Why We Die - (The Zoë Boehm Thrillers) by Mick Herron (Paperback)

About the Book

First published in Great Britain, 2006 by Constable, and imprint of Constable & robinson Ltd.

Book Synopsis

By the New York Times bestselling author of Slow Horses

A straightforward jewelry store robbery turns out to be anything but in the third installment in the Zoë Boehm thrillers--from the author of Down Cemetery Road, now an Apple Original series.

Oxford Private Investigator Zoë Boehm has creditors on her tail and debts to pay--which is why she agrees to solve a simple local robbery in exchange for a big reward. As she tracks down the thieves on behalf of the shop's owner, her investigation leads her to a strange cast of characters--including a suicidal widower, a disgraced cop, and an abused wife--and she begins to suspect that the case goes much deeper than the jewelry shop's proprietor led her to believe. As the case turns lethal, and Zoë faces a web of dangerous criminals and deadlier secrets, she will learn firsthand that some debts can only be paid in blood.

Review Quotes

Praise for Why We Die

"Herron is a stylish writer with a mordant sensibility and a deadly wit. He's also a tricky plotter."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Dazzling . . . Smart, dogged and never down for the count, Zoë is a fine addition to the ranks of female P.I.s."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"A dark, entertaining, off-kilter world in which anything can happen, and probably will."
--Kirkus Reviews

"The seamy side of Oxford, England, takes center stage as lives and plans collide in this bleak crime novel . . . British noir reminiscent of Jerry Raine's Smalltime."
--Booklist

Praise for Mick Herron

"Stylish and engaging."
--Washington Post

"Good characterization, dialogue and well-paced narrative make this confident first novel frighteningly plausible."
--Daily Telegraph

"Masterful . . . How Herron is able to tie all these events together will test the sleuthing ability of even the most savvy readers as one surprise engenders another. The intricate plot, coupled with Herron's breezy writing style . . . results in superior entertainment that makes most other novels of suspense appear dull and slow-witted by comparison."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

About the Author

Mick Herron is a British novelist and short story writer who was born in Newcastle and studied at Oxford. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling Slough House espionage series, four Zoë Boehm mysteries, and several standalone novels. His work has won the CWA Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement in Crime Writing, the Gold Dagger, the Steel Dagger, the Theakstons Novel of the Year Award, the Barry Award, the Ellery Queen Readers Award, the Raymond Chandler Award, and the Pepe Carvalho Award. Slow Horses and Down Cemetery Road have both been adapted into Apple Original series. Mick is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He lives in Oxford and writes full-time.