Eyes of the Dead

by Adam Netherlund

Homicide Detective Joseph Berlin’s life is a mess. He’s drinking too much, he dreams of his dead wife, and he’s been off the job for the last three months. After a forced meeting with a police psychologist and a transfer to the Gardens police department, Berlin is tasked with solving the murder of undercover police officer Tim Scott.

But when Special Agent Widmark shows up from the DEA, offering to make a trade with him, Berlin is faced with a difficult decision. Does he give up evidence from the case to answer a question that has plagued his thoughts and nightmares for several months? Or does he perform his duty and push ahead no matter what secrets and lies he may uncover?

Now, with a police chief demanding swift action and a new partner questioning his methods, Berlin tries to fit all the pieces together. If he has any hope of catching the killer, he’ll have to battle his inner demons, navigate through twists and turns, and separate lies from truth. But who do you trust when you can barely trust yourself?

In a city fueled by greed, corruption and deceit, Berlin will come to face face with his greatest fear in this exhilarating first book in the police procedural series, The Gardens.

390 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2015

About the author

Adam Netherlund has worked in two bookstores in his young life and it was there that his passion for books began to really take hold. Adam enjoys reading mysteries, thrillers, and pulp books from days long past. He lives in Ontario, Canada with his wife and their pug, Vincent.

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Reviews

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. I like crime dramas for the most part and this one was great. Joseph Berlin is the main character and I enjoyed the different aspects of this character. Sometimes you love him and other times not so much. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

[Debi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story held my attention all along while wondering where it was going to go next. Detective Berlin was returning to Homicide after a leave of absence following the death of his wife.
I received a copy of this book for my review. I requested it thinking it had a supernatural angle to it. It did, somewhat, but vaguely. He saw his wife again here and there, but she could have been in his head. The book only hints at what happened to her, and I'm not the type of reviewer who regurgitates the story back at you. You'll have to read the book to find that out. There were a few errors in punctuation that I found (i.e. commas where there weren't supposed to be) but I didn't spot any grammatical errors that other reviewers noted, but I'm not an English major either. I wasn't distracted by any and what I saw did not take away the suspence that held me throughout the book. There were surprises at the end that I didn't expect and that's what a good story is supposed to be like. Although it wasn't what I thought it would be (spooky), it was still a very good detective novel with all the twists and turns that you'd enjoy. Of course with a series, there's a cliff-hanger at the end that makes you want to start in on the next book. I may come back to it but I have a few other books to review first. If you're into good detective novels then you're in for a fun ride.

[Bruce Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read with some pulse-pounding suspense and a few surprises along the way. While slow in spots, it was, on the whole, enjoyable, and the ending was most gratifying.

The Gardens is easily the most corrupt city this side of Gotham. Like Gotham city, the Gardens has a glorious past that is now overshadowed by crime and grime. You won't find any caped crusaders here, but you will find police detective Joseph Berlin.

Some of the elements of this book are a bit cliched, such as Berlin's struggle with alcohol and eventually being taken off the case. And some of those cliches are made satisfyingly right by the time you get to the end of the story. There is also just a hint of the supernatural at work, which adds to the fun.

A word of warning: If you are not a fan of cliffhanger endings, do not read this book! While it does tell a complete story, it is the first installment of a series. The events for book two begin immediately after the resolution of this story. While that may bother some, I can hardly wait to read how Berlin gets out of this one!

[Loretha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free through the LibraryThing.com Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review."Eyes of the Dead" overall was an okay read, but I would have liked to have seen a little more character development, especially with the protagonist of the story. The plot of the story was not an original one, so it would have been nice to see a different twist on the concept of police corruption. What was frustrating about the book is that no answers were provided to explain character motivations or situations. I was very disappointed by the ending, even if the author is trying to persuade you to read the next book, the conclusion could have been written much better. I literally felt like I was slapped in the face and wondering what just happened. With all that said, I may still read the next book in the series. But, "Eyes of the Dead" was not the great, suspenseful crime mystery that it was advertised to be.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in a crime series by Adam Netherlund which I probably won't continue to read. The writing is uneven. In some places I felt a degree of tension and the ending is a great cliffhanger. But, overall, it feels rather amateurish with the attempt at stream of conscious writing (every so often, we have italicised thoughts from the characters) is distracting and redundant. I found the occasional colloquialisms of language (eg, nothin', what yah doing?) to be unnecessary and inconsistent (not sure why they were used in some places and not others). It may be that a good editor is required to do something with this book (and subsequent books in the series) to meet its/their potential. The plot is pretty basic and, when compared to the best crime writing available, falls short in my opinion.

[Bill Thibadeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you get when you combine what is actually a very good storyline with atrocious editing and perhaps very poor writing? The answer is Eyes of the Dead. Unlike other readers, I stuck with this book as I feel authors spend a good deal of time writing the book and I can read it in only a few hours. When I peeled away all the negative aspects of this book, I found a very interesting character of great depth. I also found a very interesting plot that kept me going.
This book is difficult to read because of either the poor writing or complete lack of editing. In truth, it seems like the author used a speech to text type software program but only when he was high on something. There is so much rambling and nonsensical "stuff" that it drags the story down. Would I read another of his books? Only if it were free or the author promised that it was edited thoroughly.

[Julia David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like crime thrillers. The writing was a little uneven, but I think the author will get better with the next book. All the elements are there. Sometimes I really liked Berlin and sometimes I didn't. I would like to read the next book to see how this is all going to play out.

[jwals · Rating 3 out of 5]

started reading

[Kathryn Cantrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

disclaimer: I got the book free in early reviewers. Descent debut. I had some difficulty with some of the protagonist's actions. With some work, the follow-up book could be better than this one.

[Melanie Naugler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked ,can't wait to read the next book