Rating: 
Summary: A dynamite read
Review: . It has been a decade since NYPD detective Conrad Voort and Meechum Keefe seen each other. The old childhood friends share drinks in the historic White Horse Tavern in the Village, but instead of a nostalgic camaraderie, Meechum acts apprehensive and on edge. The next day, Conrad learns that Meechum has vanished leaving behind a list of five names on a napkin he wrote on in the bar. Conrad quickly realizes that the common thread of the list from Meechum Keefe is that each person has been involved directly or indirectly with violence. Several died allegedly from accidents, but Conrad wonders if murder occurred. As he makes further inquiries into the remaining survivors, Conrad finds himself attracted to one of them, Dr. Jill Towne currently treating a terrorist. He soon finds preliminary evidence that a top secret government agency hires killers to eliminate 'threats' to security (that is to that agency) including nosy detectives getting to close to the truth. With THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB, IRRESISTIBLE, and now ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS, Conrad Voort proves he is a great lead character in a continuing police procedural series. The current plot raises questions on terrorism and antiterrorism, but the clever Ethan Black never allows his political-social thesis interfere to even slightly slow down his thriller. By enhancing the plot with issues involving the means justifying the ends, Mr. Black will catapult readers into seeking the previous two Voort books and his other tales as the audience will conclude that ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS is a great novel. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: For Detective Novels...This Is As Good As It Gets!
Review: A fascinating and unusual plot; never read anything like it before. Asked by a friend to investigate a list of names, the hero/detective of this novel finds that the people listed are dying - apparently by accident. None of the people are connected to one another. The man who gave the hero the list also dies in an "accident." You'll never predict the ending of this one. Novelist Ethan Black has a first rate imagination and writes very very well. The personal details of the detective's life are every bit as fascinating as the professional side. One helluva good read!!
Rating: 
Summary: Doctors Without Borders, Countries Without Borders
Review: All The Dead Were Strangers, By Ethan Black 12/28/01 I felt lost in the first part of this book, it did not have good continuality, and if I had not read one of Ethan Black's earlier books where I became acquainted with the New York police detective Conrad Voort I wouldn't have finished it. But I'm glad I did, because the story came out alive in the middle of the book. It was interesting and alarming. It will give the reader a change to pick whose side he is on-the police's or the dark, very manipulative higher one, which may be one department or person, which reports to no one? I found the book interesting because of its obvious, before or after, connection to what happened on September 11 and what is happening now. Mr. Ethan Black was unquestionably thinking out of the box when he wrote that book. It is definitely worth three stars in spite of the characteristics of some of his characters, which appears to change during the book.
Rating: 
Summary: THRILLS, CHILLS...BUT...
Review: ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS, the third in the Conrad Voort series, is an exceptionally well-written thriller, with an ingenuous plot and one of the strongest lead detectives in current fiction. Conrad Voort, believe it or not, is a moral man, who goes to church and prays asking God for help not only in his personal life, but also in his cases. And with this case, he finds himself looking for people on a list who may or may not be murdered, although their deaths have been made to look "accidental." His friend, Meechum, embroils him in this plot, and when Meecham disappears, Conrad and his reliable partner/friend, Mickie, try to stop an unbelievable terrorist type of plot.
Along the way, the hormone-driven Conrad falls hard for Dr. Jill Towne, one of the people on the list. Conrad's past relationship with Camilla (who lied about aborting their child)surfaces, and the book ends on a "what if.." type scenario.
The first third of the book is engrossing, although it tends to sag a little in some parts, becoming a little too talky, but it entertains. The ending seems somehow rushed and far-fetched, but you can't help but root for our hero, and hope the nasty villain gets his just desserts.
A top notch thriller, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: THRILLS, CHILLS...BUT...
Review: ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS, the third in the Conrad Voort series, is an exceptionally well-written thriller, with an ingenuous plot and one of the strongest lead detectives in current fiction. Conrad Voort, believe it or not, is a moral man, who goes to church and prays asking God for help not only in his personal life, but also in his cases. And with this case, he finds himself looking for people on a list who may or may not be murdered, although their deaths have been made to look "accidental." His friend, Meechum, embroils him in this plot, and when Meecham disappears, Conrad and his reliable partner/friend, Mickie, try to stop an unbelievable terrorist type of plot.
Along the way, the hormone-driven Conrad falls hard for Dr. Jill Towne, one of the people on the list. Conrad's past relationship with Camilla (who lied about aborting their child)surfaces, and the book ends on a "what if.." type scenario.
The first third of the book is engrossing, although it tends to sag a little in some parts, becoming a little too talky, but it entertains. The ending seems somehow rushed and far-fetched, but you can't help but root for our hero, and hope the nasty villain gets his just desserts.
A top notch thriller, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Topical and Timely
Review: As a mystery writer with my debut novel in its initial release, I love a solid thriller. ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS is a solid thriller. Ethan Black's third novel (following THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB and IRRESISTIBLE)deals with terrorism, the government's attempts to battle it, and a top-notch mystery story. Black's Conrad Voort, an NYPD detective, is passed a list of people around the country with connections to terrorism. Some are dead, perhaps murdered. Others include Dr. Jill Towne, with whom Voort becomes taken, and Frank Greene, who is hoping to blow up a nice chunk of New York City. A shadowy Saudi businessman/terrorist, Abu Bin Hussein, also plays a part in this story, as do numerous government operatives. Black has a well-plotted--topical and timely--story. His characters are well-drawn, and his writing is excellent. ALL THE DEAD WERE STRANGERS is an excellent suspense novel.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: Ethan Black returns with a great novel that's even better than 'Irresistible'. A timely thriller that holds nothing back When Conrad Voort meets up with an old best friend named Meechum Keefe at a tavern in Greenwich Village, he finds that his friend is scared and paranoid. Meechum gives Voort a list of five names and addresses and asks him to find something that ties these names together. The next day Voort finds Meechum is missing, and with the only clue he has to go on, he starts investigating the list. Voort soon finds out that there is very little to tie the people on the list together. The first three on the list seem to have died in separate accidents. The last two are still alive, for now. When Voort tries to locate the last two people, he realizes there lives are in danger. When he locates number four, a beautiful doctor, he falls in love. He soon makes a connection. It seems that terrorism might tie all these people together. Terrorists and secret organizations all play a crucial role in this well crafted and very well written thriller. From the descriptive narrative to the tight dialogue, this story puts you in the center. Very entertaining and very involving. I very much look forward to Ethan Black's future novels. Highly recommended. Inside the covers:
A scorpion wants to cross a river, but he can't swim, so he asks a frog to carry him across. The frog says "are you crazy? If I put you on my back, you'll sting me and I'll die." The scorpion says, "That's stupid. If I do that we both die." So the frog says yes. And when they're in the middle of the river, the scorpion stings him. They're going under. The scorpion says, "I can't help it. It's my nature."
Rating: 
Summary: a real disappointment
Review: I loved his/her first two books so couldn't wait for this one and couldn't wait to finish it (or plod through!). There was little suspense. Loosely tied together and what did come together, one said, "Yeah, well so what...?" Too busy, too many characters that gave little to the continuity or substance to the story. Wonder what else he/she writes under other name(s)?
Rating:
Summary: a real disappointment
Review: I loved his/her first two books so couldn't wait for this one and couldn't wait to finish it (or plod through!). There was little suspense. Loosely tied together and what did come together, one said, "Yeah, well so what...?" Too busy, too many characters that gave little to the continuity or substance to the story. Wonder what else he/she writes under other name(s)?
Rating:
Summary: Can't they at least get the guns right?
Review: I'm going to take out a long-restrained frustration on this single book: Can't mystery/suspense authors get someone knowledgeable to review their books to see if the guns they describe actually exist? This author refers to both a "Glock .38" and a "Browning .38." Neither weapon exists. Browning does make a couple versions of handguns in .380 ACP, but that's not the same thing. It drives me up a wall! I am willing to "suspend my disbelief" and become absorbed in a good story, but then comes that moment where the hero or villain pulls out a non-existent weapon and "poof"...I am shocked back to reality by the author's ignorance. Other than the author's complete and abysmal ignorance about firearms (every weapon used in the book is a ".38"...obviously the only caliber of which the author is aware, even though it is almost never used by modern law enforcement), the story is pretty good. Ethan (or whatever your real name is), go to a good gun shop!
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