Nobody Lives Forever

by Edna Buchanan

Investigating the murders of his next-door neighbors, the latest victims in a serial killing spree, Miami homicide detective Rick Barrish is aided by two other detectives, one his former lover, in finding the culprit. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Detective

399 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Edna Buchanan knew she wanted to be a writer since she was 4 years old. She moved to Florida where she got a job at a small newspaper. Ms. Buchanan became a reporter for the Miami Beach Daily Sun in the late 1960s.

In 1970, she was hired as a general assignment and police-beat reporter at the Miami Herald. In 1973, Ms. Buchanan became a police beat reporter, which coincided with the rise of Miami as a center of the international drug trade.

Winning a Pulitzer Prize, Ms. Buchanan became one of the best-known crime reporters in the U.S. She discussed some of her assignments in the books, The Corpse Had a Familiar Face (1991) and Never Let Them See You Cry (1993). She has retired from journalism and writes mystery novels. The main character in her crime mystery series is Britt Montero.

Reviews

[Book Concierge · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'd read this before but had forgotten it. The characters are not smart and the plot stretches credulity. You can recognize Buchanan's talent, but this is NOT her best effort.

[Danny Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm ... different

I'm a big fan of Ms. Buchanan, having read her nonfiction and many novels. This is a good story, once you realize it's a bit Stephen King-ish and just go with it. But OMG the editing!! How can any "traditionally" published book be so poorly edited? I'm a bit OCD and catch one or two mistakes in almost every book I read. But there are scores of them here: missing words, incorrect words, incomplete sentences, typos, etc... even head-hopping--the big NY (house) no-no!! it's really bad! Edna deserves better!!! And shame on the industry for always looking down your noses at us independent authors and turning around and putting out this garbage.

[R. F. S. Kaplan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never rate a book higher than 3 until rereading. (Grade inflation, etc.) But I was gripped by this story and my first impulse was to rate it tops or near tops. Edna Buchanan, whom apart from this I only know for her brilliant reporting, cannot write an untrue sentence. She is real, unsentimental, sure of her material, her insights, her understanding of her characters and the world they live in. She sees them, virtuous or evil, and uses her talent and honesty to show them to us, leaving us no escape from what we might not want to see.

[Libby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty far fetched even for fiction. I was disappointed in the ridiculous character of Rick who must have enjoyed the wild sex so Much that he was basically brain dead. The only really well developed character was Dusty. I kept waiting for the police tone smart enough to figure it out and get it over with. The endings are bizarre with Jim stealing money from a dead person and then dying of a heart attack….then, Rick taking matters into his to his own hands and killing the crazy girl. Weak.

[Chana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sexually obsessed cop in his early 50's and his live-in barely out of her teens girl-friend. Sounds hinky, but hey. But this girl, who is she? Good question. It is the main question actually. No surprises, I've read this kind of story before. But I was humming Johnny Cash, Cocaine Blues, by the time I finished.

[Mary C. Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Police procedural in Miami

I found the editing and typographical errors distracting sometimes it's obvious that a word has been misspelled or inadvertently added or omitted, but sometimes it affects the meaning of the sentence irreparably.

The story is complex and well-written. The characters are interesting and interact in ways that can be unpredictable.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, a quick read. Moved along quickly as did the body count. Liked the multiple personalities angle. Although I do have to say that Detective Rick let his you-know-what lead his head. He was absolutely clueless to things in his own neighborhood which started after he moved her in! Felt really bad for Jim's end-no dignity.

[Bug · Rating 1 out of 5]

I heard so much about Edna Buchanan body of work, I was looking forward to reading any of her books. I must have picked the wrong one to start with! Meh. Characters and plot are too weird to be credible.

[Lynne Block · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad ending

[Zempathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I read that made me realize how deeply at home I felt between the pages of a book.

Will always remain dear to my heart ❤️

[elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

So fucking bad I’m embarrassed to have read it

[Ann Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I now have no desire to ever visit Miami.

[Darlene Klapper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to follow at the beginning.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody Lives Forever is in the series by Edna Buchanan about Dusty of the Miami Police department. Edna is a Pulitzer Prize winner for her police reporting of Miami's crime scene. It is night of a full moon and crimes escalate. Laurel fights panic as she awaits her Detective husband who is working a murder scene where a young man close to Rick and Laura's neighborhood has been murdered. Rick, Dusty and Jim are partners who have worked many years together. Therer is a stunning secret shared by Laurel, Hester, Marilyn, Jennefer, and Alex that will only be solved at the end of the story. As tension builds, Rick shares his bed and fantasies with a killer, the dark mystery of Dusty's past is revealed, and Jim reaffirms that street justice is the only true justice.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

BEWARE: One man's bookflap summary is another man's spoiler.

Edna Buchanan, former journalist, must have had great fun turning the cop protagonist from loving his "hot" girlfriend to wanting to shoot her dead.

The girlfriend's multiple-personality psychosis is apparent from early on; it's only a matter of time until the boyfriend figures it out.

P.S. The title is disappointing. I suppose it's generically true, but has no close bearing on the story at hand.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOBODY LIVES FOREVER - VG+
Buchanan, Edna - Standalone

With a brutal serial killer on the loose in Miami, homicide detective Rick Barrish and his partners, Mary Ellen "Dusty" Dustin and Jim Ransom, watch the corpses mount and discover startling truths about themselves.

Dark, suspenseful, very good.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalist 1991 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Suspense novel - Miami homicide detective Rick Barrish is living with young Laurel after ending an affair with Dusty, a fellow officer who is now on his squad and still carrying a torch for him. Laurel has multiple personalities that take over her consciousness with their own jealous, immoral and criminal beings.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent; cops try to find murderer, not knowing that she is one of the cops girlfriends who has multiple personalities.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder mystery set in Miami.

[Lori]

Good book, interesting plot, not a fairy tale ending

[Derby Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unbelievable and unpleasant.

[laurel jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

a bit silly in parts. How could anyone be so stupid
it certainly lets us know where Ms. Buchanan thinks men's brains are.
Sad ending but life is like that

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent study of multiple personality disorders in a very readable plot.