The Dead Key by D. M. Pulley

The Dead Key by D. M. Pulley
Published by Thomas Mercer on March 1, 2015
Source: Publisher
Genres: Thriller
Pages: 477
Format: eARC
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Audible
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DNF

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.

I liked the sound of this one and it’s set in Cleveland, which is kinda cool. I just couldn’t get into and finally set it aside. I doubt I’ll pick it up again. I just didn’t care about any of the characters, in ’98 or the ’70s. Maybe it was the back and forth between times periods and points of view that kept me disconnected or maybe I just picked it up at the wrong time. Maybe I just couldn’t relate to either of the main female characters. They just seemed so young, especially Iris, who should have been an adult with a career but was more intent on drinking than working at least in the section I read.

The writing wasn’t bad, and the characters could have been interesting, but for me it was blah. I had to give up and move on to something I’d enjoy more.

I think this is my first DNF of the year.