Blink of an Eye [Hardcover]

Tom Mitcheltree (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2004

Grant Reynolds' first day on the job starts with a bang.

Actually, it starts with a series of pops. Two young people-one, the granddaughter of an American bil-lionaire, and the other, the son of a -Bolivian diplomat-are found shot to death in a Paris alley. Reynolds' job is to investigate crimes against Americans overseas and the deaths of the two victims in Paris plunges him into a complex crime. The deaths are the work of an international hit man, one Reynolds' knows from his past. A connection between the murders and the art world unfolds as Reynolds finds himself digging further and further into the crimes. Throw in car theft, counterfeiting, and drugs and Reynolds has a whole lot of work to do.

Tom Mitcheltree is the award-winning author of Katie's Will and Katie's Gold. He is a life-long educator and Oregonian, and has four children.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Paris provides an atmospheric backdrop for this suspenseful story about a mysterious hit man, aptly nicknamed the Assassin, whose calling card is three bullets in each victim--the last through the soft palate of the mouth. Protagonist Grant Reynolds, a former homicide detective still scarred by his shooting of a teenage boy, is in Paris investigating crimes against Americans, which often amounts to no more than tracking down lost passports. But the shooting death of a young American ups the ante: Reynolds' former nemesis, the Assassin, is in town. Complicating matters is a relationship with his office mate, Jill St. Claire, and the appearance of a former lover who is working for the grandfather of the murdered American girl. Mitcheltree, author of Katie's Will (1999) and Katie's Gold [BKL My 15 03], both mysteries involving Oregon history, undertakes a dramatic change of direction here but proves equally adept at delivering a satisfying international thriller. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Intrigue Press (January 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890768537
• ISBN-13: 978-1890768539
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,112,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have eight titles published representing thirteen books in hard back and paperback. These titles include TERROR IN ROOM 201, KATY'S WILL, DATAMAN, KATY'S GOLD, MISSING, MAYBE DEAD, BLINK OF AN EYE, DEATH OF A CARPENTER, and the novelette, "Merry Little Christmas."
I've just posted CRIME OF THE HEART, the third Grant Reynolds book, on Kindle. In the near future I plan to add a re-release of TERROR IN 201 and DATAMAN, followed by a new book, GOLD! The character in GOLD! is important to the fifth Paul Fischer book, IN SEARCH OF A SAINT, to be released as a Kindle book in the near future along with the fourth Paul Fischer book ("Merry Little Christmas" rewritten into a full-length book, LOVED BY ALL AND DEAD.)
In the future a second Dataman book will be released along with several other manuscripts turned into e-books. And look forward to the first three Paul Fischer books and the first two Grant Reynolds books to be released as e-books by Amazon. In the meantime, those can be purchased as books from Intrigue Press or Amazon.
I'm still single (may have something to do with three ex-wives), have four children, and continue to teach writing for a community college.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, March 17, 2006

By 

ML - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blink of an Eye (Hardcover)

What a great read! With Paris as the setting and an exciting well-paced plot, you're in for a good time. This well-crafted mystery would make an excellent movie. Enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars A page-turning, well researched, fast-paced thriller, impossible to put down, August 17, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blink of an Eye (Hardcover)

Tom Mitcheltree lives in Woodburn, Oregon, where he spent his career teaching English, writing, and theater to both high school and community college students. His prior books include the award-winning KATIE'S WILL, TERROR IN ROOM 201, DATAMAN, MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, and KATIE'S GOLD.

Grant Reynolds has had an interesting career in military intelligence, as a cop, then a homicide detective, and most recently has graduated from Harvard Law School with honors. Because of a confrontation with a troubled teen, who threatened him with a knife, he has a death on his conscience. His trouble-shooting past hasn't helped him deal with the nightmares, so he takes a job in Paris as an FBI field representative in the Foreign Service. He has to hit the ground running, as an old nemesis of his has committed a high profile murder of two highly placed young adults:

"'Inspector,' Grant said. 'This was a professional hit. You'll find that each of the victims has a third wound to the head, administered through the soft palate in the mouth. This is a signature tap. You'll find that the killer has a file with Interpol. He's known as 'the Assassin,' and he has perhaps thirty or more hits attributed to him.'"

It's fun to read about a mystery written in another country, especially one as romantic as Paris. Mitcheltree's Grant Reynolds is not only brilliant and sensitive, but his great looks qualify him as an Indiana Jones type of character. The story drips with glamour from the first page. Mitcheltree is careful to juxtapose the dark attributes of 'the Assassin' in alternating chapters from the emerging love affair between Reynolds and his office mate. To make the plot even more delectable, a third woman from Reynold's past plays a crucial role in the plot.

BLINK OF AN EYE refers to the fragile fabric of life, and Mitcheltree sets up his story so that this theme runs through his exciting and exotic plot. Even though foreign diplomacy can be tedious, Grant Reynolds makes it sexy with his mere presence. This is a page-turning, well researched, fast-paced thriller, impossible to put down.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer