Book Review: The Rich and the Dead

By Sandy Amazeen May 31, 2011, 1:29 GMT

The truly wealthy live in another world. From their multi-national businesses to their palatial mansions to their exotic vacations at glamorous places all around the world, they do everything in a big way. And sometimes, that even includes crime. In this anthology, you\'ll read about a wealthy writer who plots murder his hopeless agent, an aging actress who clings to her past of wealth and fame, and a spoiled ...more

Edited by Nelson DeMille, this diabolical collection of murder mysteries by some of the best authors in the genre centers around the filthy rich and what they will do to stay on top and what others will due to topple them. Several stories such as “Happine$$” by Twist Phelan and David Morrell’s “The Controller” are interpretations of Bernie Madof-ish characters and their Ponzi schemes. In “Lamborghini Mommy” by Harley Jane Kozak, the wife of an ultra-rich husband comes up with a clever plan to pin his murder on an unsuspecting social underling and it would have worked but for one tiny flaw. Carolyn Mullen’s “Poetic Justice” tells of a widow justifiably upset at the callousness of a factory owner who decided it was time for the community to be liberated from his tyranny. A kleptomaniac gossip columnist gets his comeuppance at the hands of a would-be victim in “The Pirate of Palm Beach” by Ted Bell.

These fun, sometimes twisted tales stick closely to the overall theme while delivering satisfying reads that can be enjoyed anytime you have a few spare minutes or savored all in one sitting. Several stories have obviously been influenced by the blatant, real life crimes of corporation executives but unlike reality, these crooks face more serious consequences for their actions then a mere wrist slap.