Eye for an Eye [Paperback]

Erika Holzer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1995

When the criminal who attacked her daughter is released from jail, former business executive Karen Newman joins a vigilante group that systematically hunts down criminals nationwide. Reprint. Movie tie-in.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Respectable citizens resort to organized vigilantism in this feeble conspiracy thriller set in contemporary New York. Successful PR executive Karen Newman falls in with a shadowy group called Victims Anonymous after her daughter is brutally gang-raped and murdered, prompting her son-in-law and granddaughter to commit suicide. When the judge, a bleeding-heart liberal, sets free her daughter's juvenile killer despite photographic evidence of the crime, Karen finds more satisfying justice with a pistol and the support of her new club. Victims Anonymous asks Karen to coordinate publicity for the burgeoning nationwide organization, and she becomes progressively more involved in its inner circle--which, of course, proves to include victimizers as well as victimized. Holzer ( Double Crossing ) fails to give this preposterous scenario any credibility. Her first-person narrative is a muddle, her characters mere stick figures trading trite, underdone commentary on American law enforcement as they move forward a clumsy plot full of illogical twists and unsatisfying elaboration.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Advertising executive Karen Newman's worst nightmares come true when a gang of street thugs rape, mutilate, and murder her daughter on Halloween night. When the gang's leader is released by a "humanitarian" judge, she is outraged. By Christmas she has joined an underground vigilante group, Victims Anonymous, and avenged her daughter's death. Recruited because of her advertising acumen, Karen soon becomes involved in the organization's leadership, her grief leading her to believe that it's time for victims to rise up and retaliate since the police and the judicial system have failed them. She soon realizes, however, that this sort of vigilante "justice" simply breeds more grief, death, and terror. Tapping into modern-day fears of rampant crime, the author of Double Crossing ( LJ 8/83) has produced a complex, tense, and suspenseful tale of a woman battling destructive forces within and without. Recommended.
- Rebecca House Stankowski, Purdue Univ. Calumet Lib., Hammond, Ind.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 341 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812543319
• ISBN-13: 978-0812543315
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,989,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eye for an Eye, April 7, 2006

By 

Monart Pon (Calgary, Alberta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eye for an Eye (Paperback)

_Eye for an Eye_ by Erika Holzer has a fast-paced plot, rich characterizations, frequent dialogue, crisp and concise wording, and a credible and moving narration about an injustice leading to vigilantism and then anarchy -- well worth reading (for Rand fans or not). When, ten years ago, I saw the movie of the same name (starring Sally Field and Keifer Sutherland), I didn't know it was based on the novel, and it was only recently that I first read it. Then, after viewing the movie again, I found that, while I liked the well-produced movie, I enjoyed the novel's more complex plot, wider scope, and its philosophical framework. The chapter titles (each beginning with "C", the first chapter being "Catalyst") are revelations of the tight organization of the story and of the theme and purpose. Some phrasing that especially attracted me include: "fearball", "passives and actives", and "horror file". Seeking the same pleasure, I'm going to read Erika Holzer's other novel, _Double Crossing_, too.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good movie, better book, June 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Eye for an Eye (Hardcover)

"eye for an eye" was such a powerful movie that we forget there
was an even more powerful book behind it. holzer's novel is still in the front rank of tales of violence and retribution. the characters ring true, the action will have you gritting your teeth, and the climax can take your breath away. as good...and as apt...now as it was when first published.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The movie is better, April 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Eye for an Eye (Paperback)

I saw the film before reading the book. I think I like the film better. The first part of the book is good. The subsequent parts, however, I think are a bit out of control especially the parts when Karen worked as a double agent and when she confronted with Kagan.