|
| Eye of the Beholder | 
 enlarge | Author: David Ellis
Publisher: Berkley
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $7.98 (100%)
New (40) Used (22) from $0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 596393
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.4
ISBN: 0425222918
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780425222911
ASIN: 0425222918
Publication Date: August 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Good solid overall condition, mild to moderate general wear, clean inside.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Paul Riley has built a lucrative career based on his famous prosecution of Terry Burgos, who gruesomely murdered six girls. Now, fifteen years later, the police are confronted with a new series of murders and mutilations. Riley realizes that the two cases are connected and finds himself at the center of a police task forceas an investigatorand a suspect.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 The Search For Truth September 23, 2008
Ellis provides an interesting tale of deception amidst the backdrop of a cast of characters whose lives were forever changed years ago when a series of murders rocked the local community. Now, faced with an apparent copycat killer, former prosecuter turned corporate attorney Paul Riley is forced to revisit the past to determine whether he helped lead to the execution of the correct man.
The plot is very complex, make no mistakes about that. This is a story that includes just about every motive imagineable: insanity, power, love/obsession, infidelity, and general dislike. Try as you might, while a careful reader may work out some of the plot, it is doubtful that he/she can put together all the pieces until the final moments of the book.
In the end, Riley faces several situations where he must choose between truth and deception. In some cases the difference between right and wrong is rather blurred.
In addition to the plot itself, a few of ths supporting characters stand out, chief among them being Detective Mike McDermott. McDermott seeks the truth, and has his suspicions about Riley. McDermott is also haunted by a tragedy in his personal life that he is unable to separate from his work as a detective.
Prosecutorial Discretion August 21, 2008
In criminal cases, prosecutors have a lot of discretion. Who should they try to get an indictment for? What crime should be charged? What penalty should be sought? How much more investigation should go on? Eye of the Beholder looks into all of those questions as its main theme but assumes that readers are so familiar with the criminal justice system that they can appreciate these nuances. Even though I am a lawyer, I thought the book assumed way too much from the non-legal reader.
The story is very plot driven, with minimal character development. To make the complex plot work, Mr. Ellis has to put in some pretty unusual facts. With those facts, the plot makes sense . . . barely. But it's not very satisfying because the situation described is so extreme.
In 1989, new prosecutor Paul Riley steps into an investigation of a serial killer that's triggered by the discovery of six grotesquely mutilated bodies of young women in a seldom-used room at the local college. One of the young women had a protective order against a former college employee, Terry Burgos. A visit to his home shows that someone has been carving up bodies there. An interview with the suspect goes well. There's political pressure to get it right because one of the victims is the daughter of a billionaire couple, Harland and Natalia Bentley.
Burgos is clearly nuts, but Riley wants an execution . . . not an insanity finding.
The book goes through the investigation, the bizarre background to the killings, and the trial. In the aftermath, there's reason to be concerned that all might not be right.
The book then fast forwards into 2005 to see what's going on with the characters. They remain more linked than one would have expected. A new series of unexpected events bring everyone back to considering the Burgos trial after a local television reporter charges that justice wasn't done.
At this point, the police procedural turns into a thriller. Pay attention to the details. They are all important.
My biggest complaint about the book was that I didn't care for the ending. I assume the author chose the ending he did as a point of characterization, but the reasons behind the ultimate decision are left a little too vague to be satisfying.
Wow! A great read July 31, 2008
The book is definitely a Thriller! Edge of the seat read! Even my spouse enjoyed it and the "could happen/did happen" was amazingly real.
Great book... March 28, 2008
This book exceeded my expectations. This book has an interesting plot with great characters. I was hooked from the start and the book never let go. David Ellis shows serious talent for writing. This book was hard to predict how it would end, it was definately enjoyable. Overall, Eye of the Beholder deserves an "A" for a grade.
a new author for my must have list February 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was a really good read it sucked you in from the first page.
the story was told in such a way you kept thinking you had solved it
then there was another twist.
have to say housework suffered as I only took 2days to read it.
I will now be looking for other books by david ellis
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
