Line of Vision [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

David Ellis (Author), Dick Hill (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

Marty Kalish is a young man suffocating in the heat of an affair with a married woman named Rachel. When Rachel's husband disappears one night, Marty is one of the first to be questioned. With few likely suspects, the police arrest him for murder. We know Marty was outside their home that night. We know he has a motive. We know he's guilty of something. But is it murder? Everything we learn - about Marty as a man, his affair with Rachel, and the night in question - comes from Marty himself. We want him to be innocent, but the more he tells us, the more we fear he is guilty. And as the twists and turns of the plot unfold, we can't be completely sure.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, February 2001: First-time author David Ellis captures the imagination from the very first page with the voice of Marty Kalish, an investment banker in a tony company. Marty recounts the night that led to the murder of Dr. Derrick Reinhardt, the abusive husband of Rachel, with whom Marty is having an affair. The highly original premise of this story is masterful. Although Marty tells us his involvement in the murder, we don't know exactly what that involvement is. Did he murder or did he cover up?

Marty is a hard guy to believe. Like most people, he doesn't always tell all there is to know, so when he is charged with murder and employs the best defense lawyers in the city, he changes his story more than once to insure that he comes out in the best light possible. This both exasperates and earns the respect of his lawyer (as well as the reader), because every story that Marty tells is plausible. He tells us that he meets with a PI, but we won't know why until the last page, and indeed the story does not come together completely until that moment.

In the meantime, Marty takes us on quite a trip. The courtroom scenes in this novel are among the very best. From jury selection to witness interrogation to sidebars with the judge, the scenes and dialogue crackle with authenticity. The only false note in the story is that although Marty is charged with murder, he remains free on his own recognizance both before and during the trial. There must be precedents here, but it seems odd. However, I was happy to overlook that for the sake of an otherwise convincing and spellbinding story. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio Unabridged; Unabridged edition (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587882108
• ISBN-13: 978-1587882104
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.2 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,405,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Plot Follows a Devious Manipulator, February 16, 2004

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Line of Vision (Hardcover)

Rarely do first novels have original, well-developed plots. Line of Vision has one of the best plots I have ever read in the legal thriller genre. If the character development were as strong as the plot, Line of Vision would be one of the great legal thrillers of all time. In the end, the book successfully transcends the amazing plot to raise fundamental questions about human motivation that will haunt you.

I was attracted to Line of Vision after learning that the book had received the Edgar award for best first novel. Since I had found many other fine writers this way, I was looking forward to the book. My high expectations were greatly exceeded. The plot complications reminded me of first-year classes in evidence in law school while the complexity of the issues addressed exceeded most law school articles I have read. Those who like their thrillers to be intellectually challenging will adore this book!

Marty Kalish is the book's protagonist and narrates the story. He is the exception to the rule that Mr. Ellis did not do enough character development. You will get to know Marty Kalish quite well, and will find yourself engaged by his struggle to avoid harm to those he loves and himself.

Marty is at that stage as an investment banker where he will soon become a partner . . . or work on in oblivion elsewhere. As a bachelor, he lives his work . . . until he meets the intriguing wife of a prominent surgeon. Marty offers her a ride home, and one thing leads to another. As the book opens, Marty is standing outside her house waiting for a weekly treat -- her naughty modeling performance before an undraped window while her husband is away operating. But something's wrong. She's not doing her thing. Instead, her husband is at home . . . and attacking her. Marty races to the rescue. Someone calls the police. When they arrive, they find a dazed wife and a missing husband in a living room filled with blood. Marty meanwhile is out using his wits and his brief law school experience to create a false trail that leads away from his beloved and himself. But he makes little errors based on his out-of-control emotions, and is soon under suspicion. The story shows how he deals with that suspicion and ingeniously unveils the answers to unexpected secrets that he uncovers along the way.

This book is not for the meek and mild. Marty does some pretty reprehensible things, and is mainly looking out for his own pleasure (and hide). But justice is done in the end, much like happened in the great noir thrillers of the 1940s and 1950s.

As I finished the book, I was reminded to try to step outside of my own perspective to see what is happening from the view points of others . . . if I want to understand what is really happening . . . rather than what I want to believe is happening.

Very nice job, Mr. Ellis!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is John Grisham back when he was trying, January 31, 2003

By 

JC "JC" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Line of Vision (Hardcover)

This is everything that someone looking to read a legal thriller wants to see in a book. Great courtroom scenes, legal dueling behind the scenes, twists and turns in nearly every chapter, and an ending that will shock are all present here. When I was reading this book, I was consistently reminded of Scott Turow's classic, Presumed Innocent, though this book is not quite up to that standard. It's close though.

Some of the negative reviews here confuse me, since I really didn't see anything not to like in this novel. Yes, it is in first person, which can detract from some books, but I think that only adds to a novel like this. The main characters are well developed. The book flows well and the surprise ending is just crafty enough that it's difficult to guess but still believable. This writer will be very popular very quickly, so if you want to say that you were on the bandwagon before everyone else, read it now. Ellis is like John Grisham before he realized that he didn't have to try anymore and it shows here.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't put this spellbinding story down...., June 7, 2002

By 

Silver Springer "mary1anne2" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Line of Vision (Paperback)

In this ingenious first novel, David Ellis tells the story in this psychological legal thriller through commentary by the main character, Marty Kalish, an investment banker. Kalish, an up-and-comer in a prestigious firm, tells us his story in real time and flashbacks of a love affair with married socialite Rachel Reinhardt. Early in the novel, we learn that Marty killed her surgeon husband who was in the process of beating Rachel. Or what did happen? Marty proceeds to build alibis, ditch evidence but is still arrested for the murder despite the lack of a body or any physical evidence connecting him to the murder scene.

Through the preparation for the trial, we learn more about Marty whose life was focused on succeeding in business to build up personal wealth. Except for a close relationship to his nephew, Marty has few redeeming relationships in his life. You do build a strange kinship with him in his struggle to build a defense and in his reactions to events with his former lover.

The most spellbinding part of this novel is that as it proceeds, Marty's exposition of what really happened keeps changing....This baffles both the defense lawyers and the reader and when the final solution unwinds in the last pages, you may be surprised. However unlike other surprise endings this one ends in a very satisfying way, with ends tied up very logically.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced novel and look forward to future legal thrillers by Mr. Ellis.