From the New York Times bestselling author of PRIMAL FEAR and SHARKY'S MACHINE -- From the Nez Perce Indian reservation in Idaho to New York's Central Park is a straight line right through Bill Diehl's last and most intriguing lead character, Micah Cody.
Seven Ways To Die by William Diehl with Kenneth John Atchity
By BRIAN BURNES
William Diehl, the Georgia author
of several mysteries, among them “Sharky’s Machine” and “Primal Fear,” died in
2006. He left about 400 manuscript pages of a final mystery, along with
detailed notes.
With the blessing of his
widow, Virginia Gunn Diehl, a film producer named Michael A. Simpson gave the
manuscript to friend Ken Atchity, a former Kansas Citian who is also an author
and film producer.
The book, “Seven Ways to Die,”
now has been published. It was based in part on a coroner’s handbook given to
Diehl by an Illinois
medical examiner.
“I went into it in a kind of
forensic way, seeing what was there and the outline Bill had done,” said
Atchity, who grew up in part in Kansas City and
graduated from Rockhurst
High School.
“I spent two years putting
this jigsaw puzzle together, reading Bill’s work over and over again.”
The response from Diehl’s
fans has been gratifying, Atchity said. “A lot of them think it is really
Bill’s work,” he said.
What if you could communicate and understand the voices and sounds of animals? What if those voices and sounds could keep you safe and help you understand your environment? Animals can teach humans so many things if we really pay close attention. Love is something we all want and animals when treated with kindness and caring love us unconditionally. Some animals help us to heal and others teach us about ourselves, each other and the world we live in. It takes time to learn this skill and develop this trust in order to communicate with animals. Right of passage is often part of the Native American culture. Young boys before becoming part of the tribe and men have to endure a survival test. One young boy and an older man enter the woods on horseback so that the child can begin his journey into manhood. With only the bare essentials that they allow, knowing how to survive on his own this young man and the older man venture to a campsite, each their final meal together and at dawn’s light the man is gone and the young boy is now on his own. Smart, alert and knowledgeable, the young boy moves further on and comes face to face with many obstacles. Killing a rabbit for his dinner he never sees the rattler that was about to attack him. Staying focused and centered he deals with the venom and the wound hopefully removing all of the poison before it enters his bloodstream. With his grandmother’s red ointment as a salve to prevent infection he cleans the wound and then something miraculous happens. While asleep as wolf removes the tourniquet on his wound and cleans it in its own special way. Could this wolf be a special gift from God to help guide him through? Now at the end of his journey he would become a man. Let’s meet this young man-years later: Micah Cody our main character.
Serial killers target many people for different reasons. Melinda was a beautiful young dancer who never made it into the company of any ballet. Wanting to make a living she entered an entirely different and more dangerous world of dancing. Before leaving work she finds a card with a number on it. Asking the bartender if he knew where it came from lead nowhere. Entering her apartment was the last thing she would ever do. The killer was waiting for her.
Raymond Hanley was a young stockbroker engaged to his boss’s daughter. Entering the apartment the maid finds a horrific sight. Both victims Melinda and Raymond, although the murders were two years apart were made to look like suicides. Where they? Enter Micah Cody and his special Tactical Assistance Squad, which he created for one purpose to capture serial killers. What is unique about this squad is their ability to step into an investigation at any point and take it over. Each member of the team handpicked by the Micah to work the murders and hopefully solve these cold cases. His team consists of Lieutenant Frank Rizzo, Detective Calvin Bergman and the forensic pathologist Max Wolfsheim. But, not everyone wants them to solve their cases and one man is determined to bring them down and prove that he has what it takes to solve these murders. Crime reporter Ward Hamilton has written many well-documented novels but needs another winner to get back on top. Two failures did not endear him editor of the magazine he writes for. Jake Sallinger had him over a barrel and now he had to pitch and idea that would give him the advantage he needed to get control of his career and bring this unit down.
As we flash forward to the crime scene the author allows the reader to enter the apartment of the deceased and takes everyone including the detectives and Micah on an inside tour of the apartment, the investigative process and the procedures followed along with questioning the witnesses. Neighbor questioned and the maid sent home there is much more that needs to be addressed as the victim’s black book contains a lot of information and Black Halloween Mask was found. But, there is much more as our star reporter was given the deadline of Halloween for his first article in the series he wants to right dealing with this unit.
Bringing his team together in their unique surroundings the reader meets all of the members and gets to know what their specialties are and the author introduces more information about the murder. One black book had all of his vital information plus receipts with his expenditures except for the one for the taxi that took him home. But, there was a vital piece missing and before they could piece it all together the team needed to know where his computer, blackberry and cell phone were, find the missing receipt from the taxi company and learn where he stopped before going home. Raymond Hanley had several meetings before returning home and one might have gotten him killed as the author reveals more about his man’s life than his future wife would like to know.
Kate Winters has just joined their team as their ADA in order to keep them on the right course during an investigation. Meeting the team and entering the investigation she learns more about the case, the victim’s lifestyle and the possible reasons he might have been killed. This self-made man was into more than most women would want their fiancés to be into and there has to be linked to his other activities that got him killed. As the autopsy was completed what is related is that the victim knew his killer, submitted too much of what happened and the bondage involved and the end result still remains to be figured out.
The crime scene was devoid of blood and the reason why you will learn as you listen to Max’s detailed account of the autopsy and his findings. Approaching Raymond’s boss brings up other questions as to why he handled the information in such a clinical manner and did not seem to really focus on who might have killed him, how or why. So, what is the interest of this reporter as he renters the action and enlists the help of his editor to ask the police for some assistance in getting the files of the cold case he is writing about. The link between Melinda’s death two years before and the present one just might come to light.
The research alone is quite extensive in this book taking us into life of a young man from the Nez Perce Indian Reservation to his present life as the head of the Tactical Assistance Force. Added into the plot that keeps it moving is the research into police investigations, how an autopsy is handled and how a proper investigation is run. Why would someone go to a sex club and go to the trouble of handing your partner a key to your front door and apartment unless the killer or other person gave the key to someone else? Who wanted to eliminate Raymond Handley that they went to so much trouble to create a crime scene cleaner than most homes after a service comes? When Handley’s next-door neighbor takes an interest in Cody why does he come to her aide? When he introduces her to a friend she learns about his unique ability to communicate with animals as she observes him with the two wolves that he rescued and a friend who took care of their wounds. There is much more as we learn more about Amelie, Bergman and his quest for answers using the black book and Louis Nevins his friend and business associate. Why are the wolves howling and how will this link together? Characters that are vividly described, devoted to their craft and would make any police department proud to have on their team.
Micah and his team were relentless in following each clue and trying to prevent more deaths but the killer seemed to be ahead of TAZ and from Melinda whose death two years before you will learn was related to one of the deaths in the present led the killer to get six more victims. Seven unique ways to die and just why each victim was chosen you won’t believe. But, when Micah is in danger and the killer is upon him and the mode of death inflicted will he be able to remain calm and use his knowledge of the past, his childhood experiences and the words of the Old Man to save himself or will he be number 7 as the killer planned? How this all ties together and just why all the murders occurred you have to learn for yourself? Seven Ways to Die: All painful and each unique in its execution. Who was behind the plot to try and bring Micah down? Why wanted him gone? Author William Diehl’s last novel is definitely a testimony to his outstanding writing, fast paced plot with intricate twists, turns, surprises and an ending that you won’t expect or see coming. With the outstanding support of Virginia Gunn Diehl who provided the manuscript and author Kenneth John Archity his final story came to life for everyone to read. Do you hear the wolves?
Thank you for giving me the honor of reviewing this book. Let’s give this book: FIVE HOWLS
NEW YORK _ A crime thriller with a unique back story is the grand prize winner of the 2012 Beach Book Festival, which honors the summer’s hottest reads. “Seven Ways to Die” is the final book from best-selling author William Diehl, who passed away five years ago after writing 400 pages of the novel, yet leaving it still incomplete.
His wife allowed his friend and fellow author, Kenneth Atchity, to step in and complete the work. Atchity, who has written 15 books and produced 30 films, used notes and an outline to finish the whodunit. Fans of intriguing plots and page-turning reads will not be disappointed.
The judges awarded the book top honors for its colorful characters and intriguing plot, making it a perfect beach read for the coming season. The authors will be honored at a private awards ceremony to be held June 22 at the Grolier Club in Manhattan.
William Diehl was a New York Times bestselling author. He passed away almost five years ago and his last book, Seven Ways To Die, begins with a touching note written by his widow, Virginia Gunn Diehl. She writes: “He completed over four hundred pages of Seven Ways To Die.
He loved this book…He was sorry that he couldn’t complete his final
project. He worked so hard on it for several years. He was proud of it.”
His widow goes on to say that her husband’s friend of twenty-five
years, Ken Atchity, did his best to “make sure that Bill’s book would
see the light of day.” Ken Atchity is a talented author himself, having
written fifteen of his own books, and he is the producer of thirty
films. Atchity understood his friend’s writing style and used notes and
an outline left by Bill Diehl to complete the book. Ken Atchity’s
contribution doesn’t disappoint the reader and he fulfilled Virginia
Diehl’s wish; that her husband’s fans would have one more opportunity to
enjoy his craft.
Seven Ways To Die is a work of fiction, written in third
person, published by AEI/Story Merchant Books. It’s a suspenseful, crime
whodunit, laced with colorful characters and an intriguing plot. The
main character, Cody, is a 30-something NYPD captain of homicide, who
founded a special unit known as TAZ which stands for “The Tactical
Assistance Squad.” He’s trying to catch a serial killer, all the while
being hounded by a pompous crime writer named Ward Hamilton.
The reader learns that Cody grew up in Idaho on the Nez Perce
Reservation. As a boy, he learned to be in tune with nature. He had a
special connection, even mystical tie, with animals, and was
mysteriously able to communicate with them. Cody learned at a young age
to read “signs” of nature and this innate skill helped him later as a
homicide detective.
We are introduced to Cody at age thirteen but the story quickly jumps
to the present; Cody working Homicide with the NYPD. The author’s spine
tingling descriptions make the reader feel like they are in the room
with the first victim, Melinda. As the tension builds, you quickly feel
Melinda’s terror and won’t want to put the book down (I had to keep
flipping the pages to see what would happen next).
Bill Diehl had a powerful gift for creating images painted with his
words. Be it the beautiful Nez Perce Reservation, the dark and secretive
sex clubs, victim number two’s posh brownstone or the ghoulish murder
scenes, each chapter descriptively sets the stage for a story that moves
at top speed.
William Diehl was a master at character development. He’s able to
make you feel the melancholy of the tough and now sober Detective Frank
Rizzo, as he enters his small apartment, on the anniversary of his
wife’s passing.
On page 160, Diehl writes:
“He got a glass, pored himself a glass of ginger ale, went in the
living room and turned on the television set. When the remote turned up
nothing of interest, he put on the DVD of “West Side Story” and as the
overture began, he slumped down in his easy chair and let memories
envelope him like a warm blanket.” (The reader learned earlier that the
couple’s first date was spent seeing the movie, “West Side Story”).
The characters in this novel amuse, entertain, confuse and mesmerize.
From Amelie Cluett, the exotically beautiful masseuse, to Victoria, the
sexually deviant lover of crime writer and flamboyant columnist, Ward
Hamilton, each character packs a punch, adding dazzle to this superb
drama.
Seven Ways To Die was William Diehl’s last (literary) love
and the people who loved him made sure his hard work was to no avail. It
was the inspiration of Virginia Gunn Diehl, the dedication of Ken
Atchity, the forensics contributions from Dr. Brett Bartlett, M.D., and
the persistence and hard work of others that made Seven Ways To Die
more than a suspenseful, top notch thriller. It is a labor of love, and
like a diamond, it’s a brilliant and valuable gift left by Diehl and
his wife to all his fans.
William Diehl
If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of William Diehl’s New York Times Best Sellers (Primal Fear or Sharky’s Machine), I urge you to pick up Seven Ways To Die. It’s a fabulous read and in my opinion, if ever made into a movie, would become a box office hit.
In closing, I’d like to point out that Bill Diehl dedicated Seven Ways To Die
as follows: “For Virginia-She endured.” And because of Virginia’s great
love for her husband, William Diehl’s last writing will endure and be
enjoyed for eternity.
Please visit the author’s website and that of his wife:
Lu - who has written 140 posts on Essence Of Life Chronicles.
Lu is a freelance writer in the Boston area and
the VP of Editing for DocUmeant Publishing. She's a published ghost
writer and has other magazine publications to her credit. She writes
book reviews for publishers and their authors. In her free time, she
contributes to blogcritics.org.
SEVEN WAYS TO DIE by William Diehl with Kenneth John Atchity – Review
William Diehl is a master storyteller who unfortunately died in 2006 before he could complete Seven Ways to Die,
his tenth novel. Before his death he was able to write 412 manuscript
pages of the novel, which was completed by Kenneth John Atchity, a
friend and fellow writer, with the help of extensive story notes and
outlines that were left behind. Diehl’s bestselling crime novels
included Sharky’s Machine (1978) and Thai Horse (1987), and I can see why he was, and continues to be, so popular. Seven Ways to Die
is a delicious mixture of police procedural, forensics and character
study, with an unexpected and healthy dose of sex thrown in.
Micah Cody is a Nez Perce Indian homicide
detective with a pony tail and an uncanny ability to communicate with
animals. As a main character he’s got it all: good looks, mystery, and
the ability to get into the mind of a serial killer. He’s formed a
subgroup of the NYPD called the Tactical Assistant Squad (TAZ) and
assembled the best of the best to help him solve homicides, including a
computer whiz, a forensic pathologist, and an assistant DA. He also has a
white German shepherd named Charley with “the best nose in the
business” that accompanies Cody on investigations, and indeed plays an
important part in solving this mystery.
TAZ is called in to investigate the
murder of a successful stock broker named Raymond Handley. They are
first to arrive on the scene and discover the victim dead, naked and
tied to a chair. His throat is slashed but there isn’t a drop of blood
to be found. Back at headquarters, the team gets to work trying to
determine cause of death, and they discover something chilling. Although
Handley appears to have died from having his neck slashed, they
discover the underlying and true cause of death: drug-induced heart
failure and de-sanguination. This mislead occurs in subsequent murders,
and the TAZ crew realizes that they have a serial killer on their hands.
In the midst of TAZ trying to get a lead
on the killer, we are introduced to Ward Hamilton, a pompous and
flamboyant true crime writer who convinces his editor to let him write a
series of articles about unsolved cases in the NYPD. Having failed at
writing novels, Hamilton feels the need to redeem himself and make a
comeback with the articles, which will culminate in a book. And he’s
found his first subject for the project: the case of a young dancer
named Melinda Cramer, whose apparent suicide was never solved by Cody
and his team. Hamilton is a truly unlikable character, and as he tries
to get the Cramer case file from Cody to start his research, we get
glimpses into his unsavory life as a playboy that he shares with his
equally unlikable lover Victoria.
When a second body turns up naked and
tied to a chair, the hunt intensifies to find the killer before he or
she can strike again. Along with the growing suspense and the terror of
trying to stop a serial killer, Diehl introduces a love interest for
Cody, a woman named Amelie who coincidentally lives in the apartment
across from Handley’s. The instant attraction between the two was a
nice break from the tension, and in a particularly sweet scene, Cody
takes Amelie with him to the zoo in Central Park where he demonstrates
his rapport with the zoo’s resident wolves.
Diehl is adept at pacing, and he manages
to keep the large cast of characters under control while the action
escalates toward the final showdown between Cody and the killer. There
are all sorts of wonderful elements in Seven Ways to Die
that give what could have been a conventional murder mystery extra
depth. One of my favorites was the role that dogs and wolves played in
the story. During a flashback we are introduced to Cody as a boy in the
Nez Perce tribe, who is bitten by a rattlesnake while walking through
the desert. Near death and hallucinating, he awakens to find a white
wolf next to him, licking the venom from the snakebite. In a brilliant
parallel, Charley the German shepherd saves Cody’s life by licking
poison out of his wound after he is struck by a poisoned arrow.
There really isn’t anything to not like about Seven Ways to Die.
I thought the dialog was first-rate, and with snappy lines like “Cody
knew his goose was cooked” I was charmed from page one. There has been a
bit of flap from other reviewers over the sex scene in chapter 38,
which does seem to come out of nowhere. But because of the way the
bodies are found, the team determines that the killer is almost
certainly a sex addict, so the graphic scene didn’t really feel
out-of-place to me. Diehl and Atchity also neatly tie in the title of
the book, with the forensic description of the seven ways homicide
victims are killed, which figures into the murders themselves. The only
story element that didn’t ring true for me was the believability that
the killer had the intelligence and resources to pull off the highly
complicated murders, after learning the killer’s identity. But that was
a small thing that really didn’t detract from the rest of the story.
It was a pleasure to read the book of a
seasoned and talented writer, and the work that Atchity did to finish it
off was brilliant.
Many thanks to co-author Kenneth John Atchity for supplying a review copy.
William Diehl was a New York Times bestselling author. He passed away almost five years ago and his last book, Seven Ways To Die, begins with a touching note written by his widow, Virginia Gunn Diehl. She writes: “He completed over four hundred pages of Seven Ways To Die.
He loved this book…He was sorry that he couldn’t complete his final
project. He worked so hard on it for several years. He was proud of it.”
His widow goes on to say that her husband’s friend of 25 years,
Ken Atchity, did his best to “make sure that Bill’s book would see the
light of day.” Ken Atchity is a talented author himself, having written
15 of his own books, and he is the producer of 30 films.
Atchity understood his friend’s writing style and used notes and an
outline left by Bill Diehl to complete the book. Ken Atchity’s
contribution doesn’t disappoint the reader and he fulfilled Virginia
Diehl’s wish; that her husband’s fans would have one more opportunity to
enjoy his craft.
Seven Ways To Die is a work of fiction, written in third
person, published by AEI/Story Merchant Books. It’s a suspenseful, crime
whodunit, laced with colorful characters and an intriguing plot. The
main character, Cody, is a 30-something NYPD captain of homicide, who
founded a special unit known as TAZ which stands for “The Tactical
Assistance Squad.” He’s trying to catch a serial killer, all the while
being hounded by a pompous crime writer named Ward Hamilton.
The reader learns that Cody grew up in Idaho on the Nez Perce
Reservation. As a boy, he learned to be in tune with nature. He has a
special connection, even mystical tie, with animals, and is mysteriously
able to communicate with them. Cody learned at a young age to read
“signs” of nature and this innate skill helps him as a homicide
detective.
We are introduced to Cody at age 13, but the story quickly jumps to
the present; Cody working Homicide with the NYPD. The author’s
spine-tingling descriptions make the reader feel like they are in the
room with the first victim, Melinda. As the tension builds, you quickly
feel Melinda’s terror and won’t want to put the book down (I had to keep
flipping the pages to see what would happen next).
Diehl had a powerful gift for creating images painted with his words.
Be it the beautiful Nez Perce Reservation, the dark and secretive sex
clubs, victim number two’s posh brownstone or the ghoulish murder
scenes, each chapter descriptively sets the stage for a 294-page story
that moves at top speed.
The late writer was also a master at character development. He's able
to make you feel the melancholy of the tough and now sober Detective
Frank Rizzo, as he enters his small apartment, on the anniversary of his
wife’s passing.
On page 160,Diehl writes:
“He got a glass, pored himself a glass
of ginger ale, went in the living room and turned on the television set.
When the remote turned up nothing of interest, he put on the DVD of
“West Side Story” and as the overture began, he slumped down in his easy
chair and let memories envelope him like a warm blanket.” [The reader
learned earlier that the couple’s first date was spent seeing the
movie.]
The characters in this novel amuse, entertain, confuse and mesmerize.
From Amelie Cluett, the exotically beautiful masseuse, to Victoria, the
sexually deviant lover of crime writer and flamboyant columnist, Ward
Hamilton, each character packs a punch, adding dazzle to this superb
drama.
Seven Ways To Die was William Diehl’s last (literary) love
and the people who loved him made sure his hard work was not done to no
avail . It was the inspiration of Virginia Gunn Diehl, the dedication of
Ken Atchity, the forensics contributions from Dr. Brett Bartlett, M.D.,
and the persistence and hard work of others that made Seven Ways To Die
more than a suspenseful, top notch thriller. It is a labor of love, and
like a diamond, it’s a brilliant and valuable gift left by Diehl and
his wife to all his fans.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of William Diehl’s New York Times Best Sellers (Primal Fear or Sharky’s Machine), I urge you to pick up Seven Ways To Die. It’s a fabulous read and in my opinion, if made into a movie, would become a box office hit.
In closing, I’d like to point out that Diehl dedicated Seven Ways To Die
as follows: “For Virginia - She endured.” And because of Virginia’s
great love for her husband, his last writing will endure and be enjoyed
for eternity.
Sharky’s Machine was Burt’s third film as director, he would direct only two more features (1985’s Elmore Leonard’s adaptation Stick was the most immediate follow-up, and his last film as director was 2000’s The Last Producer At the time, Burt joked that he made the film as his version of Dirty Harry since his friend Clint Eastwood was having success mining typical Reynolds’ terrain with the “Loose” series. One wonders how his career would have differed if he had successfully shifted from an acting to directing career. Sharky’s Machine certainly shows he had the skills.
Sharky's Machine By William Diehl Dell 18292, Copyright 1978
William Diehl waited until the resilient age of 50 to start his first novel. The story behind that, is he was a seated juror on a trial and was so bored with it, he grabbed a notepad and starting writing. Well if true, we have to thank his local jury commissioners office, because what came out was “Sharky’s Machine,” a novel that holds nothing back and throws just about everything at the reader.
She lay beside the table. Her face was gone. Part of her shoulder was blown away. The right side of her head had been destroyed. She was a soggy, limp bundle laying partly against the wall in front of the door, blood pumping from her head, her neck, her shoulder. A splash of blood on the wall dripped down to the body. Sharky clenched his teeth, felt bile sour in his throat, cried out, "No. Goddamnmit, no!"
Kicked out of the narcotics department after a bloody shootout in the streets of Atlanta, Sharky gets thrown down into the lowly Vice Squad. But he’s a good hard street cop and along with fellow beaten down Vice misfits, (the “Machine”) they quickly stumble upon a high-class prostitution ring. The operation seems to be shaking down wealthy “johns,” so they set up surveillance involving everything from shadowing people to wire-taps. A hooker named Domino becomes the "person of interest" in the corrupt scheme and Sharky obsessively makes her the focus of the investigation. Just when we get comfortable with the violence, sex, and pace in the story, Diehl takes it to another level. You have an U.S. Senator making plans for a Presidential run linked to the call-girl, a shady millionaire called DeLaroza who is connected to the Senator and Domino, and one of the most ruthless paid killers I have come across in any novel. Murders start occurring and once Sharky learns that Domino’s life is in danger, the "Machine" decides to hush up the investigation from their superiors and go it alone.
This turns out bigger than a standard street cop novel. Millions of dollars of stolen gold from WWII is tied to DeLaroza, and he needs people silenced. The U.S. Senators’ bid for the White House is in jeopardy and he needs Delaroza’s help. And our crazed hitman just keeps on coming. Of course Sharky falls for Domino, and the sex scenes of her with customers and Sharky listening in on the wire, are vicariously erotic. (Definitely “adults only” stuff) The novel succeeds in capturing the acrid street pulse of the late 1970s, using violence on high-volume, plenty of foul mouth language, and mysterious characters thriving on sleaze and power. Diehl creates a dirty, rash, and cold atmosphere, which makes the private scenes between Sharky and Domino, that much more endearing. And it is these brief pockets of tenderness that balances out the extreme raw edge that dominates the novel. But don’t get me wrong, this novel was written to get your attention.
For starting late, William Diehl authored a handful of excellent novels and fans of his work will differ on which is their favorite. But for me, “Sharky’s Machine” will always be on top.
This novel is an erupting force that spits at you.....
