The Dead Key
Author: D. M. Pulley
Published: March 1, 2015
Publisher: Thomas and Mercer
Pages: 477
Genre: mystery
Source: a copy was provided by the publisher in coordination with TLC book tours in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
It’s 1998, and for years the old First Bank of Cleveland has sat abandoned, perfectly preserved, its secrets only speculated on by the outside world.
Twenty years before, amid strange staff disappearances and allegations of fraud, panicked investors sold Cleveland’s largest bank in the middle of the night, locking out customers and employees, and thwarting a looming federal investigation. In the confusion that followed, the keys to the vault’s safe-deposit boxes were lost.
In the years since, Cleveland’s wealthy businessmen kept the truth buried in the abandoned high-rise. The ransacked offices and forgotten safe-deposit boxes remain locked in time, until young engineer Iris Latch stumbles upon them during a renovation survey. What begins as a welcome break from her cubicle becomes an obsession as Iris unravels the bank’s sordid past. With each haunting revelation, Iris follows the looming shadow of the past deeper into the vault—and soon realizes that the key to the mystery comes at an astonishing price.
My thoughts:
Finally I've had some time to sit and read and it looks like The Dead Key was just waiting for me. I couldn't be more pleased to have picked up this debut novel to hunker down with. It was difficult to put it down after breaks at work were done and the chapters flew by. Finally got a day off due to bad weather; it's snowing!!
The Dead Key is a fascinating story of two women, in different time periods and how their lives intersect. 1978 the Cleveland bank shut down without explanation. Staff were locked out and customers were not allowed access. There's a huge secret hidden in those walls of solid wood, tin ceilings and marble executive bathrooms. When Iris Catch is given the assignment to draw out the floor plans for the abandoned bank, she uncovers some oddities and can't control her curiosity. Hidden rooms, a safety deposit key, missing records.... all beg her attention. Dangerously so....
The Dead Key is one of those hard to put down novels that captivates you and has you turning the chapters late into the night. I love a book that draws you in so close you lose track of time and the outside world. Good thing, considering the outside world is white and cold today. Having just finished, I must recommend this book! Treachery, lies, forbidden attraction....need I say more?
Meet the Author: D. M. Pulley
D. M. Pulley’s first novel, The Dead Key, was inspired by her work as a structural engineer in Cleveland, Ohio. During a survey of an abandoned building, she discovered a basement vault full of unclaimed safe deposit boxes. The mystery behind the vault haunted her for years, until she put down her calculator and started writing. The Dead Key was the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award grand prize winner. Pulley continues to work as a private consultant and forensic engineer, investigating building failures and designing renovations. She lives in northeast Ohio with her husband and two children, and she is currently at work on her second novel.
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