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Death Has A Thousand Doors
DEATH HAS A THOUSAND DOORS is set in the little-known Pyrenean country of Andorra in the late 1990s. Family complications abound. Jane Burns, an Australian accountant, is a recovering alcoholic with a troubled past. When she receives a letter inviting her to visit Andorra for the winding-up of her grandfather's multi-million dollar trust, she jumps at the opportunity to leave her humdrum life and troubles behind. She expects to stay with her half-sister, Pearl, a photo journalist who moved to Andorra to escape an abusive marriage, but on her arrival Pearl is missing without explanation. The only clue to her whereabouts is an unlikely welcoming gift to Jane of a bottle of champagne.
Jane and Pearl's father, Charles, an aloof historian, becomes Jane's ally in the search for Pearl. In a twisted web starting from the founding of the family trust after the Second World War, and involving financial misdoings, kidnapping and tobacco-smuggling, Jane and Charles try to discover which threads will lead them to Pearl, and which are simply the detritus of her daily life as an investigative journalist. On the way, Jane meets a sympathetic village policeman. She also meets Pearl's lover, a prominent Andorran politician. But are these two men helping or hindering the investigation?
Jane and Pearl's father, Charles, an aloof historian, becomes Jane's ally in the search for Pearl. In a twisted web starting from the founding of the family trust after the Second World War, and involving financial misdoings, kidnapping and tobacco-smuggling, Jane and Charles try to discover which threads will lead them to Pearl, and which are simply the detritus of her daily life as an investigative journalist. On the way, Jane meets a sympathetic village policeman. She also meets Pearl's lover, a prominent Andorran politician. But are these two men helping or hindering the investigation?
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 22, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 16, 2016
This unusual mystery novel is set in the European principality of Andorra, in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Australian visitor Jane arrives to visit her half-sister Pearl, a war correspondent who lives in the peaceful tiny country in between missions abroad. But Pearl is missing, and Jane has to turn detective in an increasingly desperate quest to find out what has happened to her.
The book contains a lot of local colour about Andorra, which is fascinating but can sometimes get a bit much, as characters tell each other long strings of facts, historical events are recounted or a recipe is explained and the plot gets completely lost! There is also a lot of rather repetitive dialogue and too many characters to keep track of easily. In general I felt the book could have done with better editing, but I am still glad to have read it.
The book contains a lot of local colour about Andorra, which is fascinating but can sometimes get a bit much, as characters tell each other long strings of facts, historical events are recounted or a recipe is explained and the plot gets completely lost! There is also a lot of rather repetitive dialogue and too many characters to keep track of easily. In general I felt the book could have done with better editing, but I am still glad to have read it.
May 12, 2025
Dieses Buch habe ich für meine Weltreise-Challenge gelesen und tatsächlich konnte ich so einiges über Andorra lernen. Zwar hat sich unterdessen wahrscheinlich einiges geändert seit der Titel erschienen ist (2011), aber ich habe trotzdem einen schönen Einblick in die Lebensart der Menschen dort erhalten.
Die Handlung selbst ist sehr langsam, manchmal hat es mich gepackt und manchmal zog es sich auch. Oft wirkte die Geschichte etwas überladen, da Grey sehr viel in die ca. 300 Seiten reinpacken möchte. Auch möchte ich Interessierte auf einige Triggerwarnungen aufmerksam machen (Alkoholabhängigkeit, Essstörungen). Die Geschichte spielt in den 00er-Jahren und liest sich auch so. Das damalige Weltbild wird sehr gut wiedergegeben, was mich teilweise einige Nerven gekostet hat.
Am Ende ging alles etwas schnell, aber es wurde auch alles aufgelöst. Das Buch ist ok, lebt aber vor allem von dem Setting in Andorra. Den Rest fand ich persönlich etwas mau.
Die Handlung selbst ist sehr langsam, manchmal hat es mich gepackt und manchmal zog es sich auch. Oft wirkte die Geschichte etwas überladen, da Grey sehr viel in die ca. 300 Seiten reinpacken möchte. Auch möchte ich Interessierte auf einige Triggerwarnungen aufmerksam machen (Alkoholabhängigkeit, Essstörungen). Die Geschichte spielt in den 00er-Jahren und liest sich auch so. Das damalige Weltbild wird sehr gut wiedergegeben, was mich teilweise einige Nerven gekostet hat.
Am Ende ging alles etwas schnell, aber es wurde auch alles aufgelöst. Das Buch ist ok, lebt aber vor allem von dem Setting in Andorra. Den Rest fand ich persönlich etwas mau.
October 24, 2016
Death has a Thousand Doors ticks all the boxes as far as mystery novels go - a heroine with a troubled past, a missing person, romantic undertones between heroine and detective, clues that flummox, creepy people who turn out to be okay and regular people who turn out to be creeps. A mystery novel does not have to do much to keep the pages turning, human curiosity to know whodunnit is enough. The writing is ordinary and the plot is often manipulated to accommodate a romantic scene or attempt to throw the reader off-track.
The best I can say is - it is not terrible.
On the bright side though, as the story winds through the towns and the surrounding mountainside, the landscape pops up on its pages. The characters zip through the towns and streets and give an insight of life in Andorra, best known for being a tax haven. To its credit, the book brings this unknown location under the spotlight and for the 300-odd pages I discover the world within this speck.
The best I can say is - it is not terrible.
On the bright side though, as the story winds through the towns and the surrounding mountainside, the landscape pops up on its pages. The characters zip through the towns and streets and give an insight of life in Andorra, best known for being a tax haven. To its credit, the book brings this unknown location under the spotlight and for the 300-odd pages I discover the world within this speck.
October 28, 2015
Very enjoyable! Both an intelligent, well-crafted mystery story and a fascinating insight into the culture and history of the tiny co-principality of Andorra.
August 1, 2023
I came across the book doing a Read Around the World challenge and chose it as a book taking place in Andorra. To be honest I'm not sure I was expecting much, as it wasn't widely reviewed. The first chapter was a little clunky and i definitely feel like she jumps into the mystery without any fanfare. But to my surprise, I really enjoyed this book and didn't want to put it down. An intriguing mystery of a woman trying to find her missing half sister, and along the way encounters many whose odd behavior and shady backgrounds make you wonder if the entire town is involved! But in reality, I imagine (cause I've never been there) that it nicely encapsulates the varying characters one would actually meet in Andorra, a plethora of die hard nationalists determined to keep Andorra the quiet safe country, protected by police who usually only deal in traffic tickets, mixed with a multitude of European expats escaping to a simpler place and plenty of criminals who are taking advantage of the lax community. This book included all of that, and added in a protagonist who was flawed and broken but also smart and unafraid. There is even a little romance in the mix. The ending left me with questions unanswered, or at least anti-climactically answered, but still an overall good book. Read this book if you enjoy mysteries and novels that give you a glimpse into daily life in another country.
January 16, 2026
"' Wanting something, doesn't make it happen.'"
Hmm... I wanted to love this much more than I did. Death Has a Thousand Doors is set in the 1990s and is the story of Jane, who flies out to Andorra to hear what will happen to her late grandfathers multi-million dollar trust. When she arrives, she finds that her sister Pearl has gone missing. What follows is a crazy investigation with the help of Jane's somewhat aloof father who also happens to be a historian. During the investigation, we meet a range of savory and unsavory characters, making us wonder, what happened, who was involved, and whether we can trust anything anymore.
Sounds good right? And it would have been, if not for the fact that I could not connect with Jane at all, had a terrible time trying to keep track of all the characters (and regularly found myself flipping back to figure out who so and so was again), and while I absolutely loved getting to know more of Andorra, its history, its people and its culture, I found those elements distracting from the main story line.
So... not my favorite, but, as I read this to learn more about Andorra, I would still call it a success, because I did learn a lot (and was salivating over the yummy food descriptions more than once).
Hmm... I wanted to love this much more than I did. Death Has a Thousand Doors is set in the 1990s and is the story of Jane, who flies out to Andorra to hear what will happen to her late grandfathers multi-million dollar trust. When she arrives, she finds that her sister Pearl has gone missing. What follows is a crazy investigation with the help of Jane's somewhat aloof father who also happens to be a historian. During the investigation, we meet a range of savory and unsavory characters, making us wonder, what happened, who was involved, and whether we can trust anything anymore.
Sounds good right? And it would have been, if not for the fact that I could not connect with Jane at all, had a terrible time trying to keep track of all the characters (and regularly found myself flipping back to figure out who so and so was again), and while I absolutely loved getting to know more of Andorra, its history, its people and its culture, I found those elements distracting from the main story line.
So... not my favorite, but, as I read this to learn more about Andorra, I would still call it a success, because I did learn a lot (and was salivating over the yummy food descriptions more than once).
April 26, 2021
A very well developed mystery based in Andorra
Patricia Grey has written a well developed story involving a disappearance of a photographer know for her photos of war and conflicts.
A woman goes to Andorra for family financials and see her half sister. But when she arrives, Pearl is no where to be found.
With the help of her family, police and friendly inhabitants, they begin to piece together how and why Pearl has disappeared.
Readers learn about Andorra. A country very few people know about, let alone know where it is.
Readers need to understand when this book was written. Computers were dial-up and cell phones flip phones. However, the technology presented was modern at the time.
Readers learn about Her history, its people, and its geography . All without sounding like a textbook.
This book set in Andorra has satisfactorily met my requirement for my World Book Challenge.
Patricia Grey has written a well developed story involving a disappearance of a photographer know for her photos of war and conflicts.
A woman goes to Andorra for family financials and see her half sister. But when she arrives, Pearl is no where to be found.
With the help of her family, police and friendly inhabitants, they begin to piece together how and why Pearl has disappeared.
Readers learn about Andorra. A country very few people know about, let alone know where it is.
Readers need to understand when this book was written. Computers were dial-up and cell phones flip phones. However, the technology presented was modern at the time.
Readers learn about Her history, its people, and its geography . All without sounding like a textbook.
This book set in Andorra has satisfactorily met my requirement for my World Book Challenge.
June 27, 2024
[2.25]
I enjoyed the information bits we got about Andorra and its smuggling history and I think that should have been a primary focus for the circumstances of Pearl's disappearance.
The dialogue seemed so fake, you can clearly tell that no one would actually speak like that irl.
For someone whose sister disappeared, Jane was too calm for my liking. In general, the entire atmosphere was too relaxed. It didn't really feel like a murder mystery at all.
The ending was too rushed and didn't make sense either. It was like the author tried to wrap things up quickly without stoping to see if it even makes sense. It makes me angry just thinking about it.
I enjoyed the information bits we got about Andorra and its smuggling history and I think that should have been a primary focus for the circumstances of Pearl's disappearance.
The dialogue seemed so fake, you can clearly tell that no one would actually speak like that irl.
For someone whose sister disappeared, Jane was too calm for my liking. In general, the entire atmosphere was too relaxed. It didn't really feel like a murder mystery at all.
The ending was too rushed and didn't make sense either. It was like the author tried to wrap things up quickly without stoping to see if it even makes sense. It makes me angry just thinking about it.
August 12, 2021
A escrita não é tão viciante quanto deveria ser (por ser um thriller) mas a questão de andorra é muito massa
ps: isso daria um ÓTIMO episódio de casos de família
ps: isso daria um ÓTIMO episódio de casos de família
Want to read
August 19, 2025Andorra
April 14, 2024
Reading Challenge: Read A Book From Every Inhabited Country and Territory
Book 7 of 245: Death Has A Thousand Doors by Patricia W. Grey (2011; Andorra)
I had to cheat a bit with this one as I couldn't find any novels translated into English by Andorran authors so I had to go with this book which was written by Australian born but long-term Andorran resident Patricia W. Grey. This mystery novel moves along at a decent clip with short, breezy chapters (in spite of the dark theme of the novel), making it an easy read. Despite being engaging for the most part; this is a little too breezy for a novel about a woman who goes missing in suspicious, likely violent circumstances. The novel follows what seems like a slightly self-inserted proxy for the author, protagonist Jane Burns; a smart and capable Australian financial auditor who travels to Andorra to visit her laidback, attractive photojournalist sister. However, on arriving in Andorra, she quickly realises her sister is missing.
Jane as a character annoyed me. She's something of a typical Mary Sue protagonist, that's common to some of these breezier mystery and genre novels. She's practical, smart, calm (maybe a little too calm about her missing sister) and resillient. Even though she is more of an every-woman than her stunningly gorgeous sister Pearl, men and all the decent likeable characters are drawn to her and literally point out how impressed/enthralled they are by her. The antagonistic characters are immediately hostile for little reason. And while Jane's positive characteristics are indeed true, please show and don't tell! I read her as being somewhat standoffish and judgmental (some of her inner monologues or political arguments with native Andorrans are reductive, snooty and ignorant) but I think we as the reader are supposed to see these negative qualities as stoic, assertive and straightforward. However, she came across as an asshole and I don't enjoy when authors portray characters this way. Even Jane's dark secret or fundamental flaw that could have added shades of grey to her bland characterisation is revealed in the middle of the book and really dilutes some of the darkness and consequence that could have made that character must more interesting.
Before I get to what I actually liked, I also have to say that the ending is absolutely way too abrupt. You can read chapter after chapter and just when you feel the plot is heating up, it absolutely ends abruptly and with a whimper. I think the ending really let what could have been a tight mystery down in a major way.
It's a shame too because this novel gave me much of what I was looking for in doing this reading challenge - learning more about the culture of different countries. Okay, so we are seeing this through an Australian character written by an Australian novelist but Grey does a great job on highlighting the geography of small little Andorra and the way the people live. There's a nice amount of slice of life stuff combined with the mystery and not always squeaky clean history of Andorra. Grey does a really nice job of diving in-depth to such a small principality and there really was a lot of promise here if she had a stronger sense of plotting. It's a pity because it dampens what could have been a fully compelling mystery in a sleepy, underrated country like Andorra.
Book 7 of 245: Death Has A Thousand Doors by Patricia W. Grey (2011; Andorra)
I had to cheat a bit with this one as I couldn't find any novels translated into English by Andorran authors so I had to go with this book which was written by Australian born but long-term Andorran resident Patricia W. Grey. This mystery novel moves along at a decent clip with short, breezy chapters (in spite of the dark theme of the novel), making it an easy read. Despite being engaging for the most part; this is a little too breezy for a novel about a woman who goes missing in suspicious, likely violent circumstances. The novel follows what seems like a slightly self-inserted proxy for the author, protagonist Jane Burns; a smart and capable Australian financial auditor who travels to Andorra to visit her laidback, attractive photojournalist sister. However, on arriving in Andorra, she quickly realises her sister is missing.
Jane as a character annoyed me. She's something of a typical Mary Sue protagonist, that's common to some of these breezier mystery and genre novels. She's practical, smart, calm (maybe a little too calm about her missing sister) and resillient. Even though she is more of an every-woman than her stunningly gorgeous sister Pearl, men and all the decent likeable characters are drawn to her and literally point out how impressed/enthralled they are by her. The antagonistic characters are immediately hostile for little reason. And while Jane's positive characteristics are indeed true, please show and don't tell! I read her as being somewhat standoffish and judgmental (some of her inner monologues or political arguments with native Andorrans are reductive, snooty and ignorant) but I think we as the reader are supposed to see these negative qualities as stoic, assertive and straightforward. However, she came across as an asshole and I don't enjoy when authors portray characters this way. Even Jane's dark secret or fundamental flaw that could have added shades of grey to her bland characterisation is revealed in the middle of the book and really dilutes some of the darkness and consequence that could have made that character must more interesting.
Before I get to what I actually liked, I also have to say that the ending is absolutely way too abrupt. You can read chapter after chapter and just when you feel the plot is heating up, it absolutely ends abruptly and with a whimper. I think the ending really let what could have been a tight mystery down in a major way.
It's a shame too because this novel gave me much of what I was looking for in doing this reading challenge - learning more about the culture of different countries. Okay, so we are seeing this through an Australian character written by an Australian novelist but Grey does a great job on highlighting the geography of small little Andorra and the way the people live. There's a nice amount of slice of life stuff combined with the mystery and not always squeaky clean history of Andorra. Grey does a really nice job of diving in-depth to such a small principality and there really was a lot of promise here if she had a stronger sense of plotting. It's a pity because it dampens what could have been a fully compelling mystery in a sleepy, underrated country like Andorra.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews