Gerald is father to five wayward adult children. When he dies they discover his sealed will leaves a fortune far beyond their expectations to only two of them. Death then stalks the family. Who, or what, is killing them? How are these murders linked to the four horsemen of the apocalypse? How are they connected to physical and sexual abuse at an Irish orphanage? Oddball private detective Herschel (an art-living genius, natch) teams up with an typically stupid policeman in an attempt to solve the mystery and prevent further deaths.
More unnuanced thriller than murder mystery, this novel taps into a large number of tropes. The characterisation may be thin and the dialogue unrealistic but the story is fast-moving (except when the author takes a detour to give back story or description) and often entertaining, particularly in the vigorously described action scenes (eg: "Sean's head span off his shoulders with an elegant ease, removed from his body like a loose tyre from a speeding racing car, pirouetting and bouncing across the room." (Ch 4: The Red Horse)
Selected quotes:
- "Gerald had almost no profile under the sheets. He seemed to be melting into the very fabric of the bed." (Ch 1: Death)
- "the struggle for control of the casket real-estate" (Ch 2: Funeral)
- "It was a classic blend of traditional Rococo, Romantic and Neoclassical tables, sofas and chairs and paintings juxtaposed against bleeding-edge technology" (Ch 5: Herschel)
June 2023
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