No Rest for the Dead

By: David Baldacci - introduction, Laurie H. Armstrong, Sandra Brown, Jeffery Deaver, Robert Dugoni, Brian Gruley, J. A. Jance

Narrated by: James Colby, Richard Ferrone, Carol Monda

More than 20 New York Times best-selling authors team up to create a first-rate serial novel - a collaboration that combines the skills of America's greatest storytellers to produce a gripping, spellbinding mystery.

"The lineup of writers who have contributed to this mystery is akin to the Murderers' Row of the 1927 New York Yankees. There is not a weak spot in the bunch."
—David Baldacci, from the Introduction

Alexander McCall Smith. Sandra Brown. Faye Kellerman. J.A. Jance. Jeffery Deaver. Kathy Reichs. Lisa Scottoline. Jeff Lindsay. These are only a handful of the names that make up the all-star lineup of authors behind No Rest for the Dead, a tale of vengeance, greed, and love that flows seamlessly, in the words of David Baldacci, "as it passes from one creator's mind to the next."

When Christopher Thomas, a ruthless curator at San Francisco's McFall Art Museum, is murdered and his decaying body is found in an iron maiden in a Berlin museum, his wife, Rosemary, is the primary suspect, and she is tried, convicted and executed. Ten years later, Jon Nunn, the detective who cracked the case, is convinced that the wrong person was put to death. In the years since the case was closed, he's discovered a web of deceit and betrayal surrounding the Thomases that could implicate any number of people in the crime. With the help of the dead woman's friend, he plans to gather everyone who was there the night Christopher died and finally uncover the truth, suspect by suspect. Solving this case may be Nunn's last chance for redemption… but the shadowy forces behind Christopher's death will stop at nothing to silence the past forever.

In this innovative storytelling approach, each of 25 best-selling writers brings their distinctive voice to a chapter of the narrative, building the tension to a shocking, explosive finale.

With contributions from David Baldacci (Introduction), Jeff Lindsay, Alexander McCall Smith, Jonathan Santlofer, Sandra Brown, Faye Kellerman, Kathy Reichs, Benjamin Kelly, John Lescroart, T. Jefferson Parker, Gayle Lynds, Matthew Pearl, J. A. Jance, Michael Palmer, Marcia Talley, P. D. James, Diana Gabaldon, Philip Margolin, Tess Gerritsen, Katherine Neville, Lisa Scottoline, R. L. Stine, Jeffery Deaver, Laurie H. Armstrong, Brian Gruley, Robert Dugoni.

©2011 Sandra Brown, David Baldacci, R.L. Stine, Lisa Scottoline, Jeffery Deaver, David Baldacci (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Twenty-six fantastic writers + one good cause = irresistible mystery nirvana." (Lee Child)

"Brilliant…. If you like your mysteries smart, with a great twist, then you must read this book.” (Linda Fairstein)

"Wow, what a line up! You can't go wrong here." (Michael Connelly)

Too many authors

The book is uneven in quality probably due to too many authors. The plot is god but it's not enough.

Good book/bad recording!

The book is interesting and definitely worth a listen. The narrators do a fine job, and the plot moves forward fairly seamlessly considering each chapter is written by a different writer. However, Part 2 of the book is not broken down into segmented chapters for listening, as Part 1 is. I accidentally hit rewind on my Ipod and had to manually fast forward through 2 hours of listening to get back to the chapter I had left off on (unable to simply scroll back to the correct chapter). I don't know if my download was some kind of fluke since no other reviewer mentions this problem. But for the sake of future readers, I hope this problem has been corrected.

Interesting Experiment

Would you consider the audio edition of No Rest for the Dead to be better than the print version?

Yes, the audio version enhanced the print version for me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of No Rest for the Dead?

The most memorable moment for me was the execution of Rosemary Thomas. It was absolutely heartbreaking and I wondered if that was what truly happened to people when prisons carry out the death penalty.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Since there were six narrators, I couldn't really pick out one particular performance. I recognized the difference between the two female narrators. One I preferred over the other. However, it was more difficult to identify each male narrator. What I liked most, the seemingly deliberate attempt to separate narrators for the different characters. It made listening easier. There were six narrators: James Colby, Jonathan Davis, Richard Ferrone, Eliza Foss, Carol Monda and Tom Stechschulte.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The execution scene was the most emotional for me.

Any additional comments?

I just finished the audiobook and acknowledge that it was an interesting experiment to use so many different writers to create one story. And it was a good story. It didn't bother me listening to the different voices. But since some chapters were short, I often took five to ten minute breaks to keep the characters in my head.

Yes, sometimes the different voices of the writers were clearly defined, and a bit jarring from one chapter to the next, but not enough to completely ruin the story. Perhaps it's because I'm not familiar with all the writers. I think it an excellent accomplishment to get so many minds focused on one story. And it was a treat to listen to the work of R. L. Stein and it not be Goosebumps-related!

No Rest For The Dead reminded me of Christie's novel, Evil Under The Sun. It felt very 1970s whodunit. And I enjoyed it! Good story, good narration, fair experiment.

good story just tough to follow

it was good overall but the switching narrators and authors causes some confusion. "Too many cooks in the kitchen" comes to mind.

Probably better read than listened to

The variety of narrators is a little off-putting. Even in books with multiple narrators (like The Help), the first person narration is normally done in a common voice for that character. That said, the story is interesting, if a little predictable.

What a great idea!!

I loved how the writing style changes from one character to another (just like real peoples personalities come about differently) the book was very entertaining! I tip my hat to some of my favorite authors joining with some that I had never had the chance to read for some superior writting.

Different and refreshing

Very different. The differing styles of narration works great for the audio book format. Good tight story as well

Great story!!

this was a great story. the combination of all the different authors made it even better! the temperature in chest all the way up to the end didn't want to stop listening!!

Twists and turns

Loved the way the story passed from writer to writer with seamless effort. All built upon each layer, creating a believable plot filled with believable characters.

Brilliant!!

Absolutely brilliant. Storyline well though through and presented. I am officially a fan. thank you.