The Mercedes Coffin

出版者:William Morrow

作者:Faye Kellerman

页数:367

出版时间:2008-08-01

价格:USD 25.95

装帧:Hardcover

isbn号码:9780061227332

具体描述

Billionaire genius Genoa Greeves never got over the shocking death of her favorite teacher, Bennett "Dr. Ben" Alston Little, murdered execution-style and stuffed into the trunk of his Mercedes-Benz. No arrests were ever made, no killer charged for the brutal crime. Fifteen years later, the high-tech CEO reads about another execution-style murder; this time the victim is a Hollywood music producer named Primo Ekerling. There is no obvious connection, but the case is eerily similar to Little's and Genoa feels the time is right to close Dr. Ben's case once and for all—offering the L.A.P.D. a substantial financial "incentive" if justice is finally served for Little.

Lieutenant Peter Decker resents having to commit valuable manpower to a fifteen-year-old open case simply because a rich woman says "Jump!" Still, the recent murder of Primo Ekerling does bear a disturbing resemblance to Little's case, even though two thug suspects are currently behind bars for the Ekerling murder. Decker can't help but wonder about a connection. His first phone calls are to the two primary investigators in the Little case, retired detectives Calvin Vitton and Arnie Lamar. Lamar is cooperative, but Vitton is not only reluctant to talk, he winds up dead of a suspicious suicide twelve hours later. Plunging into this long-buried murder, Decker discovers that even though the two slayings are separated by a decade and a half, there is still plenty of greed, lust, and evil to connect the dots.

Decker's team of top investigators not only includes his favorite homicide detectives, Scott Oliver and Marge Dunn, but also his newly minted Hollywood detective daughter, Cindy Kutiel, whose help proves to be invaluable. His wife, Rina Lazarus, continues to be his backbone of support, offering a cool, rational outlook despite her growing concern for her husband's welfare and safety. Rina's worries and fears begin to build at a fevered pitch as past and present collide with a vengeance, catapulting an unsuspecting Peter Decker closer and closer to the edge of an infinite dark abyss.

A relentlessly gripping tale spun by a master, Faye Kellerman's The Mercedes Coffin races through a dangerous urban world of fleeting fame and false dreams, making heart-pumping hairpin turns at each step of a terrifying journey, where truth and justice are fine lines between life and death.

作者简介

Faye Kellerman was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Sherman Oaks, California. She earned a BA in mathematics and a doctorate in dentistry at UCLA, and conducted research in oral biology. Kellerman's groundbreaking first novel, The Ritual Bath, was published in 1986 to wide critical and commercial acclaim. The winner of the Macavity Award for the Best First Novel from the Mystery Readers of America, The Ritual Bath introduced readers to Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, who People magazine called: "Hands down, the most refreshing mystery couple around." The New York Times enthused, "This couple's domestic affairs have the haimish warmth of reality, unlike the formulaic lives of so many other genre detectives."

用户评价

这部作品的成功，很大程度上归功于其对“气氛”的营造达到了一个近乎完美的境界。通篇弥漫着一种挥之不去的、渗透到骨子里的不安感，这种不安并非来自故事情节的直接暴力，而是源于对未知和潜在危险的预期。作者对细节的捕捉极为敏锐，无论是对某个物件的特写，还是对特定光线或声音的描绘，都精准地服务于整体的压抑氛围。读这本书时，我不得不放慢速度，仔细品味那些看似不经意的描述，因为我知道，那些看似无关紧要的“背景噪音”，很可能就是未来灾难的前兆。这种潜移默化的心理影响，远比直接的恐怖描写更具穿透力，它直接攻击的是读者的安全感。对于追求深层次、心理层面的阅读体验的读者，这本书提供的氛围感是无可替代的，读完后很长一段时间内，你可能都会对周围环境保持一种异样的警觉。

从情节构建的角度来看，这部小说的巧妙之处在于它对“悬念”的掌控达到了炉火纯青的地步。它不是那种靠廉价的惊吓或突兀的反转来维持热度的作品，而是通过精妙的节奏控制，让你始终处于一种“知道有事要发生，但不知道具体是什么”的微妙状态。作者非常擅长利用场景切换和时间线的交错，不断地在你以为真相大白时，又抛出一个新的谜团。这种节奏感让阅读体验极为流畅，简直让人无法放下书本，恨不得一口气读完。而且，即便到了高潮部分，作者也依然保持着一种冷静的叙事姿态，这反而增强了事件的冲击力，因为它没有被情绪化的语言所稀释。对我来说，这种结构严谨、节奏精准的叙事，是判断一部悬疑或情节驱动型作品是否成功的关键标准，而这部作品无疑是其中的佼佼者。

这部作品在主题的探讨上显得尤为深刻和复杂。它不仅仅讲述了一个引人入胜的故事，更像是一面镜子，映照出我们社会中一些被忽视的角落和潜藏的矛盾。作者似乎并不急于给出简单的道德评判，而是将各种灰色地带和道德困境摆在读者面前，逼迫我们自己去权衡和选择。角色的命运交织在一起，展现了命运的无常和个体在巨大结构面前的渺小与挣扎。我尤其欣赏作者在处理权力、腐败以及个体救赎这些宏大主题时的审慎态度，没有流于说教，而是通过角色的实际行动和内心的挣扎来体现。每次读到关键情节，我都会忍不住思考，如果是我，我会做出怎样的选择？这种强烈的代入感和反思空间，是真正优秀作品的标志。它留给读者的东西，远比合上书本时看到的故事情节要多得多。

读完这本书，我最大的感受是作者的语言功力非凡，那种独特的文风简直让人过目不忘。他的句子结构常常出人意料，时而如同精准的外科手术刀般犀利，直指核心；时而又像是一幅色彩斑斓的油画，细腻地描绘出场景的细节与情感的波动。特别是他对内心独白的处理，那种深邃而富有哲理的思辨，总能引发我深层次的思考。我常常需要停下来，回味某一段话，琢磨其中蕴含的多重含义。这本书的阅读过程，与其说是被故事带着走，不如说是在跟随作者的思维漫步，享受着文字本身带来的美感和冲击。这种对文学性的极致追求，使得它超越了一般的类型小说，具备了更持久的艺术价值。对于喜欢沉浸在优美而富有张力的文字中的读者来说，这绝对是一次不容错过的文字盛宴。

这部作品的叙事节奏实在是太吸引人了，从一开始的宁静铺陈到后来的急转直下，每一个转折都恰到好处地抓住了读者的心弦。作者对人物心理的刻画入木三分，那种在压力下逐渐显露的真实人性，读起来让人感到既熟悉又心惊。我尤其欣赏作者对环境氛围的营造，那种弥漫在字里行间的压抑感和不确定性，仿佛能透过书页渗出来，让读者完全沉浸其中。 故事的主线发展是层层递进的，每一个小小的线索都像是一颗精心埋设的棋子，直到最后才揭示出全局的布局。我一度以为自己猜到了结局，结果却被作者一个巧妙的回马枪打了个措手不及。这种高超的叙事技巧，让阅读体验充满了探索的乐趣。而且，角色的动机描绘得非常真实，即使是那些看似反面的行为，也能从中找到合理的逻辑支撑，避免了脸谱化的刻板印象。整本书读下来，我感觉自己仿佛经历了一场惊心动魄的旅程，久久不能平复。

故事情节太老生常谈，写作上也毫无特别之处，我只能说这是比较俗套的police procedural

故事情节太老生常谈，写作上也毫无特别之处，我只能说这是比较俗套的police procedural

故事情节太老生常谈，写作上也毫无特别之处，我只能说这是比较俗套的police procedural

故事情节太老生常谈，写作上也毫无特别之处，我只能说这是比较俗套的police procedural

故事情节太老生常谈，写作上也毫无特别之处，我只能说这是比较俗套的police procedural