Customer Reviews

The Price of Revenge

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So far it seems that all the reviewers have loved this book. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It's a good yarn about unintended consequences, but not all of the decisions that the main character David Fox makes at crucial choice points are based purely on revenge. [SPOILER ALERT!] For example, if your boss attempts to blackmail you to falsify a report and as a result of your refusal, you're passed over for partner, does your decision to leave the firm and seek employment elsewhere constitute revenge? It could be viewed as just looking out vigilantly for your career. If your wife's psychiatrist seduces and then dumps her and the impact is a psychotic break, is it purely revenge to seek the loss of the psychiatrist's membership in a professional society that is not even his license to continue practicing? Might it not also be viewed as trying to protect future potential victims? Unintended consequences are a part of life, and it is generally wise to review your decisions, see how they worked out, and use what you learn to continue refining your decision-making processes. As someone once said, "you don't learn less". David didn't exactly live the unexamined life, but he was certainly a slow learner.

The story flows well, but the characters are mostly two dimensional and not vivid or memorable. The prose is workable but not dramatic or compelling. Like my fellow reviewers, I enjoyed reading the book, but as soon as I finished it, I began to forget it. It has an overall quality of blandness. Courtroom drama offers a perfect setting for drama and fireworks. Think about some of the legal thrillers by Richard North Patterson or Scott Turow, for example. Since this is the author's first literary endeavor, I'd say it's a decent first effort, but if he attempts a second, I recommend he work on upping the amps, cutting loose and giving it more juice.

David Fox, an ambitious young lawyer with a large Denver law firm, appears to have everything going for him. David's career is flourishing, his beautiful girl friend - Ellen - is the granddaughter of the law firm's founder, and he is in line for partnership. But when David begins investigating a lawsuit against the Denver City Ballet Company, he finds that one of the respected partners in the law firm is involved in wrongdoing. Threatened with blackmail over a sexual indiscretion, but unwilling to compromise his professional standards, David goes to work for a rival firm.

Ellen, now David's wife, is caught between her loyalty to her grandfather and her love for David. She seeks psychotherapy and forms a relationship which threatens to destroy both her sense of self and her relationship with David.

Professional misconduct, ethical standards, blackmail and poor personal choices each play a part in this story. But is it all about revenge?

I have mixed feelings about this novel. I didn't find either Ellen or David particularly likeable, and couldn't always understand some of their choices. To some extent I think that the characters in this novel were dwarfed by the actions in which they were involved. However, while this impacted on my view of the characters and appreciation of their stories, it didn't detract from the way in which Mr Vaughn highlighted the tensions between private feelings and professional considerations, and the consequences of both.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The Price of Revenge is a rollicking ride through life in the legal world. While the book is billed as a thriller--and it is certainly that--it goes beyond the genre to show, as any worthy novel must, how life is lived now. David Fox's plight is displayed in vivid detail that will pull you through the story as you come to understand just how he lives the life he does--and makes the decisions he must. A great read.

A story exposing treachery, deceit, blackmail, forgery and revenge in the inner circles of some of the reputed names among the legal firms of Denver. The main protagonist of the story, David Fox is introduced as a highly aspiring lawyer who is enjoying almost every possible bliss that the life has to offer - having a great career, on the verge of being a partner in the firm and a wonderful relationship with Ellen - who happens to be the granddaughter of the firm's owner. But this all does not stay the same for long and while investigating a lawsuit against the Denver City Ballet, he stumbles upon some very crucial pieces of information, which he is thrilled to be bringing to the courtroom. But one of his weak moments makes him vulnerable to be blackmailed and being cajoled for doing what another partner want him to do. David Fox refuses to stoop low, follows his heart and quits the firm to join the second best firm and the direct competitor to the previous one. The rivalry between these two firms enters an altogether new phase of more animosity and more bitterness. Ellen, now David's wife, finds herself torn between two of her most dearest relationships who are now in camps which are direct adversaries to each other. The mental stress affects Ellen so much that she ends up seeking regular psychiatric assistance to untangle her mental clutter. But do these sessions help her to set things in right perspective or do they lead her to a more complicated situation which has the potential of even entrapping her dear ones in it? The story takes a lot of interesting twists and turns and keeps the interest and curiosity alive among the readers all through.

A very well written and well presented piece of writing and Author Dennis Vaughn has neatly weaved the feeling of anxiety, tension and stress in the narrative to bring forth the actual flavor of the real corporate world riding on a lot of high stakes. The story has a quick pace to it and grips the readers attention right from the first page. The book offers a wonderful potpourri of things ranging from a corporate saga, a family drama, personal relationships to highlighting various strengths and shortcomings in each character. However, it fails to make any character rise above the rest to be able to stay with the readers even after the book gets over. The book has been publicized as a legal thriller but the story falls short in creating any nail-biting or edge of the seat kind of anticipation or anxiety among readers. Moreover, the characters seem to follow the course of actions more in tune with the practicality of the same rather than being completely revenge motivated. A mismatch between the title and the story becomes very apparent. This book should be read and enjoyed for an interesting story but don't get misled by the title and raise expectations which have all the probability of being left unfulfilled.

Those of us who swear by legal thrillers/suspense novels may become enticed by The Price of Revenge. David Vaughn has joined a slew of other authors who have based their novels on courtroom intrigue. While the topic offers for a lot of leg room for authors to create a great story, not everyone has been able to pull it off successfully. In my mind, whether David Vaughn has been able to pull it off is still up for debate.

The good news that is The Price of Revenge is a good, original concept. It depicts the life of a well-to-do lawyer who gets caught up in a cycle of revenge that ultimately ruins his life. The excitement gets going pretty early on in the book as we get a flash back of David being black mailed and being faced with a difficult decision. Naturally this sets the tone for the entire book. The story is told in third person so you get an insight into all of the characters and their motives in the story. The Price of Revenge is not riveting but it's not obvious either. With each trial that the protagonist faces, the reader at times enters into them blindly.

Having said all of that, the bad news is that the story was really poorly executed. I didn't think that revenge played a critical role in this story as it help to send David's life into chaos. I thought that the foolish actions of all of the characters are what ultimately led to their down fall. Additionally their actions were not sufficiently explained and it was a bit frustrating trying to understand their motives. I thought that telling the story in third person would have allowed the author to help build the stories of these characters but that was not the case. They all seemed one dimensional, irrational and uninteresting.

The story did flow pretty quickly especially because the chapters were shorter and there was some element of suspense that kept you interested in the story. However the author couldn't keep the reader's attention for too long since the writing was rigid and lacked depth. I really was expecting more from this story but sadly it just left me in two minds.

From all the reviews that I have read about this book, everyone seems to disagree with my stance. However I'll let you guys be the judge. I will probably not give this book a second read but I am always open to passing it along to my friends.

Once I started reading The Price of Revenge, I had no interest in doing anything else. Thankfully, when it arrived in my mailbox, my boyfriend was out of town and the sparsely populated weekend had just started. The characters are compellingly drawn and the places they took me were unexpected and fascinating. They manage to get themselves into situations that are riveting to observe from a safe, readerly distance. And in the end, I was convinced I knew how it would all turn out and I couldn't have been more wrong. Always a great surprise. I highly recommend it, and just caution readers to warn loved ones and check RSVP's before beginning this fun journey.

Dennis Vaughn is a genius and his book was a unexpected delight. I picked it up because of the cover and now I can't wait for his sophomore effort. Don't stop, Mr. Vaughn you have a gift.

The plot and characters in The Price of Revenge are so compelling that I couldn't put it down. I thought about the two major characters for a long time afterwards. This is an excellent first book for a writer with great potential.

What fun to see how in the world this upstanding young lawyer is going to get himself out of this impossible predicament! Hard to put it down! Hard to see how he's going to solve his career-threatening, life altering dilemma that keeps getting worse! The author is obviously very knowledgeable about the legal profession and someone has given him some idea of the scary things that can happen on a psychiatrists couch! Fascinating and full of surprises!

This story has all the "goings on" in elite law firms, in highbrow cultural organizations, and in neferious psychiatrist's offices to make a "got to get back to it" read; but best is a character whose awareness of a personality trait grows as does the havoc and good that it generates.