Pulse

by Edna Buchanan

With the perfect wife, two beautiful daughters and a successful business, Frank Douglas had everything to live for. But someone else had to die first. If Daniel Alexander had not committed suicide, Frank Douglas would never have lived to see his forty-fifth birthday. Alexander's heart now beats strong and sure in Douglas's chest. The donated organ has given the successful Miami businessman a second chance but it gives him no peace.

Disturbed by nagging feelings of guilt and uncertainty, Frank sets out to discover all he can about the benefactor whose death gave him life. His search leads him to Rory Alexander--Daniel's beautiful, enigmatic wife-and to troubling questions and shocking revelations about the late man's affairs. Why, for example, have the profits from Alexander's seemingly successful business ventures mysteriously vanished? And why is Rory so unshakably certain that her husband was murdered?

A numbers man, Frank Douglas needs to have the figures add up--and that need is drawing him and a seductive, distraught widow across the length of a nation, and deep into something corrupt and twisted and deadly. And suddenly the new life he was granted is in serious peril, threatened by secrets, lies, human savagery and greed. . .and by the true dark nature of the heart that is now pumping the lifeblood through his body.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

321 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Edna Buchanan knew she wanted to be a writer since she was 4 years old. She moved to Florida where she got a job at a small newspaper. Ms. Buchanan became a reporter for the Miami Beach Daily Sun in the late 1960s.

In 1970, she was hired as a general assignment and police-beat reporter at the Miami Herald. In 1973, Ms. Buchanan became a police beat reporter, which coincided with the rise of Miami as a center of the international drug trade.

Winning a Pulitzer Prize, Ms. Buchanan became one of the best-known crime reporters in the U.S. She discussed some of her assignments in the books, The Corpse Had a Familiar Face (1991) and Never Let Them See You Cry (1993). She has retired from journalism and writes mystery novels. The main character in her crime mystery series is Britt Montero.

Reviews

[Sana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Frank Douglas has everything to live for. But someone else had to die first." Pulse was the epitome of everything that I crave in a book of my liking; suspense, murder, mystery, bad cop/good cop, a breezy affair, a grave secret and a family turned against the hero. Edna Buchanan is one hell of a good writer, compelling but not too forceful, psychologically correct but yet realistic.

An entertaining read, the story follows Frank Douglas after his heart surgery and the change in habits that is brought on by it. Curiosity gets the better of him and he is unable to kill the urge to find out about the man whose heart beats inside him now. This sets on a vicious cycle of deceit and things better left as they are. Frank slowly uncovers the secrets battling his attraction towards the widow of Daniel Alexander.

I loved the way the book is written, so perceptual of the mere acts of kindness in human lives. The fast-paced chase to uncover the secrets and the grueling hours in between were worth it. There were good doses of mystery from time to time and I liked the alienation he feels from his family. It is all superbly written!

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly good! True who dunnit.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

I would recommend this for easy reading. It was a good mystery but quite wordy in someplaces. I got the picture of what was going on. Could be 100 pages shorter.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made my pulse race….interesting scenario where the recipient of a heart transplant is determined to get involved in the situation for the family of the dead donor. He quickly decides that there is something fishy in the situation.. he investigates and almost finds himself in a struggle with a supposedly dead man.

[Kelle Schnabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It keeps you guessing

Edna Buchanan keeps you guessing throughout. Her descriptions of South Florida are spot on. Kinda makes me miss home. She develops wonderful characters and builds the action of the novel all the way to the end.

[Carolyn Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Buchanan book to enjoy.

[Linda Dezenski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well researched book involving a main character who had a heart transplant. It is a story about what happens when he finds the donor's family. It was very good.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I've never heard of the author and it was good.

[Barbara Arty]

I read this in kindle. Nobody seemed to mention the numerous typos. On almost every two pages there were two words merged together. I got through it but don’t understand.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting, good story, but uncomfortable to read.

[Alyssa Quail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story line was great, the only reason I kept reading. I am not a fan of the writing style of the actual writer herself. It was a slow start, and hard to read at times. The end to me seemed rushed and put together quickly. Probably won’t read anything else from her.

[Ann Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

How did they lure Nick to Frank's house? (That's how they killed him, right?) (P.S. - If my significant other was hellbent on institutionalizing me, I wouldn't be so quick to forgive them.)

[Mickey Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A page-turner. I didn't like any of the characters. Book needs editing, the formatting is a mess and words are missing in some spots.

[MaryAlice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent read, Pulse by Edna Buchanan. Buchanan whets a readers curiosity on the first page, holds reader's interest until the last page has been turned. Wish I could figure out how she (and others) do that. I started two other books, put them aside after forty some pages, then picked up Pulse and read long into the night when eyes were getting bleary. The other two novels sound like interesting stories, so that it is the old "not what you say, how you say it" saw. Buchanan knows how to say it.

Pulse features Frank a recent heart transplant recipient. A Facebook game friend recently had a heart transplant. My mind would wander, as I read, if she experiences this. Or that. I had a hard time following her posts about medications. Pulse helped me understand it.

Against advice from transplant organization, Frank is determined to find out whose heart is beating inside him. Filled with gratitude, he wants to help the family left behind. It is hard to say more about this story without giving away any surprises, and there are lots of plot twists and turns. Suffice it to say marital strife arises; Frank's oldest daughter is sneaking around with an older man; murder and suicide occurs; Frank thinks he has taken on aspects of his heart donor's personality; his wife thinks his medication needs to be adjusted.

I was disappointed at the end of the story, but I guess it is the more realistic ending. Even though I loved reading Pulse, I do not know that I would read it again, hence the middle rating.

[C Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Edna Buchanan book I've read, and I have a soft spot for writers/novelists who are journalists, and characters who are involved in the media, being a journalism graduate myself although that was 2 years ago. I got a hardbound bargain in a bookstore and when I saw the cover, I felt compelled to pick it up and buy it, like it wanted to be bought, flipped open, and read. As an avid reader of mystery/suspense/thriller novels, this I couldn't put down. It has unexpected twists and turns and seriously made me palpitate. The writer's imagination is a breath of fresh air, and I found myself involved with the characters - feel sorry for them, hate them, question them, and try to imagine myself in their shoes. This book is too good to put down, no side stories, no unnecessary flashbacks, and I read it in one sitting, maybe you will too. The characters aren't really complex, they're just your day-to-day John/Jane Does, which is why it's easy to place your self with them. Nothing supernatural here, and there's sex, lies, and family values. I know, not a good combination, especially in a sentence. The writer illustrates scenes and they are pieces to a puzzle, which the characters put together to make a big picture out of them. In a nutshell, this book contains the formula of an effective suspense/mystery novel: deception. You think you know it, but you don't unless it's right in front of you.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a nasty habit of never reading the back of a book to see what the story entails. In other words, I often pick bok solely on their cover! Never judge a book, you may say. But honestly it usally works out very well for me. When I picked this up yesterday from Mt. Toobie I thought it was going to be a thriller/horror of types. After finishing it today I would definately place it more in the mystery category. And it only gets a 3 as I hated the ending but will not poil it here.

Frank Douglas wakes up feeling tremendously better in the hospital. His heart transplant has come just in the nick of time and his recovery from it can be labelled as nothing short of spectacular. He has a deepenening need to contact the family of his donor and will do anything he possibly can to see that what is left of that family will thrive...even if it means losing his own family in the meantime.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A successful man in his 40's receives a heart transplant. He has an amazing recovery and when he returns home to his wife and two daughters decides to 'find' the family of the individual who's heart he received. His wife does not like this idea and thinks it is not the thing to do, but that he should spend the time reacquainting himself with his family (his older daughter, about 18, is seeing a 30 something former teacher and the man does not approve), but he ignores his wife's request. This all leads to a relationship with the widow of the donor, his wife turning to an Attorney and possible Bake Act commitment for him, and his involvement with murder and mayhem. There is complexity to the plot and the characters are generally interesting enough to keep you reading. Like most of Buchanan's books, this one is worth spending the time with.

[Rosemary Cantrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this book on CD. I had mixed feelings on this book. Frank Douglas has received a heart transplant and is consumed with a desire to know about the donor. This brings him into touch with the widow and her son and lots of mystery. Where is all the money that her husband pulled from all the accounts? Was it really her husband who died? Was it really suicide, or was it murder?

They mystery is the more interesting part of the story. The characters, on the other hand, are sometimes hard to believe. Frank does things that make no sense. He is suddenly involved with things, such as witnessing murders, that are hard to believe.

Some of the plot lines are also unbelievable, or just too lucky for real life. I also thought the ending left a lot to be desired. This was just a so-so read for me.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot caught my attention. And it started out awesome and I didnt want to put the book down at first. But the end just kinda seemed rushed. **SPOILER** **SPOILER** **SPOILER** I didnt really like how the main character can just go back to his life. Without giving away the ending too much, I just didn't agree with the affair part of the story. He didnt have to sleep with Rory. I do not agree with romanticizing affairs. Especially since he has been with his wife for about 20 years. Then just go back to his wife at the end. I think the book would have been just as good with out the few little sex sences with Rory. It didn't add anything to the plot.

[Tiffeny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I (audio) read my first Edna Buchanan book a couple of weeks ago, loved it, and was dying for another. This one was the only one that my library had that was not part of the Brit Montero series (I want to read those in order now) and was a book-on-tape. I didn't love the direction of this story as much as the last book I read, but it totally held my interest. It kept me guessing through most of the book and it wrapped up well. There was no language, though there was sex and adult content, but not graphic. I'm glad I found this author. I will be reading her a lot more.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My aunt checked this book out of the library. In the 5 years, since I have owned an e-reader of some type, I may have read that many hardcover/ paperback books, but she insisted I had to read this one. So I did- in 1 day. Being a volunteer firefighter, the firefighting theme grabbed my attention first, but the characters and the teists and turns held me untili had finished it. A very well written and researched book! I reccomend it to anyone who enjoys suspense. Iwas sorry not to find anymore by this author.

[MASH · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am reading this on my Nook. I was expecting one of her murder mysteries so I kept waiting for the body to show up. I have read a few novels that deal with heart transplants. This was ok but not the best one. The main character seemed to think whatever he did (neglect of his wife, extramarital affair) that his wife would forgive him and their marriage would stay intact. Hmmm.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspense novel - Miami businessman, Frank Douglas, is recovering from a heart transplant. He wants to meet the donor's family and see if there is anything he can do for them. Rory, the donor's widow, finds that her husband has cashed out all assets before committing suicide. As Frank obsessively gets involved, his wife plans to have him committed as incompetent.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buchanan is a talented storyteller and she knows how to build suspense. This is a stand-alone work. Frank Douglas receives a donor heart and is regaining his health when he starts to have odd dreams. When he acts on his compulsion to find and meet the donor's family, his own family life suffers.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Ms Buchanan's Miami based thrillers and this was no exception. A fast paced page turner. Keeps you guessing until the end.

[Bobbye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to it on CD and am not sure how it would read.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent; receipient of a transplanted heart, a man has visions and seeks out the family of the donor; he comes to believe the man didn't commit suicide.

[Lori]

pretty good, will read another.

[Kristen Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book...kept me reading...I didn't want to put the book down.

[Jim Lindgren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just could not get into this book. The main character was acting like an ass and I got tired of him.