Customer Reviews

At First Sight

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Fifty-five years old Chick Best has run an Internet business for the past dozen years; however recently competition from the global chains threatens to bury him. The affluent Los Angelino is married to philandering Evelyn; though she cheats on him he thanks God for that. He is concerned with his sixteen year old daughter Melissa who knows more drugs personally than any pharmaceutical company.

Chick and his two indifferent towards him women go to Hawaii on vacation. When he sees newlywed Paige Ellis emerge from the Maui hotel swimming pool, Chick finds himself in love at first sight. He insures he meets the object of his adult rated fantasy and to his chagrin, her spouse Chandler though he is cleverly nice to the man in his way. Back in the Forty-eight states, Chick is on a business trip to New York, but instead of going home he heads to Charlotte where the Ellis couple lives. There he accidentally runs over Chandler several times to eliminate the only person in the way of happily ever after with his obsession.

This is an exciting thriller with morbid dry humor as Chick allows his fixation for his love interest to get control of head as if his brain had one icon: Paige. The story line is told by the prime players, for the most part Chick. Although somewhat satirical, the reaction of Chandler's family including to a lesser degree his new wife seems too indifferent (especially when they learn how they died) even though that purposely contrasts their apathy to his killer's passion. Still Stephen J. Cannell provides readers with a fascinating "novel of obsession".

Harriet Klausner

Chick Best isn't anyone you are going to like. That's one of the problems with this book. An even bigger problem is that what Chick does will more often disgust you than interest you. Beyond that, much of the story is predictable . . . so there isn't much to look forward to . . . except the book being over.

Even if you are a big Stephen J. Cannell fan, you may not like this book. You can definitely skip it unless you feel like you need to read every word he's ever written.

Chick Best is seeing his dot-com business go down the tubes when the family's annual trip to a tony resort on Maui makes him angrier than usual at his wife. While grouching to himself about her unreasonable demands, Chick is jolted out of his bad mood by a glimpse of a gorgeous young woman. At first, he hopes she's single. By staring and eavesdropping, Chick learns she's married. Chick can't help himself. He's got to have her. How will he do it?

From there, Chick's life comes to narrow down onto being with Paige Ellis. Nothing will get in his way.

At First Sight appears to have been intended to be a comic satire about how middle-aged men falter through trying to reverse the effects of time. I compared the book at first to some of the more extreme works of that Florida philosopher, Carl Hiaasen. But Hiaasen maintains a light touch that keeps the reader wondering what prank the author will pull next. Mr. Cannell by comparison is like the butcher who sticks his thumb on the scale to make a bigger sale; he gets your attention in an expensive way.

I find it hard to imagine a woman I know who would like this book. If seeing a man destroy anything that gets in his way appeals to you, you'll like this book a lot more than I did.

A lot of people aren't going to like At First Sight. A big reason for this is that the central character is a self absorbed, intolerant, jerk. Personally, I like novels with flawed, even detestable characters, as long as they are interesting and/or entertaining.

This is one of two significant drawbacks to the novel. Chick is boring as hell. He's superficial and whiny. It's always risky for an author to build a novel around a character who is unlikeable, and I have to admire Cannell for trying. I suspect a lot of people will give up on this novel about of the third of the way through (probably about the time Chick gratifies himself with a Hustler magazine in his car after killing someone) because they were either bored to death by Chick or just found him too unpleasant to read about. I think Cannell would have been more successful in his attempt if he had been able to incorporate a little morbid humor into the narrative in the first half. With the right tone, creepy behavior can become darkly funny.

And this happens to a degree in the final third of the novel (for those willing to stick with it). The narrative alternates between Chick and the woman he is obsessed with, and there is some morbid humor in the stark contrast between his perspective and hers. His thought process and behavior becomes more and more outrageous and delusional near the end and this adds to the entertainment value.

The second significant shortcoming of the novel is its lack of originality. For some reason, Cannell seems to think that he is writing something groundbreaking here. He says friends begged him not to write the novel, that he'd been harboring the idea for years and that it simply poured out of him when he started to write, as if it were something unique and special. It isn't. The novel's premise, a man becomes obsessed with another man's wife and then kills him so he can romance the widow is not new. Frankly the whole thing is a tired re-tread. I think the only semi-original idea here is that Cannell made Chick uncompromisingly unlikeable, and wrote most of the novel from his point of view.

On a positive note, the novel is lean and mean, and Cannell does a reasonable job of building suspense in the final chapters. I started to find Chick's antics reasonably entertaining near the end and appreciated the alternating narratives. I like that Paige, the object of his obsession, is a reasonably intelligent and resourceful woman. Her guilt and grief make her vulnerable and leads to some choices that put her at risk, but for the most part, she see's Chick for what he is.

While there are some positives to the novel, it isn't one I can recommend without reservations (if at all). The story is predictable and lacks originality and Chick's rants remind me of a loudmouth drunk in a bar that you wish would move to another stool. If you're thinking about giving up halfway through, I can tell you that it does get better, but only marginally. 2 ½ stars.

AT FIRST SIGHT by Stephen J. Cannell is an interesting thriller, one I had a difficult time deciding what I thought as I read. But one thing I can say, it's a fast read and kept me turning the pages. I was thoroughly entertained.

The book is labeled as a novel of obsession and that's the truth. Narrator Chick Best is in his fifties and has a trophy wife that he hates. While on vacation, he meets, falls in love with, and becomes obsessed with Paige Ellis. One problem. She's married to Chandler, and they're the perfect couple. As the book summary says, Chick kills Chandler early in the novel. But that's only the beginning of the descent of Chick.

But the problem is, Chick is telling the story. He's the lead male character and he's absolutely a horrible person. But, he's also witty and funny and that made the novel enjoyable. Paige, on the other hand, is salt of the earth. A perfect woman.

How does it all turn out? As I read, I wondered how I would feel about a novel that is dominated by such an evil man. Could Cannell pull it off? The answer is, yes. He solves the narrator problem by slowly shifting the story to Paige's point of view.

I think this novel is a bit too humorous and light to take away a serious message. Still. Chick's obsession with appearance and what others think of him probably comes straight from Cannell's observations of those living in Hollywood . I read Cannell's first novel, THE PLAN, and hadn't read him again until this one. I definitely plan on checking out his other novels. He's a good writer.

This reads like Tom Wolfe knew all the sleazebags in Hollywood and had to answer to an editor. "Bonfire of the Vanities", "Man in Full" and "I Am Charlotte Simmons" smart. It's that good.

Exceedingly clever, well-observed and continuously hilarious while mixing in sequences of pathos, depravity and madness.

If you're looking for a crime thriller this is not it. Fans of the Shane Scully series who gave this book a bad review testify to this fact.

But if you are looking for something that skewers the shallowness of current society and the people who inhabit it, you may find this book as focused, concise and brilliant as I do.

Bravo Stephen J. Cannell.

AT FIRST SIGHT is a radical departure for Stephen J. Cannell. It is neither a continuation of his Shane Scully series nor is it a return to the type of stand-alone novel he was writing early in his career. Rather, it is a "unique" book that, as he reports in his Acknowledgements, those involved in his career "beg[ged]" him not to write. The fact that Cannell chose to follow the impulse of his muse is our gain, as this is arguably his best work to date --- enthralling, engrossing, addicting.

Chick Best is a southern California dot.com millionaire whose life trajectory is quickly going south. He is married to Evelyn, a hellion who, at least from Chick's viewpoint, is interested in little more than spending his money and bedding her personal trainer. Their 16-year-old daughter Melissa, in Chick's words, has discovered more drugs than Dow Chemical and dates an outlaw biker. Actually, those are her more charming attributes; one expects Melissa's head to start rotating on her shoulders at any moment.

But Chick is not the put-upon Job he would have you believe him to be, and this is where we get a hint of what an excellent storyteller Cannell can be (as if, given his extensive bibliography and enviable list of hit television series, the jury somehow might still be undecided). Chick complains mightily about Evelyn's spending habits, but does so while drinking a bottle or two of wine bearing a stratospheric price tag. He bemoans his daughter's drug use while ignoring his own alcoholic intake as well as his other excesses, both named and unnamed. He is, so to speak, preoccupied with the moat in his neighbor's eye while ignoring the plank in his own.

It is while the Bests are on a hedonistic family vacation that Chick is hit by a thunderbolt named Paige Ellis, a beautiful younger woman vacationing with her husband Chandler, an all-around good guy. There is a subtle irony here --- Chandler and Paige, like Chick and Evelyn, deserve each other, but in entirely different ways. This becomes more and more apparent as Chick, instantly and irrevocably smitten with Paige, begins a skin-crawling campaign to ingratiate himself into their lives. Chick's obsession with Paige does not end with the vacation; it grows and festers, even as his life is slowly crashing down around him on all fronts. Given a sudden opportunity to murder Chandler, Chick takes full advantage, doing the deed and seemingly getting away with it. Paige is devastated, which allows Chick to be there for her and offer support.

Robert Butler is the homicide detective assigned to the case. He is Chick's polar opposite in every way --- homely, disheveled, spiritual, sincere --- but is determined to identify Chandler's murderer and bring him to justice. Robert has his own reasons for his obsession with the case: his wife was killed under similar, if unrelated, circumstances years before, and her death is unsolved and unavenged. Unaware that Robert is even investigating the matter, Chick is busily planning to remove what he regards as the final obstacle between what he envisions as a lifetime of bliss with Paige. As matters race toward a climactic showdown, anything can, and will, happen.

The book reads as if Cannell was channeling a brilliantly dark paperback writer from the 1950s --- Jim Thompson or perhaps Richard Prather --- yet his story is as fresh and new as today's headlines. His description of the manner in which Chick carries out a murder could conceivably cause at least one B-list celebrity some anxious moments (I will leave it to you to guess who), and his quiet comparisons between Chick's and Paige's feelings for each other --- Chick is entranced, while Paige thinks of him as just a friend --- are spellbinding. Cannell's glimpses into Chick's self-serving psyche are by turns chilling and hilarious; his ability to deceive everyone, especially himself, is incredible. It is ultimately Robert, however, who quietly steals the show, even as he remains off-page for most of it.

AT FIRST SIGHT is yet another triumph for Cannell, who, even at this late date in his career, continues to handily trump his own best work.

While this book is rife with stereotypes and over-the-top personalities, Cannell has such a wonderful way with words that you can't help rushing from page to page to see what outrageous description he'll offer next. It is not a mystery but rather a commentary on conspicuous consumption and shallow values. Instead of being preachy it has a light and airy tone. We see the delusions people create to make themselves feel important and the rationaliztions they offer for even the most bizarre behavior.

Having grown up on Los Angeles and worked for a movie studio, I found the characters to be overblown, but not by much. Cannell takes the ordinary Hollywood hustler, the body-obsessed woman and the rebellious teenager to ridiculous lengths, but he does it in a way that is clever and humorous and illustrates some truths about money, success and the real values in life.

This book is not to be taken literally but enjoyed for the clever writing and hilarious descriptions.

Just like Dudley Moore in Blake Edwards' movie "10", Chick Best sees a woman from afar, characterizes her as the perfect woman, falls in love and becomes obsessed.

Like Dudley Moore and "10", Chick Best and "At First Sight" have moments where you can't help but laugh and see the absurdity in loving for beauty's sake alone.

Unlike Dudley, Chick isn't cute or lovable or even likable.

Unlike Dudley Moore, Chick Best takes that obsession to a whole other level--one including murder.

And that's what makes this book so good. I've read too many books where the bad guy has redeeming features--he loves his kids, he pets puppies, he's just a normal guy in a bad situation. Not here--Chick is pimple on the butt of society, a dot com millionaire gone bust with a trophy wife who is cheating and a goth kid into meth. He doesn't have the guts to stand up to his family or the wherewithal to try and fix anything. He just continues in his downward spiral until he meets Paige. Then the downward spiral turns into more of a how-to for the Seven Deadly Sins.

The book is written in multiple first persons. I liked it. At different points, you see what your narrator is seeing and feeling. You see Chick convince himself how correct he is and how he is nothing but a victim fighting the injustices that have befallen him. You then see Paige moving from a "little school teacher" to a strong, determined master of her fate.

The preface says that no one wanted Cannell to write this book. I'm glad he fought for it.

Chick Best, erstwhile dot.com millionaire, was at one time on top of the world, with a luxurious home in Hollywood, cabin in Big Bear, married to a beautiful woman, with a teenage daughter. But lately things have turned sour. Chick's business is going under, his wife is having an affair, and his teenage daughter's only interest is hanging out with a criminal biker and taking drugs. The family goes on vacation to Hawaii, where Chick encounters beautiful Paige Ellis and falls in love "at first sight." Chick is despaired to learn Paige is married to Chandler, a handsome, altruistic man from a wealthy family who uses his time and money to help learning disabled kids. Chick makes an effort to get to Paige through Chandler, but it's evident Paige is very much in love with her husband. Back home, Chick can't keep his mind off Paige. When an opportunity arises to go to New York, he flies there, rents a car, and drives to her home in North Carolina, where his life begins its slow, horrific spiral downward into madness and deception.

Cannell's depiction of the shallow mindsets of the materialistic rich is revealed with humor, although at times, it seems sad and unfathomable that people actually think this way. Chick is a character readers will not like, but his inner thoughts and insights, while usually obnoxious are, nonetheless, entertaining. The story has its suspenseful moments and the reader will root for Paige, an intelligent woman who grieves the death of a man she was very much in love with while trying to deal with Chick, a middle-aged, portly man with no morals who is slowly going mad.

As I write this, there is a video on the product page for this book that features the author explaining what he was going for. If you haven't already, please watch that before you consider buying this book.

This book is one that is very hard for me to rate. I find myself feeling dirty just for having read it. It's written from the point of view of a sick, twisted, sociopath. It gets you inside the head of this guy, who isn't someone you really want to understand that well. As I read this book, I found myself slightly intrigued by the main character and where the story would go, and yet at the same time disgusted enough to consider shelving the book. I've read many of Mr Cannell's books, and throughly enjoyed them. The author's 'name' value is the only reason I picked this one up, and the only reason I continued reading after the first pages. Based on this, I was tempted to give this book a very low rating.

On the other hand, this book is brilliantly written. As much as the subject matter makes me want to hate it, it was a relative page turner once the story got going, and the characters were really brought to life. When reading the sections from Chick's point of view, I really felt like I was in his head, and understood what he was thinking and why. It was almost scary at times. When reading Paige's sections, I was almost as involved with her character, except that I kept rooting for her to make different choices, to figure things out that I knew she couldn't. Based only on this, I was tempted to rate the book very highly.

In the end, I've fluctuated between a 2 and a 4 star rating, and settled on a 4. The book is VERY well written, and gets you into the head of the sociopathic bad guy in a way you've never dreamed of. Just be sure you know what to expect going in, and keep a towel and loofah at hand so you can take a shower when you're done reading to scrub away the feeling of being Chick Best.