Hardcover, 336 pages
English language
Published Dec. 14, 2005 by Carroll & Graf.
Michael Harrison had it all: good looks, charm, natural leadership, a wicked sense of humor, and now, Ashley, his fiancée. While out celebrating with a group of friends a few nights before the wedding, Michael suddenly and unexpectedly finds himself enclosed in a coffin equipped only with a flashlight, a dirty magazine, a walkie-talkie, and a tiny breathing tube. It's all in good fun — payback for the grief his mates suffered due to his own penchant for tomfoolery — that is until the four are killed in a drunk driving accident just moments after leaving Michael completely alone and buried alive. Detective Superintendent Grace—himself dealing with the pain of losing his wife—is brought on to the case when Ashley reports Michael missing. Suspicions are raised when Michael's only friend not at the bachelor party refuses to cooperate, and Ashley's faithfulness—not to mention her increasingly mysterious past—are suddenly thrown in …
Michael Harrison had it all: good looks, charm, natural leadership, a wicked sense of humor, and now, Ashley, his fiancée. While out celebrating with a group of friends a few nights before the wedding, Michael suddenly and unexpectedly finds himself enclosed in a coffin equipped only with a flashlight, a dirty magazine, a walkie-talkie, and a tiny breathing tube. It's all in good fun — payback for the grief his mates suffered due to his own penchant for tomfoolery — that is until the four are killed in a drunk driving accident just moments after leaving Michael completely alone and buried alive. Detective Superintendent Grace—himself dealing with the pain of losing his wife—is brought on to the case when Ashley reports Michael missing. Suspicions are raised when Michael's only friend not at the bachelor party refuses to cooperate, and Ashley's faithfulness—not to mention her increasingly mysterious past—are suddenly thrown in to question. As Superintendent Grace soon discovers, one man's disaster is another man's fortune.
Plot 3/5, writing 3/5 but still I really enjoyed this book, plot a bit farcical but well delivered and a good pace to it all
L’intrigue de base, perverse comme je les aime, tient parfaitement ses promesses. Le rythme est soutenu, les passages avec Michael dans son cercueil feront trembler les claustrophobes, et les coups de théâtres sont nombreux, mais juste ce qu’il faut. C’est bien écrit, bien raconté, les personnages sont intéressants. Le côté occulte reste discret, j’avais un peu peur que ça simplifie le propos, mais non, l’équilibre est maintenu.
On a envie de suivre les autres enquêtes de Roy Grace, et on a aussi envie que certains détails de sa vie privée deviennent le centre d’une de ses enquêtes, et ceux qui ont lu ce premier volume comprendront de quoi je parle..
Une belle réussite je trouve, supérieure à Vérité.
