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Customer Reviews

43 Reviews

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (43 customer reviews)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars JUST A SHADOW OF "PRIMAL FEAR", June 1, 2000

By

"justicewriter" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Show of Evil (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading Primal Fear, the gripping, skip-work-until-you-finish-it Martin Vail novel that pre-dates this book, I couldn't wait to get into "Show of Evil."

But once into it, I found it disappointing, not up to the high standards set by Primal Fear.

The story here seems to get lost, as if Diehl can't decide whether to write a straight sequel about Aaron Stampler (now "cured" of his mental illness), or a new mystery for Martin Vail to solve, with just hints of Stampler. The book gets better towards the end, when Diehl gets off the sidetracks and brings us Stampler in all his evil genius, and Vail's attempts to bring him down.

Another thing I questioned in the book is the dramatic change in some of the characters after Primal Fear. Vail, the great defense attorney, is now the DA? Venable and Vail, once sworn courtroom enemies, now sliding between the sheets together? I know 10 years is a long time, but some of the transformations seemed to stretch credulity.

And the close of the book, seeming to leave the door open for yet another sequel? Please, Mr. Diehl, move on to a new evil genius.

This isn't a bad read, and in parts is quite good. But it isn't "Primal Fear."

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great sequel to Primal Fear, September 11, 2003

By A Customer

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This review is from: Show of Evil (Mass Market Paperback)

A one-two punch with Primal Fear. Make sure you read the super Primal Fear first then enjoy the continued story...it just keeps getting better. Left the door open for a continuance with another unexpected ending. I hope there is more!!!!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing and Unnecessary Follow-Up to Primal Fear, August 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Show of Evil (Mass Market Paperback)

Primal Fear is one of my favorite books whose success should have warned me about the inevitable sequel. As with most follow-ups, Show of Evil, although a decent read in its own right, pales in comparison to its predecessor.

It is not as suspenseful or mind-boggling as the first - how could it be, since Aaron Stampler's true nature is known from the beginning. His plan becomes obvious in the prelude. Also, the romance between Martin Vail and Jane Venable seems too unlikely considering the events that took place ten years ago.

The book's most glaring flaw is its length. Diehl devotes far too much time to the Darby and Stoddard sublots. These filler sections concern minor characters in the novel and add nothing to the main plot - Aaron Stampler and his unknown accomplice. Show of Fear would have been much more effective as a novella.

Aaron Stampler remains a fascinating character, but any sequel deadens the impact of the closing line in Primal Fear. Aaron's last words are most powerful when the implications are left to the imagination.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars What A Terrible Book. Plagarizes His Own Work.
To sum it up: Ineffectual.

First off, let me state that ENTIRE PAGES are nearly copy/pasted from Primal Fear. Read more

Published 6 months ago by N. Kline

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and easy to read
My uncle passed a truckload of books last year. In this was Show of Evil. To start with the book cover did not look that interesting and also I had not read Primal Fear to start... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Aditya Kirloskar

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Work of Fiction
This was the first time I read Diehl,s work. I thought it was suspenseful and it kept my interest. The author left a lot of room for a sequel. It is worth the time.

Published on January 7, 2004 by Dwight D. Milleman

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of Masterpiece
I encountered this book by simple and plain old luck. In my college reading class my Teacher Mrs. Hamilton was having a book sale of pre used books that where from her own... Read more

Published on January 4, 2004 by Matt McCallum

4.0 out of 5 stars The long arms of a psycho killer
Fast forward ten years from Diehl's excellent novel, Primal Fear. Main character Martin Vail previously a premier, unrelenting, sharkish Chicago defense attorney has undergone a... Read more

Published on August 1, 2003 by Cory D. Slipman

2.0 out of 5 stars Whether legal thriller or mystery, more show than substance
"Show of Evil" is the sequel to the novel "Primal Fear". In that first book, the morally ambiguous defense attorney Mart Vail saves from an almost certain conviction a young man... Read more

Published on September 23, 2002 by Rottenberg's rotten book review

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST SEQUEL!
I absolutely love this book! It's very interesting, intriguing, and pure evil! Just like the kind of story that I want to expect but didn't expect from the beginning. Read more

Published on August 9, 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars A more vivid description of a garbage dump doesn't exist.
When a young mother is slaughtered in southern Illinois, Martin Vail's investigator recognizes the combination of letters on the back of her head. Read more

Published on July 15, 2002 by R. Tiedemann

3.0 out of 5 stars Back to The Past
I liked all the twist and turns in this book, but what bothered was always refering to Primal Fear and the whole retelling of that story, you read on hopeing that he will get on... Read more

Published on June 2, 2002 by Steve

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Sequel
Oh, I am so tired of authors throwing together a book in order to capitalize on the success of a previous effort and/or movie! Read more

Published on February 17, 2002 by Ms. Nancy F. Jones

› See all 43 customer reviews...

Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
a machine choke back as it slowed down and its exhaust gasp in the cold wind that swept across the range of rubble. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
copycat killer

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aaron Stampler, Edith Stoddard, Jane Venable, Shana Parver, Poppy Palmer, Martin Vail, Linda Balfour, Raymond Vulpes, Alex Lincoln, Molly Arrington, Paul Rainey, Bishop Rushman, Dermott Flaherty, Linda Gellerman, Abel Stenner, Wild Bunch, Naomi Chance, Rene Hutchinson, Angelica Stoddard, Delaney Enterprises, Ramona Darby, Ben Meyer, James Wayne Darby, Ada Delaney, City Hospital

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