|
LINE
OF VISION
David
Ellis’ Line of Vision won the 2002 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best
First Novel by an American Author.
Reviews
"A
wicked courtroom thriller . . . Ellis's fine use of the first-person
narrative … helps drive the plot into areas of character
where courtroom thrillers rarely venture . . . a twisty, spellbinding
story."
- Publishers Weekly read
more
"A
bravura performance by David Ellis, who elicits a range of responses
in readers from sympathy to condemnation. Best of all, nothing
is settled until the final pages of this highly entertaining book."
- Chicago Tribune
"After
just about every permutation of the legal thriller has been served
up by the likes of John Grisham and Scott Turow, Ellis arrives
with a surprisingly fresh take on the genre. The novel crackles
with unexpected twists and some nifty surprises-like Patricia
Highsmith with an extra shot of adrenaline."
- San Francisco Chronicle
"A
well-written, surprising, completely original gem. The best suspense
novel I've read in a while."
- James Patterson, author of 1st TO DIE and ALONG CAME
A SPIDER
"A
tautly crafted, provocative first novel . . . Ellis does a remarkable
job of keeping us in suspense on all fronts until the final, riveting
pages . . . a hair-raising courtroom drama, but also a character
study in which the mystery of Kalish the man is as spellbinding
as the mystery surrounding the murder."
- BookPage Reviews
"This
is not just another courtroom drama written by a lawyer turned
novelist. The book is filled with twists, and most will be cheering
for Marty in a cynical way. It's a great debut with a fascinating
legal, but not necessarily moral, original ending."
- Daily Oklahoman
"David
Ellis . . . provides his reader with almost continuous tension
and a surprisingly sympathetic narrator. The struggle is compelling
and the verdict a stunning surprise."
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"It
will be hard to imagine any legal thriller being better than LINE
OF VISION . . . an incredible tour-de-force that is must reading
. . . as a fresh exciting new voice has raised the quality level
of this genre."
- Bookbrowser Review
"Ellis
captures the imagination from the very first page. The highly
original premise of this story is masterful. The courtroom scenes
in this novel are among the very best . . . and crackle with authenticity."
- Otto Penzler, Amazon.com's "Penzler's Picks for
February, 2001"
"What
a wicked delight! LINE OF VISION is an absolutely terrific legal
thriller. David Ellis's unnerving hero beguiles like Patricia
Highsmith's Ripley at his most devious. This story grabs, shakes,
twists up and won't let go all the way through to its deeply satisfying
resolution."
- Perri O'Shaughnessy, author of MOVE TO STRIKE
"Don't
think you can put Line of Vision down-you can't. David Ellis won't
let you go, from the first tantalizing page to the final double-twist.
Get ready to dangle from the precipice."
- Barbara Parker, author of SUSPICION OF MALICE
"A
stylish debut."
- Kirkus Reviews
"The
most original and exciting thriller I've read in a long time.
Starts at fever pitch and never lets up. Every time you think
you've figured it out, the story veers off in a different, jaw-dropping
direction."
- J.F. Freedman, author of ABOVE THE LAW and AGAINST THE
WIND
"A
spellbinding legal drama, sexy, seductive and full of surprises,
and featuring a fascinating-if unreliable-protagonist. The best
first novel I've read in a good long while."
- William Bernhardt, author of MURDER ONE
"Add
LINE OF VISION, a first novel by a practicing attorney that is
devious, surprising, and compulsively readable, to the list of
recent first-rate legal thrillers written by lawyers. The trial
itself is a complex, brilliantly rendered affair. Ellis displays
an uncommon facility for devious plotting, courtroom pyrotechnics,
and narrative misdirection. He also displays a genuine feeling
for character. A solid, consistently entertaining debut."
- Bill Sheehan, Barnesandnoble.com
top
From
Publishers Weekly
Despite elements that strain belief, Chicago attorney Ellis's
debut succeeds as a wicked courtroom thriller featuring a devious
main character who finds ways to manipulate the legal system to
suit his needs. Investment banker Marty Kalish stands accused
of killing Dr. Derrick Reinhardt, whose abused wife, Rachel, was
Kalish's lover. Kalish, the police allege, shot Reinhardt so he
could have Rachel all to himself as well as put an end to her
physical torment. A devilishly subversive thinker, Kalish hires
the best lawyers in town, asks them what his strongest defense
would be, then fashions his explanation for the killing to suit
that strategy. His tactics work well until it becomes apparent
that the police and prosecutors are not quite as gullible as he
expects them to be. No problem. Kalish simply changes his story,
adding another twist involving one of Reinhardt's neighbors. In
the end, Kalish finds out that even more cunning minds than his
were churning away as he scrambled to convince the jury of his
version of events. Ellis's fine use of the first-person narrative
brings out the full flavor of Kalish's personality and helps drive
the plot into areas of character where courtroom thrillers rarely
venture. He stretches credibility at a few points--for example,
Kalish, who faces the death penalty, is allowed to remain free
throughout his trial--but the exciting payoff proves ample compensation.
(Feb. 19)Forecast: Ellis comes on strong here, writing a twisty,
spellbinding story with a subtext: that our legal system is vulnerable
to producing results that defy both logic and the facts. Expect
healthy sales from thriller readers eager for a fresh voice and
a cynical point of view--if they are alerted that Ellis offers
those in spades.
Copyright
2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
top
From
Booklist
Marty Kalish is a man with something to hide. In the opening pages
of Ellis' first novel, he goes to the house of his married lover
only to see her being brutally beaten by her husband. Marty breaks
into the house, and the next thing he knows, he is hiding the
body of the murdered husband. Marty does everything to cover his
tracks, but the police soon catch up with him. When they indicate
that they are going to arrest his lover, Rachel, Marty confesses
to the killing. Now on trial for his life, Marty assembles a small
legal team and tries to find a way to save both himself and Rachel.
As the trial unfolds, the reader, along with Marty himself, discovers
that all was not as it seemed, and it leads to a shocking conclusion.
Told through Marty's eyes, the novel gives readers both a unique
perspective and insight into Marty, who, despite the fact that
he very well may be guilty of murder, is both likable and sympathetic
beneath his caustic exterior.
— Kristine Huntley
Copyright
© American Library Association. All rights reserved.
|
