All the Dead Were Strangers

A fascinating and unusual plot; never read anything like it before. Asked by a friend to investigate a list of names, the hero/detective of this novel finds that the people listed are dying - apparently by accident. None of the people are connected to one another. The man who gave the hero the list also dies in an "accident." You'll never predict the ending of this one. Novelist Ethan Black has a first rate imagination and writes very very well. The personal details of the detective's life are every bit as fascinating as the professional side. One helluva good read!!

Ethan Black returns with a great novel that's even better than `Irresistible'. A timely thriller that holds nothing backWhen Conrad Voort meets up with an old best friend named Meechum Keefe at a tavern in Greenwich Village, he finds that his friend is scared and paranoid. Meechum gives Voort a list of five names and addresses and asks him to find something that ties these names together. The next day Voort finds Meechum is missing, and with the only clue he has to go on, he starts investigating the list. Voort soon finds out that there is very little to tie the people on the list together. The first three on the list seem to have died in separate accidents. The last two are still alive, for now. When Voort tries to locate the last two people, he realizes there lives are in danger. When he locates number four, a beautiful doctor, he falls in love. He soon makes a connection. It seems that terrorism might tie all these people together.Terrorists and secret organizations all play a crucial role in this well crafted and very well written thriller. From the descriptive narrative to the tight dialogue, this story puts you in the center. Very entertaining and very involving. I very much look forward to Ethan Black's future novels.Highly recommended.Inside the covers:A scorpion wants to cross a river, but he can't swim, so he asks a frog to carry him across. The frog says "are you crazy? If I put you on my back, you'll sting me and I'll die." The scorpion says, "That's stupid. If I do that we both die." So the frog says yes. And when they're in the middle of the river, the scorpion stings him. They're going under. The scorpion says, "I can't help it. It's my nature."

As a mystery writer with my debut novel in its initial release, I love a solid thriller. ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS is a solid thriller. Ethan Black's third novel (following THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB and IRRESISTIBLE)deals with terrorism, the government's attempts to battle it, and a top-notch mystery story. Black's Conrad Voort, an NYPD detective, is passed a list of people around the country with connections to terrorism. Some are dead, perhaps murdered. Others include Dr. Jill Towne, with whom Voort becomes taken, and Frank Greene, who is hoping to blow up a nice chunk of New York City. A shadowy Saudi businessman/terrorist, Abu Bin Hussein, also plays a part in this story, as do numerous government operatives. Black has a well-plotted--topical and timely--story. His characters are well-drawn, and his writing is excellent. ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS is an excellent suspense novel.

New York detective Conrad Voort has not seen his friend Meechum since they were children, so it comes as a welcome surprise when he gets a phone call from his old buddy inviting him for drinks. As Voort meets his friend in a Manhattan bar, he notices his friend is acting strange…a little nervous, a little scared, and a lot paranoid. As Voort probes his friend with questions, Meechum skirts around giving any answers, only telling his friend he has made a list of names and he would like Voort to investigate the names on the list. Puzzled, but willing to do his friend the favor, Voort agrees. Twenty-four hours later, Meechum is missing! As Voort begins looking into the list of names he is shocked to find that all of the people, except for two, have died in so called "accidents". Determined to get in touch with the two survivors, he comes in contact with Dr. Jill Towne, the fourth name on the list. Dr. Towne is, at first, not very cooperative, but after a visit from other men claiming to be FBI, and an almost "accident" against her, she opens up to Voort and wants his help. While Voort continues his quest for answers, the men behind the diabolical plan discover Voort’s intentions, and must put a stop it, no matter the cost…even murder. Forced to make a terrible choice, Voort must go head-to-head with two very dangerous men, face some shocking truths about the friend he thought he knew, and deal with his feelings for Dr. Towne, a woman who may be a key player in a massive conspiracy that will lead to a brutal act of mass murder. ‘All The Dead Were Strangers’ is a very exciting thriller. Most of the plot remains a secret, and it needs to, for Ethan Black exposes just enough information to jolt the reader and keep them turning the pages. The gritty streets of Manhattan come alive with lies, deceit, conspiracy, and murder in a mystery that proves Ethan Black is one of our finest new thriller writers. After two previous novels, Mr. Black earns his place alongside best-selling authors Michael Connolly, and John Sandford as he continues with his stunning Conrad Voort series. Fans of fast-paced, original detective thrillers should treat themselves and read ‘All The Dead Were Strangers’, and then go back and read the two previous novels in the series ‘The Broken Hearts Club’, and ‘Irresistible’. A MUST read! ...

. It has been a decade since NYPD detective Conrad Voort and Meechum Keefe seen each other. The old childhood friends share drinks in the historic White Horse Tavern in the Village, but instead of a nostalgic camaraderie, Meechum acts apprehensive and on edge. The next day, Conrad learns that Meechum has vanished leaving behind a list of five names on a napkin he wrote on in the bar. Conrad quickly realizes that the common thread of the list from Meechum Keefe is that each person has been involved directly or indirectly with violence. Several died allegedly from accidents, but Conrad wonders if murder occurred. As he makes further inquiries into the remaining survivors, Conrad finds himself attracted to one of them, Dr. Jill Towne currently treating a terrorist. He soon finds preliminary evidence that a top secret government agency hires killers to eliminate ?threats? to security (that is to that agency) including nosy detectives getting to close to the truth. With THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB, IRRESISTIBLE, and now ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS, Conrad Voort proves he is a great lead character in a continuing police procedural series. The current plot raises questions on terrorism and antiterrorism, but the clever Ethan Black never allows his political-social thesis interfere to even slightly slow down his thriller. By enhancing the plot with issues involving the means justifying the ends, Mr. Black will catapult readers into seeking the previous two Voort books and his other tales as the audience will conclude that ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS is a great novel. Harriet Klausner