Dreams of the Dead

Nina Reilly #13

by Perri O'Shaughnessy

Perri O’Shaughnessy “will keep you turning pages into the night,” applauds USA Today, in praise of the celebrated novels of suspense starring the audacious yet all-too-human defense attorney Nina Reilly. Now, in a spellbinding new thriller, O’Shaughnessy plunges Nina back into the center of a murderous family game, and reawakens a very real nightmare she had every reason to believe was dead . . . and buried.

A mix of slick and seamy, South Lake Tahoe, California, is the perfect setting for adventurers, criminals—and lawyers. In addition to coping with her demanding, sometimes creepy, clients, Nina Reilly is dealing with prickly personal issues involving her sixteen-year-old son Bob, his estranged father, and her investigator, confidante, and sometimes lover Paul van Wagoner. Then, in walks disaster. The millionaire owner of a Tahoe ski resort, Philip Strong is the father of Jim Strong, a sociopath who devastated many innocent lives, including Nina’s. Two years earlier, she had to defend Jim against charges of murder. He shattered her life, then vanished. Paul van Wagoner made sure of it.

Now in negotiations to sell his ski resort, Philip has received a letter purportedly from his fugitive son in extradition-free Brazil, demanding his share of the profits. Philip is convinced it’s authentic. Nina’s certain it’s a con, but to prove that means exposing the secrets of someone very close to her. Then two local women are brutally murdered. Nina begins to question their links to her new client, and the truth about Jim Strong’s sudden disappearance. As Nina’s worst fears flood back, with time running out, she’s about to discover that the dreams of the dead can still destroy the living.

With its breakneck pace, pulsing human drama, and serpentine twists, Dreams of the Dead establishes once again why Perri O’Shaughnessy has been hailed as “a master of the legal thriller” (Vincent Bugliosi).

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Legal, Legal Thriller, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 12, 2011

About the author

Perri O’Shaughnessy is the pen-name for two people, Pamela and Mary O’Shaughnessy, sisters. The authors' pseudonym is an homage to Perry Mason, the man who never met a guilty client, and a melding of their two first names, Pamela and Mary. O’Shaughnessy is their paternal family name.

They are the authors of eleven bestselling Nina Reilly novels as well as a collection of short crime fiction, Sinister Shorts.

Reviews

[Julie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/20...

In Lake Tahoe, the body of a killer is dumped from a boat into the water.

Nina Reilly, a 38 year old criminal defense attorney, receives a visit from the father of the man who killed her husband. Philip Strong owns the Paradise Ski Resort, and his son Jim has been missing and presumed dead for over two years, having disappeared shortly after killing his wife, his brother, and Nina's husband.

Philip is now trying to sell the property, having gone into the hole when a large amount of money was embezzled prior to Jim's disappearance, but a letter has arrived from Brazil that can put a stop to the sale, leaving the remaining family bankrupt and unable to pay off the debts of the resort. The letter is from Jim, stating that he does not approve of the sale, and demanding his share of any proceeds.

Now Nina is being asked to investigate the letter, and to do what she can in court to allow the sale, which has a tight deadline, to go through. Her friend Paul, who is also a private investigator, had assured both her and her son Bob that Jim had been taken care of, and now there's a letter from this supposedly dead man showing up, a man who, for obvious reasons (arrest warrants), can't come up from Brazil in person to prove his existence?

Meanwhile, one woman ends up dead in a hotel room, and the housekeeper who saw her killer finds herself in danger as well.

If Jim is still alive, how? If he isn't, who is impersonating him? Who stands to gain from having the proceeds of the sale go to an escrow account? Who in the family was the actual embezzler? Who is the new killer"

I haven't read the prior Nina Reilly books (but I will now), and I'm happy to say that this one works well as a standalone novel - the author gives you enough background into prior history to keep you from being lost.

Nina is extremely likeable and believable, with a love of expensive high heels and a wonderful assistant named Sandy Whitefeather who keeps everything in the office running smoothly.

There is wonderful character development, romantic love interests, mystery and suspense. There are many mysteries to unravel, and what appears to be more than one bad guy (or gal). I was surprised at who ended up being the villain or villains, and equally as surprised at who ended up being NOT a villain. If you like a well-turned, suspenseful story with touches of humor and romance, this is the one for you.


First Sentence (from a galley; may be different in final copy):

The dreams of the dead are unimportant to the living.

[Vivisection · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dunno. Y'all know I love me some Nina O'Reilly. I also love her cadre of misfit friends--Sandy, Wish, Paul and her family. Now that she's safely ensconced in Tahoe again, the lake and the surrounding mountains provide a beautiful setting. Enough so that I was planning a Tahoe vacation the whole time I was reading.

Because....because....this just isn't the best Nina O'Reilly novel around. When Paul made the decision to "take out the garbage" all those books ago, it was pretty certain that at some point that would have to be sorted out. Especially given Nina's legal standing, her moral conscience and just plain old loose ends.

That's what this novel felt like--a half-hearted attempt at tying up loose ends. I hope that with all these different skeins untangled, Nina gets back to the job of sleuthing and legal-eagling complex mysteries again.

Oh. And for the love of Christmas, can she get an interesting, new lover? Paul is recycled and done. Kurt? Yawn. Get her a hot Injun fella! Sandy will know who to pick.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical Nina mystery, but missing meaningful growth for her as a character. I picked this up on impulse from a library display. I stopped reading the series because there weren't any new books in a while, and I suppose I'm tired of reading about Nina wringing her hands over Paul and Kurt. The extended sex scenes were noticably absent, which was a nice change. There were also a few excerpts from Sandy's book, which were poorly written (deliberately, I assume) and were therefore excruciating interruptions. Certainly not seeking out any further offerings from Perri (what kind of adults combine their names like that anyway?) unless I hear that they kill off Nina. That might be a book worth reading.

[Nicki Hinkle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Nina Reilly story and my first Perry O'Shaughnessy book. (I don't think I'll read more unless they come my way as a suggested "to read".)
If you like stories about well-dressed, sharp-witted lawyers and their consorts, then this book series is for you! Nina is always in some ridiculously sharp outfit, in some ridiculously dangerous situation. And the author makes sure you know that Nina is wearing her expensive brands by describing them deliciously. (I love fashion, but it made the book a lot slower reading!)
Nina's love interest, Paul, seems like he will come up in many of her stories. I like him! He's fun and quite determined!
Now, back to the actual story: Nina knows someone is dead. But that someone is now claiming a fortune due to them from a sale of a ski resort. How do you prove someone is dead when you weren't supposed to know they were dead in the first place??? Well, that's exactly what this book will tell you!
It was a fun read and the pages flew by when I wasn't reading about high heeled shoes breaking or being stolen! LOL!

[Carol Bro · Rating 3 out of 5]

WARNING -- DEFINITE SPOILERS

Let me preface this by saying I LOVE the "Perries" O'Shaughnessy! I especially love their Nina Reilly series. I've read every one of them -- in order, some late into the night and some more than once. So when I discovered another Nina Reilly book had been released, I wasted no time getting my eager little fists on it. And I did enjoy it. As always, it was well-written and suspenseful, had a good plot and great characters. It even tied in characters from a previous book and kept me guessing 'til the end.

But(and stop here if you haven't finished reading the book, because there WILL BE SPOILERS BELOW!) ...

Here's my problem:

An author can only string her audience along for so long before she loses its loyalty; and that, I fear, is what will happen if Perri O’Shaughnessy continues to toy with her readers' emotions in the matter of Nina’s on again/off again relationship with Paul van Wagoner. I LOVE Paul. I happen to think he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to Nina. Still, when O’Shaughnessy sent Nina in another direction–first by marrying her off to an under-developed, minor character that we readers barely knew, I stuck with her. Later, when she hooked Nina back up with Bob’s father, the musician, I stuck with her. But Dreams of the Dead was the last straw. We have Paul, still sticking faithfully to Nina like a lovesick puppy dog–ever loyal and tolerant of her abuse; and we have Nina once again available ... and yet, NOTHING HAPPENS!!
It leaves me feeling used and resentful; trapped by what appears to be an author's ploy to keep her readers coming back for more. But, I already come back for more, because I love this series. However, even MY loyalty has its limits and this book left me feeling like a pawn caught up in the author’s latest marketing strategy!

So, Mss. O’Shaughnessy, by all means, tickle my emotions a little with the complexities of the relationship between Nina and Paul; one book … three maybe. But know your limits! Don’t make your readers feel like they’re being manipulated … milked for all they’re worth. I don’t think I’m the only one out there who feels this way and I’m here to tell you, with all due respect, that if you continue to play these kinds of games, eventually you WILL lose your reader base.

PS: I'll STILL read your next book. How could I not? You're one of my favorite mystery writers!

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been sometime since I have read an O’Shaughnessy book. I enjoyed the Nina Reilly series. This apparently is the last book in the series and was released in 2011.

In this book Nina and Bob age 15, are living in Lake Tahoe. Jim Strong is back. He is a killer who killed his wife Heidi, his younger brother Alex and Nina’s husband Collier. Jim is also accused of embezzling over a million dollars from the Resort. This was all covered in the book “Acts of Malice.” Nina is contacted my Philip Strong (Jim’s father) to help in a court case in the sale of the Ski Resort. The company attorney does not appear in court cases and suggested Nina. Jim apparently has hired a local attorney to act for him to obtain his share of the sale of the Resort. He is hiding from the police in Brazil. But Nina has questions—Jim Strong is supposed to be dead –is he? If he is dead someone is committing fraud in attempting to claim his share of the sale. Two women are murdered and Nina wonders if the cases are all connected.

The author can weave an exciting story that twists and turns as it interweaves various plots. O’Shaughnessy can keep me guessing all the way to the end of the story. The author is the master of legal thrillers.

I do hope the author will continue with the Nina Reilly series. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. January LaVoy does a good job narrating the story.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book, a sequel to an earlier novel. More of a mystery than a courtroom drama, but good nonetheless. My problem? I am tired of Nina stringing Paul along. She knows the man loves her. After all as this book points out he would literally kill for her, and go to prison for her. But she keeps him around just for an occasional shag. Either marry him or get rid of him already. That said I still recommend this book.

[Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a very good book it wasn't till the end when you find out, all ideas on who was behind it were so very wrong.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been a four-star book; it barely garnered three stars. Nina Reilly is 38 going on 14, and I’m screaming tired of her almost-hair-pulling angst and bouncing from man to man with a kind of indecision typical of the most confused 14-year-old. Indeed, most 14-year-olds might have a better handle on their love landscape than does Nina. This is the last book in the series, so we’ll never know whether she gets her act together in the bedroom the way she does in the courtroom.

It looked like a letter from the grave. Let me explain: Philip Strong owns a ski resort in Lake Tahoe, and he needs to sell it to pay off some debt. He has lined up a group of Korean buyers, and it looks like the sale will go through until the letter comes.

The letter is from Jim Strong, a man whom everyone believed was dead following Acts of Malice, an earlier book in the series. Jim is the guy who caused an avalanche that killed Nina Reilly’s new husband. The two had been married only hours at the time of the guy’s death. The letter, posted from Brazil, demands that the sale not go through, and since Jim is one of the co-owners of the property, he can make that demand. If the sale fails, daddy Philip will walk the bankruptcy walk of shame. Philip approaches Nina and demands that she take the case to prove conclusively that Jim is dead. Naturally, this is painful for her because of the damage Jim inflicted on Nina and her son, Bob.

The authors make these chapters creepier by introducing you to a nameless killer who murders a receptionist and a hotel maid. You don’t know who the killer is until deep in the book, but you know that there’s a connection between the property sale and the deaths of the women.

I won’t miss this series; its quality seemed to falter in final books when Nina seemed increasingly caught up in personal angst and less in courtroom drama. But I’m glad I read everything including the last book. The sense of accomplishment at having finished it has merit.

[Renāte Sokolovska · Rating 2 out of 5]

A real page turner up until (almost) the very end. The culprit was not that hard to spot, but the story line had a fast-paced development which I enjoyed.

What annoyed me in this book and what I cannot let go easily was Paul. He did very little in this book but lust over Nina and fight for his “piece of bone” (i.e.Nina) like a dog and compete with Eric. The two male jutaxposition and the implication that Paul is somehow the winner of the situation and the alpha male only because Eric has his own fetish and does not keep the company of women. This plot line was useless and did not so anything for me.
Also the line:” In fact, knowing that Nina might lose a shoe, but not her virtue, had relieved Paul immensely,” after punching Eric in the face just killed me. Why say that a woman “loses” anything when deciding to be with a man? And virtue of all things? I am dissapointed with the author either if these are her personal beliefs or because of creating such a flat character.
I say you may go ahead and skip these books, you will find better page-turners elsewhere.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because it fit a prompt in the Pop Sugar challenge. It's not the worst book I've read this year, and it's not the best.

This is 13th in a series, and after reading it, I have no interest in reading any of the other books in the series.

The characters were hard to keep track of and there were these weird italicized interludes that were confusing. By the time I got to the end, I was just glad it was over (if that makes sense). I read it just one chapter at a time, because it didn't really hold my interest. It was very confusing that in the first chapter it talks about the body being dumped in the lake. Of course, at the end you realize that it was a flash forward. . I didn't like any of the characters, except Bob, and he was kind of one dimensional and seemed an afterthought.

It just wasn't my cup of tea, but you might like it if you like legal/crime dramas.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems to be the end of the Nina Reilly series. It is a sequel to both ACTS OF MALICE (#5) and UNLUCKY IN LAW (#10) since it ties up loose ends in both. The main plot line is about a family squabble concerning the sale of a ski resort, but there are sub-plots about a serial murderer and a love triangle involving Nina, Kurt and Paul which was supposedly resolved in UNLUCKY IN LAW, but everything is unraveled here. The murders and the sale of the ski resort turn out to be connected, and there are many suspects with motives. The good thing is the emphasis is on the solving the crimes and the investigative work done by Nina, Paul and Sandy (and there are references to Wish doing some of the work). The drawback is the on-again off-again relationship between Nina and Paul which was supposedly ended for good in UNLUCKY IN LAW but is resurrected here.

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little predictable, but a lovable read about my hometown. Hard to believe the eminent detective, Nina Reilly, would not have felt some sort of gut feeling about her evil long time client who turns out to have all kinds of bad vices. This story was a little less "twisty" than I would have liked, but I was glad that O'Shaughnessy finally moved the casinos out of Hope Valley. Fun read. I recommend it for everyone that loves Lake Tahoe and likes to see the evil characters cleaned out of it, or not.

[Kate McDougall Sackler · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is partly my fault for reading a book that is the thirteenth of a series without having read any of the other books, but I did not enjoy this book. Some authors of series are able to catch readers up on what has happened in the past, but I had no idea how people were relating to each other, or who people even were sometimes. Because I didn’t understand the previous story, I didn’t understand why Paul had covered up the murder for ages. I gave a two star rating because I didn’t guess the killer, but even that seemed far fetched. Give this a pass.

[Steve Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lake Tahoe defense attorney Nina O'Reilly thought that when her PI friend and sometime lover Paul "took out the trash" that that would be the end of her involvement with the Strong family. She was wrong. Someone claiming to be Jim Strong aka "the trash" is trying to embezzle a share of the sale of the Strong family's ski resort. Nina is hired to find out who in time to allow the sale to go through.

I did find the receptionist's novel in a novel to be distracting to the story.

[Bill Cissna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tale brings back an older story (so it helps if you have read it) and creates some compelling circumstances under which heroine Nina must struggle. While I generally have enjoyed this series and much of this book, there's one quibble I have (which I will not mention to avoid any spoilage) that made it less than it might have otherwise been.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This entry in the Nina Reilly series is not my favorite. The two story lines took awhile to come together and there is way too much posturing by the men vying for Nina. I think this series needs to be read in order to understand all the characters. There are several spoilers in this book for the plot in a previous book.

[Janice Kiraly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legal mysteries written by two sisters.

Love O'Shaughnessy's legal mysteries. Great escape novels. Good characters that carry over story to story. just enough legal facts to keep it interesting.

[Nick Stika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series, I like the cast of characters, but it appears to be the series finale. There hasn't been another since 2011. It was a good story, it addressed issues from 2 books ago and closed them. I hope for more but fear there won't be any.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 13th and final novel in the Nina Riley series and I loved it. Great story and it is gratifying to see how all the main characters end up at the end of the series. Sad to see it end. Highly recommend this final novel. Love the O’Shaughnessy sisters and and their writing style.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I could give this 3 1/2 stars simply because the ending seemed contrived for effect. Like the authors maybe thought “how can we come up with s shocking ending”. Didn’t appear plausible. IMO

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, I read it out of order as I had already read Show No Fear.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the continuation of the Nina Reilly series though I did find this one a little slow. The relationship with Paul is frustrating at points.

[Lorraine Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Judy Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read them all and is this the end. A little disappointed, but enjoyed and some funny parts.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shoes and when they drop.

[Asdzáá g · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not a typical Nina Reilly blockbuster. Odd. Got through it..and maybe the last in series?

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really like books where random bad guys just keep on popping back into someone's life. I read anyway, because I like Nina Reilly and want to see what's happening.

[Paul Parkinson]

Not as good as I remember them being. Maybe because I think they used to be more legal oriented. This was just a mystery

[Lynne Block · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, ridiculous plot, weak