As an attractive woman Jordan is accustomed to visual inspection by members of the opposite sex, but these men seem startled, rather than appreciative. Further along in her journey through the museum she notices a sign, written in English, directing her attention to another exhibit. The exhibit, entitled “Nude Women in Repose,” artist unknown, is a collection of sketches of reclining women, who appear to be dead, rather than asleep.

What frightens her to the very marrow of her bones is the fifth picture which appears to be a depiction of herself. Now she knows why the men were staring at her. They had noticed the resemblance as well.

Obviously, Jordan knows she is not dead, but her mind is drawn to her identical twin sister who disappeared about a year ago while out jogging near her trendy New Orleans residence. Jordan is convinced that the picture she has just seen is a clue to her sister’s mysterious disappearance. Jordan’s sister Jane was only one of several young women who disappeared in New Orleans. The FBI had initiated a massive search, but had scaled back the operation as they met with no new leads.

Jordan phones Daniel Baxter, an FBI agent on the case who was the most helpful, to give him her news and ask for help in contacting Christopher Wingate, an art dealer in New York who was responsible for the Hong Kong exhibit. Although skeptical that locating the unknown artist whose work was displayed in Hong Kong is the clue needed to unravel the mystery of her sister’s disappearance, Baxter agrees to aid Jordan in her efforts.

Beyond the basic thriller plot of trying to track the serial killer and/or artist who killed and painted the women posed in sleeping positions, the author seems interested in exploring different attitudes toward death. He suggests that Asians view death as inevitable, more or less their fate, so trying to avert it is useless. Occidentals, however, while understanding it is inevitable, will do anything to postpone the event. He also indicates that respect for the dead, i.e. the person who has departed, is highly regarded in the West and privacy is essential. If this is true, why do Occidentals have open caskets? At any rate, the concepts are thought provoking.

One unusual technique Mr. Iles has employed in telling his tale has been the selection of a female protagonist and relating the events in the first person. This is a pretty gutsy move. Other authors have done this but they usually confuse their readers through the use of a pseudonym. He does a capable job of it, but Jordan’s ability to relate to men without much trepidation after having been brutally gang raped seems nothing short of remarkable. Also, her descriptions of sex scenes sound a bit odd for a woman to be making.

The author does make clever use of Jordan’s dependence on drugs and alcohol to make the final climactic scenes more believable. Nevertheless, Jordan does exhibit almost superhuman abilities in these same scenes. I understand how she can maintain her composure under stress as that is a prerequisite for her job, but when she is clearly in a drug induced stupor, she seems to be able to rally without much effort. This requires a flexible imagination on the reader’s part.

Readers who enjoy happy endings will be pleased with Dead Lies. The good guys clearly win this one. Others that demand a logical conclusion may feel Mr. Iles stretched a bit to tidy things up. This book is adequate entertainment, but would not win a Pulitzer Prize were one given for this sort of work.

--Andy Plonka