Restitution [Mass Market Paperback]

Lee Vance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

Peter Tyler appears to have it all—a loving wife, a powerful job on Wall Street, a sprawling house in the suburbs. But in a moment of weakness, Peter indulges in a one-night stand with a beautiful trader. A few weeks later, his house is broken into and his wife brutally murdered. When the police discover Peter's infidelity, he immediately goes from grieving husband to prime suspect. Suddenly, it's up to Peter to prove his own innocence and find his wife's killer. Written with ferocity and at a lightning pace, Restitution marks the debut of an intelligent and exciting new novelist.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon.com Guest Reviewer: Lorenzo Carcaterra
Lorenzo Carcaterra is the author of Paradise City, Street Boys, Gangster, A Safe Place, and the New York Times bestsellers Sleepers and Apaches. He has written scripts for movies and television, and has worked as a writer and producer for Law & Order. His latest novel, Chasers, was published in April, 2007.

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Peter Tyler is riding the golden wave. He's got a drop-to-the-floor gorgeous wife, a seven-figure income even on a rare off year, a house right out of a glossy high-end magazine and is smart, sharp and sensible. He's in decent physical shape and has a razor's-edge sense of humor. In other words, the kind of guy we either dislike out of jealousy and envy or throw some admiration toward followed by a few meters of grudging respect. He is a man most men would want to be and a trading of places would be a hands-down no-brainer.

Then, his wife dies.

Is murdered actually. And you've all seen enough episodes of Law & Order to know that cops always look to the husband first. And in the case of Peter Tyler, there's a lot for them to see. Start with the fact the loving couple were living apart and toss in those troublesome finger prints and before the sun can set, Peter Tyler has gone from Master of the Universe to one hard knock of a judge's gavel away from the top tier inside a federal pen. And now suddenly, no one on the planet wants to even know Peter Tyler let alone BE Peter Tyler.

It takes Lee Vance all of twelve pages to slide this information across to the reader. And then, as if he weren't moving at a fast and skillful-enough pace, he shifts gears and ramps up the story. He lets his saga grow fast as summer weeds, introducing a former mistress with more questions than answers, a best friend doing a mystery fade, cops blood-hounding Tyler's every move, the Russian mob crawling their way into the mix, corporate sharks ready to pounce and valuable art worth the price of a life, leaving in the gulf not a single character who really appears to be on the surface who they say they are. The end result is a pure joy to read, each layer unfolding to reveal either a sinister motive or a stylish solution. It is indeed a rare treat to read a thriller (especially one by a first-time author) that is as polished, as well-written and as entertaining a tale as can be found in the rapid-moving pages of Restitution.

Now granted, I could never guess the identity of the real killer in an episode of Murder, She Wrote, but even the most astute reader will have a difficult time guessing the outcome here as the novel races along to a conclusion that would draw the envy of Robert Ludlum and Frederick Forsyth. All the while, Vance manages to draw a full circle in a reader's feelings toward Tyler. Instead of wanting to have his life then shunning the very mention of his name, we can't help but cheer him on in his quest to clear his name and bring some sense of balance back to his life.

It is indeed a difficult task for a thriller to stand out in today's book market. There seems to be a battalion of new ones packed onto shelves both high and low each and every week and most make about as much of an impact as cold rain on a window pane. Within weeks, if not days, the shiny new thriller is tossed onto remainder shelves in dusty and crowded bins, its price reduced to less than that of a cup of diner coffee. This novel deserves a better fate and it should get it. Restitution is simply too good a book to be ignored. In fact, it should enjoy a long and healthy run on any number of best seller lists, keeping us company through the summer and into the early fall.

Besides, the smart move is to never bet against someone who knows how to deliver under pressure. This is not Lee Vance's first barbecue. He came into the thriller world right out of the leave-the-blood-on-the-floor world of high-end finance, retiring as a general partner of Goldman Sachs Group. The guy knows how to drive home a winner and he has more than done that with Restitution.

So lay your money down and take the plunge. It is indeed a wise investment. (photo credit: Maddy Miller)
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The plot setup of this debut thriller may sound familiar, if not trite: husband and wife in troubled marriage; wife found murdered; police focus on husband as prime suspect; husband must find wife's killer and clear his name. Fortunately, Vance does more than just embroider this theme. After the authorities accuse Peter Tyler, a kingpin at the Wall Street financial firm of Klein and Klein, of his wife's murder, Peter gets entangled in money scams, stolen art, a pharmaceutical giant and a brilliant, ruthless and byzantine act of vengeance. Peter's best friend, Russian business tycoon Andrei Zhilina, may hold the key, but not even Andrei's twin sister, Katya, has been able to contact Andrei in his Moscow office. Peter embarks on a strongly cinematic quest, which takes him from plush Manhattan offices and the Harvard Club to deserted warehouses and meetings with Moscow toughs. Vance's ambitious story line hangs together remarkably well, providing depth and surprises to what otherwise might have been just another fugitive action tale. 100,000 copies. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; Reprint edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307279243
• ISBN-13: 978-0307279248
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An astounding debut thriller, December 19, 2007

By 

Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Restitution (Hardcover)

I just finished Lee Vance's debut thriller "Restitution" and feel almost breathless. I picked it up on a whim last night and read it straight through in a matter of hours.

It has everything a thriller should have. Tension. Suspense. The ordinary man forced by events to be a hero. Classic stuff.

This is not to say that "Restitution" is flawless. There are, in fact, many flaws, but as with Clive Cussler and certain others, the writing and story are powerful enough to lift you over the major potholes in the plot.

Lee Vance is just plain good and I look forward to his future work.

Time and time again, I was awestruck by how Vance played the Everyman theme, the Kafkaesque situation of a man in thrall to forces greater than himself. Vance plays it like a violin. For the first half of the novel, Peter Tyler is the victim of circumstances. A Wall St. player with lots of money, doing big deals, flying all over the world, Tyler is brought up short when he learns his wife his dead, a murder victim.

A really nasty cop makes it clear that Tyler is the prime suspect.

Crushed at first not only by the death of his wife, but by the rejection of inlaws, employer, co-workers, the media, all of whom think him guilty, Tyler begins to fight back.

He reaches out to an old friend, Andrei Zhilina, whom he learns has disappeared. His twin sister, Katya, also an old friend is distant for a variety of reasons Both Katya and Andrei are employed by William Turdale, a real master of the universe type, Wall St. wheeler and dealer, billionaire and a really nasty guy.

Peter is under increasing pressure from the police to confess. Katya asks him to go to Moscow to find Andrei.

It would be unfair for me to reveal more of the plot except to say it's a doozy. Yes, there are potholes along the way, but Lee Vance definitely has a style to whiz you right over them.

The characters are near masterpieces. Not in the Shakespearean tradition, but in the manner of thrillers. Peter Tyler, as noted is the ordinary self-absorbed guy thrust into a situation where he has to do extraordinary things not only to avenge his dead wife, but simply to survive. William Turdale needs only the greased mustache and tophat: he's exactly the kind of guy portrayed in the early "Perils Of Pauline" silent movies, tying the damsel to the tracks in the path of the oncoming train. Robert "Tigger" Meyer is the stalwart friend who is always there. And the mother of the twins is a mystery till the last. Lots of other sharply drawn characters also populate the pages.

There are evil corporations involved on end of the scale and the private dreams, aspirations an loves of two people on the other.

It's a fast read and a worthwhile one. With this first effort, Lee Vance is definitely off to a great a start. I can hardly wait for his next effort.

Jerry

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Big stars for this superb new mystery writer, August 2, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Restitution (Hardcover)

Peter Tyler has a high-powered Wall Street career. He's ambitious. A real guy's guy. Married to his college sweetheart. His life looks solid. Ordered. Easy.

On the surface.

But there are cracks--weak places in his character and his history. As his marriage struggles, he finds himself increasingly attracted to the sister of his best friend, Andrei. A one-night stand with her leaves him conflicted, but before he can sort it out, his wife is murdered in their home and he's suspect number one. When it's discovered that a package sent by Andrei is the only thing missing from the murder scene, Peter believes Andrei is the key.

Only Andrei is missing.

In order to prove his innocence and find his wife's killer, Peter goes underground. Bitter cops, greed, vengeance, ruthless pillars of society, and the Russian mob all conspire to put obstacles in Peter's way as he fights to save his own life and find the truth.

First novel? Yes. An amazing first novel. The pace is relentless, the plot serpentine, and the writing tight. Vance hints at the rewrites and efforts he made to bring a winner to the market. They paid off. Restitution is fabulous, and one of my top reads for 2007.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended first novel. Hope he is writing the next one right now!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Okay Read But Somewhat Contrived and Convoluted!, January 14, 2008

By 

bobbewig (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Restitution (Hardcover)

Lee Vance's debut novel, Restitution,takes part in the worlds of high finance and fine art as it follows one man determined to avenge the death of his wife. The plot starts off strong, however, as it unfolds it becomes contrived and convoluted in an effort to maintain its level of suspense. Further, I found the characters to not be developed well enough to enable me to care much about what happens to them. In fairness, Restitution, is a fast read and is definitely good enough to make you want to find out how it ends. However, due to the limitations described, it is not a book that I'd recommend you rush out to read. Restitution shows Vance's potential as a creator of fast-paced thrillers but it is not a book that deserves to be placed near the top of your to-be-read list.