
Profile Image for A Book Vacation.
1,485 reviews730 followers
July 3, 2011
I won a copy of this novel through the Goodreads First Reads program, and while I think I knew, in the back of my mind, that it was an audio disc and not an actual novel, I was still surprised when it arrived in the mail. Based on the cover next to the giveaway, it obviously looks like a CD cover, but regardless, I would have liked to have known for certain that I was winning an audio disc as opposed to a novel. Regardless, I was excited to obtain the audio, but then had to wait for an opportune time to listen to the disc since it’s approximately 8 hours in length. I toyed with the idea of listening to it while I drove back and forth to work, but as that’s only a twenty-minute drive per day, I decided to wait until my upcoming road trip to listen to the audio.

Well, for my first experience with an audio book, I must admit that I am not impressed. The voice of the reader, Jeffrey Kafer, lulled me to sleep. He has an extremely boring voice, and though he does accents and “feminine” voices where appropriate, I really had a hard time listening to him. Of course, this shouldn’t have any effect on the rating I give a book because I’m technically rating it for the writing and not the reader, but I have to say I would have been much happier reading the novel on my own. I would have read it much faster as well—Kafer is extremely slow.

All the audio talk aside though, overall I thought the novel was okay. It didn’t pull me in and captivate me as I’d hoped it would, but it wasn’t absolutely terrible either. The characters drove me insane, and I’m not sure if that was intended, but their sheer naivety tells me that they were probably created that way on purpose. I spent most of the novel screaming at the audio as Rich and Erica make stupid decision after stupid decision. It was almost like watching a horror movie where the characters decide to split up and you begin yelling at them to stay together, if that correlation makes any sense. I just felt like both Rich and Erica made the worst choices possible, in consecutive order, and so, of course, I had no sympathy for them throughout the novel. Out of the two characters, I liked Erica the least, but I have to admit that I wasn’t enamored with any of the characters—they seem somewhat flat and static.

It took a while for the novel to become interesting. The first hour is Rich narrating how he became Erica’s financial trustee, and I could have done without all the background information, since it’s already been stated in the synopsis of the book. Likewise, the novel drones on for a while prior to the murder. It wasn’t until the murder and the trial that I actually became interested in what was happening. It is here that Manchee really begins to captivate the reader through the mystery and suspense behind the death of Erica’s aunt...

To read my full review (8/13):

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
Profile Image for Tami.
511 reviews67 followers
July 11, 2011
Haven't received yet, just received notice I had won. 5/23/11
Good news, I received my copy last night. Bad news, it is audio. I wouldn't have signed up if I had known that. I am very seldom anywhere I can sit and listen to something. I have a 5 minute commute, so it is going to take forever to get through this. 6/1/11
Hallelujah! Finally finished today at lunch. 7/11/11

Lawyer gets roped into being trustee for client’s underage daughter, falls in love, blah, blah, blah.

Okay, I didn't like this book. I did rate it 2 stars instead of 1 for the sole reason it was an audio book. I felt that maybe had I actually had the physical book to read, I may have liked it better. I can't stand the voice of the narrator. Half the voices that were supposed to be masculine sounded more feminine then the ones he did for the ladies. The whole story line was a mid life crisis or life long dream of some middle age man that doesn’t understand women or relationships at all. Not really ruin the story spoiler but maybe a ruin the desire to read spoiler.
Profile Image for Mistydawn Thrash.
46 reviews10 followers
December 2, 2012
First off, it is my duty to inform you that I received this book off from "Goodreads First Reader".

I thought this book kept the story moving along, had enough interest and enough conflict to keep me reading. The characters may have been a little shallow but they played off each other very well. Overall, I like it.

When I initially read the description of a lawyer based book I had my doubts I'd enjoy it. I find those books usually filled with jargon and scenarios I am not familiar and get bored since I can't relate. But I found the court scenes to be some of the best in the book.

Although, several times throughout the story I thought to myself, "How could any hotshot lonely lawyer really be that hard up to allow a young girl control him and drag him into this whole affair?" But, at the same time I liked the humanity of two people, from vast different places in life fullfilling a need in one another and that it didn't turn out to be some frivolous affair.

I will admit, I kept guessing as I turned the pages as to how the story would end up and when I turned the last pages I was not disappointed. It was a page turner, with a decent plot, good sturdy characters, and a good ending.
Profile Image for Erin.
221 reviews23 followers
October 17, 2013
An exciting thriller that will have you guessing until the very end. Richard Coleman is a lawyer who made partner very quickly. When a client, Franklin Fox, walks in and suggests that his daughter needs a trustee in case anything should happen to him, he decides to appoint Rich. Rich ends up getting a call that Franklin died in an accident and Erica is left alone in another country. Rich decides to board a plane and pick Erica up. He puts his job at risk by beginning a relationship with her. Things begin falling apart for the couple and Erica is accused of murder. Can they figure out what happened and who did it before Erica is sent to jail and Rich's life is ruined?

I love this book! I especially love that the ending was a complete surprise. I never would have guessed it! The book was hard to put down and full of action. Rich is such a good guy that really tries to do whatever he can to help, even when it puts him at the disadvantage. At first I thought Erica was immature and manipulative, but by the end I really liked her. The author did such a great job with character development. He also did a great job with grabbing the reader's attention and holding it until the very end. I really enjoyed this book!
Profile Image for Jacque.
74 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2011
This was an interesting story. I have never read anything like it before. It was hard for me to see where the story was going and what would happen next. The plot moved quickly and was interesting.
It started with the lawyer being asked to be the daughter’s fiduciary if anything happened to the father. The father then dies while skiing. The daughter then seduces the lawyer and once she becomes emancipated they are married.
The aunt is angry about this because she thinks that there is a large inheritance that she wants. The inheritance never happens, but the lawyer invests what they have left. The aunt is murdered and the niece is charged.
The death pact comes in if she loses the trial and has to go to jail. If she would lose and be going to jail she wants them to die together by taking cyanide. It is a very interesting story to say the least. I will not give away the ending but it is good.
Profile Image for Michelle.
169 reviews4 followers
June 30, 2011
I received “Death Pact” by William Manchee for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Unlike many winners of this book, I was aware that I was entering a giveaway for an audio book. It’s true that the giveaway details does not disclose this but when you click on “Death Pact” the format MP3 on CD is revealed. I’m a big fan of Audio books for the simple reason that I have a long commute to and from work.

“Death Pact” by William Manchee failed to disappoint. The story was captivating from beginning to end. There was so much wrong with the story; attorney Rich Coleman’s elicit affair with his 17 year old client, Erica and the death pact itself yet these details were what also made the story interesting. “Death Pact” is a murder mystery yet there was a lot of humor thrown in. Very entertaining book and looking forward to other William Manchee works.
Profile Image for Julie Barrett.
9,218 reviews206 followers
February 20, 2013
Death Pact by William Manchee
Wanted to read this book because I had read book #3 in this series and although I knew the outcome there are many versions of the murder.
This book starts out with Richard Coleman and as a lawyer he's appointed to be a trustee for Erica. Her father Franklin has a huge estate. Problem is he dies and they fall in love and she's not yet 18. He makes money by investing
and her aunt wants a piece of the action. Somebody kills the aunt and Erica is charged with the murder.
After the trial Richard writes a book and then Erica writes her ending and it's not even the same murder. In the book I read one of their children has a girlfriend who wants to publish the book for them...
Liked this book and now to read the missing book of this series...
Profile Image for Gretchen.
414 reviews26 followers
September 9, 2013
I received this as an audiobook format - CD - and I listened to it when I was driving several hours away for work, and it did help pass the time. It kept my interest throughout the time I was listening to it. It tells of a lawyer, Richard Coleman, who falls in love with a young Erica Fox. He is supposed to be the trustee of her trust fund, and so by starting a relationship with her, he breaks a lot of ethical rules. Then Erica is accused of killing her aunt, and their life is really thrown into a spiral leading to Erica's insistence of creating a death pact should she not be acquited of her aunt's murder. There are a few twists, but not really too many. I kept expecting more shocks, but they didn't really come.

I received this free from one of the Goodreads giveaways.
Profile Image for Bekki McClish.
167 reviews9 followers
Read
July 7, 2011
I received this audio book as a free read from Goodreads.

I wasn't surprised when I got the audio book as some others were. I love audiobooks. Here is the problem. Because it was an .mp3 format I couldn't play it in my car. What can I say - I have an old CD player. The audio books I get from the library - no issues. This one I did.

So I put it in my computer to play on Windows Media. It began on Chapter 22 and each time I tried to start from Chapter 1 it froze. It also looked like I would have to skip Chapter 12 as it was corrupted.

I was very interested to read this book, but based on the reviews maybe I should be lucky I didn't waste my time.
Profile Image for Desiree reilly.
419 reviews35 followers
January 11, 2011
this book and hope will be getting more reviews they are really interesting people in the book
and the tale they wind around the audience is great form a murder to losing all the money they had
then coming back and making it work out. the aunt in the story was someone who would call a bitch
and she got what she deserved by her only son becoming gay to the niece killing her and getting
away with it i would give this 5 stars or more it really great it only took me about 6hr to finish it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Maria.
8 reviews
June 6, 2011
As a first time winner in a goodreads giveaway, I received Death Pact in the mail and was a bit disappointed to find that it was in a audio format. However that was the only thing that really disappointed me about this book. I enjoyed the story. It was hard to imagine that a 31 yr old and a 17 yr old could really fall in love, but somehow I was rooting for them to be happy. Even though I found Erica to be a spoiled brat most of the time, what she does prrove that she will do anything for love....and money ;)
25 reviews
June 6, 2011
I won this in a contest giveaway and was pleasently suprised. I like other publications by William Manchee so I gave it a go. It was an audio MP3 which was a first for me. The story was written well and had lots of suprises. I was guessing to the very end and that's always good. The author was very descriptive and drew me in. The characters were realistic and the romance was hot and sexy. I really enjoyed it !
Profile Image for Shannon.
80 reviews
Want to read
June 15, 2011
I didn't realize this was a "book on tape" until it came today. I don't see anywhere in the giveaway that it says it's read to me. I don't like books on tape but I'll give this a listen when I have to travel next month.
We tried listening to this in the car on the cd player and it said, "No audio" So I'll try my cd player at home then my laptop. If it doesn't work on those two I'm out of ideas!

*I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.*
Profile Image for Marc Leroux.
188 reviews16 followers
February 18, 2013
While I didn't exactly receive this as part of the Goodreads First Reader program, the author sent me a free copy while I was waiting for the book I did read. Exceptional service, I might add.

I really enjoyed the book . The pace was fast, there were twists in the plot that I didn't see coming. The characters could have been fleshed out a bit better, but that really didn't detract from the story.

It's a good read. I'd recommend it for mystery/suspense fans.
Profile Image for Martha.
159 reviews2 followers
May 27, 2014
Death Pact A Rich Coleman Novel was fun to read. Lot's of love and romance from beginning to end. Aunt Martha was murdered and it appears that Erica did it. Rich Coleman becomes the trustee for Erica Foxes inheritance. That was only the first of decision he made to make her happy. I couldn't believe she demanded so much and he did his best to please her. I enjoyed the story from beginning to end. I would have never guessed the ending.
Profile Image for Karen Barker.
19 reviews8 followers
May 21, 2011
I received the Death Pact by participating in the first reads giveaways. I was also surprised, as other were, that it was an Audio MP3 versus a book. I have told myself each time I enter the library that I would give "books on tapes" a try so I guess I have received my chance to have the book read to me. I am thankful for receiving it free through Goodreads.
Profile Image for Catrina .
40 reviews5 followers
June 3, 2011
I received this audio book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I loved this book. It had intrigue, romance, suspense, and humor. I was laughing loudly during many points in this book. I really liked the ambulance part. This is a must get if you enjoy murder mysteries with a bit of humor I will be listening to this many more times.
Profile Image for Brandi.
Author 3 books7 followers
November 25, 2012


I loved this book! There were times when Erica got a little obnoxious but it all made sense in the story. After all she is seventeen when Rich meets her. Between wondering who did the crime and finding out who actually did it every minute of this book kept me guessing. Two thumbs up to William Manchee!
223 reviews26 followers
August 8, 2013
What a great book! I read the book (didn't listen to the audio book...there isn't a listing for the book). I loved the characters and found the storyline easy to follow. Looking forward to reading more books in tis series.
Profile Image for Claire.
959 reviews11 followers
October 4, 2011
Hilariously awful. Kind of fun to listen to in a car with friends because it's sooooooo bad and the reader's intonation is...unique.
20 reviews2 followers
June 4, 2011
I won this on Goodreads giveaway.
I was very surprised that this was an audio book. I have a very hard time listening to someone read to me. It was good, worth a listen if you have the time.
12 reviews
September 26, 2012
Excellent read!!! Great suspense clear to the end!!! I can't wait to read more of his books.
Profile Image for Sheila Read.
1,574 reviews40 followers
September 28, 2013
my father was in the process of reading this and than he decided to read something else. He will go back to it and than read it and give an honest review of it.
Profile Image for Richard.
172 reviews3 followers
May 28, 2014
Legal/Thriller/Mystery.
Well developed characters and a fast plot, full of twists and surprises. A great read from start to finish by the author of the Stan Turner Mystery series.
5 stars.
Profile Image for Michael.
1,308 reviews2 followers
June 18, 2014
What a tangled web! Great story so well woven with so many twists. Fantastic ending. Cannot wait to read about Mr. Coleman's next adventure.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.