Chris Petit gleaned considerable acclaim for The Psalm Killer, a complex, hard-edged thriller reminiscent of both Thomas Harris and Martin Cruz Smith, but absolutely individual in its achievement. And with Back from the Dead, Petit has created a haunting and atmospheric novel that's as unique as it is disturbing.
McMahon, a rock star uncomfortably conscious of being past his best, is shocked to open a letter that contains the same declarations of love as those of an obsessed fan who wrote to him years ago. But Leah, the author of those letters, is dead--so how can these new letters contain things that only the dead girl could have known? As the employment of ex-coppers for celebrity security has become a necessary fashion accessory, McMahon's wife hires Youselli, a hard-nosed city officer in need of extra money. But soon Youselli is inexorably drawn into the decadent lifestyle of his substance-abusing employers, and as he digs deeper into the strange motives of the mysterious fan, he plunges into a dark world of sexual obsession and manic love.
From the insecure musician McMahon to the down-on-his-luck Youselli, the psychology of Petit's characters are handled with a master's touch: "McMahon was making the best of appearing elegantly wasted, swigging a bottle of Jack Daniels from the neck, his eyes bulging and glittery with near obscene excitement, and looking several galaxies away. Youselli had to hand it him, he knew how to put on a party". --Barry Forshaw
Genre: Thriller
McMahon, a rock star uncomfortably conscious of being past his best, is shocked to open a letter that contains the same declarations of love as those of an obsessed fan who wrote to him years ago. But Leah, the author of those letters, is dead--so how can these new letters contain things that only the dead girl could have known? As the employment of ex-coppers for celebrity security has become a necessary fashion accessory, McMahon's wife hires Youselli, a hard-nosed city officer in need of extra money. But soon Youselli is inexorably drawn into the decadent lifestyle of his substance-abusing employers, and as he digs deeper into the strange motives of the mysterious fan, he plunges into a dark world of sexual obsession and manic love.
From the insecure musician McMahon to the down-on-his-luck Youselli, the psychology of Petit's characters are handled with a master's touch: "McMahon was making the best of appearing elegantly wasted, swigging a bottle of Jack Daniels from the neck, his eyes bulging and glittery with near obscene excitement, and looking several galaxies away. Youselli had to hand it him, he knew how to put on a party". --Barry Forshaw
Genre: Thriller
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Used availability for Chris Petit's Back From the Dead