Recently, David Shawn Klein’s second novel, And the Dead Shall Live, was published by Black Rose Writing. It’s another standalone story of comparable quality to his 2021 debut, The Money. With its intricate plotting and weighty character backstory, this is perhaps the superior of the two.
Not to give too much of the story away, but the plot goes something like this: Philip Raymond, a once-famous novelist and political consultant who now suffers from agoraphobia, is persuaded by Kit, a grieving mother, to investigate the suspicious death of her daughter. Raymond’s scrupulous research uncovers a connection to Lee Fletcher, a billionaire recluse. Intrigued by Fletcher and spurred on by the thought that this investigation might culminate in a successful book, Raymond hires twenty-something researcher Jesse Carter to try to infiltrate Fletcher’s organization, aware that she might also become the next victim.
Klein maintains a careful hand on the expansive story, pulling Raymond into the narrative at precisely the right moments and revealing fascinating details about his protagonist’s murky past. Expertly told, with well-drawn characters and nail-biting moments, And the Dead Shall Live is an especially engaging thriller. I hope the wait won’t be too long to get hold of the author’s next novel.
The book is available from Amazon at this web link: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Shall-David-Shawn-Klein/dp/1685133746/
