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BETTER OFF DEAD Successful Hollywood movie producer Wolf Willett is stunned when he happens to read his own New York Times obituary -- victim of a sordid triple homicide amid a steamy menage a trois with his young bride and best friend. Who's the corpse? Who wants him dead? And why has wolf blacked out the entire evening of the grisly crime? Unfortunately, the Santa Fe D.A. thinks Wolf has all the answers. With the means, the motive and an inexplicable memory loss, he is promptly arrested--star suspect in a murder case that's making headlines from coast to coast. Then another murder complicates the scenario. With help from hot shot criminal attorney Ed Eagle and with New Mexico's death penalty as an incentive, Wolf races to clear his name -- and dodge the real killer -- in this thrilling novel of mazes, mystery and murder.
When Hollywood producer Wolf Willett discovers his own obituary detailing a triple homicide he has no memory of committing, he becomes the primary suspect in a high-stakes murder investigation. Willett must navigate a disorienting reality where his own life has been erased and replaced by a criminal narrative. Facing a relentless Santa Fe District Attorney and the looming threat of the death penalty, he relies on the expertise of criminal attorney Ed Eagle to reconstruct the missing hours of his life. The narrative unfolds as a race against time, forcing Willett to untangle a web of deception while evading a killer who remains one step ahead of the law.
This novel functions as a classic example of the legal thriller genre, emphasizing procedural tension and the protagonist's desperate search for truth. The premise relies on the trope of the wrongly accused individual forced to navigate a hostile justice system while battling personal uncertainty. Readers often note the sharp contrast between the high-profile Hollywood background and the grounded, atmospheric setting of New Mexico. The narrative mechanics prioritize rapid pacing and escalating stakes, characteristic of the author's established style in crime fiction. The story effectively utilizes the legal expertise of the supporting character to provide a structural anchor for the chaotic events surrounding the protagonist.
Page Count:
320
Publication Date:
1996-02-19
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
ISBN-10:
0006473180
ISBN-13:
9780006473183
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