A Forever Death

Emerson Ward Mystery #4

by Michael W. Sherer

When Brady Barnes, a professional photographer, is shot down in the street, Chicago freelance writer Emerson Ward decides to find out who would want to kill his good friend. Taking a job at an advertising agency that had employed Barnes, Emerson is surprised to discover that a lot of people might have wanted Barnes dead. Like an episode of Murder, She Wrote, Sherer's novel succeeds more because of its setting and characters than its plot (which is a tad predictable). We see lots of behind-the-scenes goings-on at a photographer's studio and an ad agency; we meet a large cast of potential suspects (many of whom have hidden agendas and grudges against other characters); and we get to feel that we're smarter than the main character, since if we're at all familiar with this sort of thing, we're able to solve the mystery before he does. This is a novel for which the word serviceable springs nimbly to mind: it's by-the-numbers genre fare but capably written and perfectly enjoyable. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

277 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2001

About the author

Mike is a member of and frequent judge for International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America and the author of "Mistaken Identity" and "Stolen Identity," four books in the Seattle-based Blake Sanders series, including "Night Strike" and "Night Blind," which was nominated for an ITW Thriller Award in 2013. His other books include the award-winning Emerson Ward mystery series, the stand-alone suspense novel, 'Island Life," and the Tess Barrett new/young adult thriller series, currently in development for television.

Mike and his family now reside in the Seattle area. Please visit him at www.michaelwsherer.com or you can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thrillerauthor and on Twitter at @MysteryNovelist.


Series:
* Emerson Ward Mystery