Back from the Dead

Chris Petit's debut novel, The Psalm Killer, published in 1997, garnered unanimous high praise (It provides the joy of discovering a major new writer. -- Philadelphia Inquirer). Now Petit brings that same narrative mastery to an electrifying novel that explores the complexities of self-destruction.Youselli is a city cop more hard-bitten than might be expected of someone not yet 40. Badly separated from his wife, he can't imagine wanting love in his life again. Nor does he want the call he receives from McMahon, a fading but still profligate rock star who has employed Youselli for security at parties. McMahon has recently begun receiving letters signed in the name of a girl whose death he witnessed 20 years before, at the height of his fame, and he wants to know who's behind them. Youselli takes the job reluctantly, but he's quickly pulled into the mystery of the letters. Not only does he discover more about the girl's death than McMahon has let on knowing, but he also finds himself in thrall to a blinding obsession with a woman who almost certainly no longer exists.Powerful, chilling, and unexpected, Back from the Dead is a clear confirmation of Chris Petit's remarkable gifts.