Vanishing Point [Hardcover]

Morris L. West (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1996

A story of flight and pursuit, of financial intrigue in the money markets of the world, of old dangerous secrets brought into the light, of men and women thrust suddenly from normal life into violent confusion, where one man can vanish and start all over again.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Morris West, Australia's gift to popular literature, has the enviable ability to thrust readers into a compelling story with very few wasted words. By page four of this exciting and moving thriller, we know that Carl Strassberger is an artist and art historian living in the South of France; that he has given up (by choice) his role as heir apparent to the leadership of a large New York banking firm in favor of his brilliant brother-in-law, Larry Lucas; and that just one phone call from his beloved father can send him running from his perfect life into a nightmare of madness and danger to himself and his family's business. West has always been fascinated with manic depression, and here he brings the condition to palpable life, making it a major character in a book full of colorful people and places. Some of West's other novels available in paperback are: The Clowns of God, The Devil's Advocate, Harlequin, Lazarus, and The Lovers. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Carl Strassberger, the narrator of West's 26th novel, a psychological thriller, is erudite, quick-witted, acutely observant?rather like his creator, one imagines, whose talent shows little sign of waning as he enters his 80th year. If Carl's storytelling is a welcome pleasure, however, the author's mission, for him, is not: he must track down his brother-in-law, Larry Lucas, who has disappeared after a series of intense negotiations, leaving behind his wife and children, as well as his directorship of the family banking business, Strassberger & Co., an affiliation that allows Carl to pursue the life of a wealthy artist. Carl discovers that Larry is a manic-depressive who may have endangered his life by engaging the services of an outfit, fronted by a travel agency, that promises to help anyone to vanish utterly into a new identity. Enlisting the aid of Strassberger & Co.'s security firm, Carl, traveling incognito, follows the trail to Italy and then Switzerland, where the tragic consequences of Larry's flight are manifested in a possible hostile takeover of the Strassberger corporation. The suspense occasionally wanders into melodrama, but West compensates with a series of empathetic characterizations that present Carl's artistic view of the world, as well as with an astute analysis of the dysfunctional family dynamic that contributed to Larry's disappearance. Moral wisdom and a mature appreciation of human ways and foibles hallmark this prime offering from a veteran.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Harper Prism (July 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061010693
• ISBN-13: 978-0061010699
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,450,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Money, Love, Adventure - Vanishing Point has it all!, September 12, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Vanishing Point (Hardcover)

I laughed, I cried, I stayed up all night to finish the book and then was disappointed it was done. Vanishing Point grabs your interest from the first page. The main character is just like us: sometimes courageous, sometimes confused, sometimes too clever for his own good, sometimes just wanting to escape to a desert island. Follow him through worlds of exotic locations, family intrigue, underworld crime, high finance, and wise (or unwise) love as he unravels the mystery of a family member's disappearance. A great adventure!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars UNDERSTANDING DEPRESSION, January 5, 2002

By 

Nancy Schneider (Palmyra, New York (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vanishing Point (Mass Market Paperback)

The mind and how it works is a complex mystery.Morris West has a gift for translating this emotional story with compassion and understanding. Larry Lucas,the tortured hero captured my attention and still remains a point of reference for the bi polar personality.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Just a bad book, April 12, 2004

By 

Jorge Frid (Mexico City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vanishing Point (Mass Market Paperback)

The beginning of the book is interesting and a good story, but when appear Larry Lucas and he just wanted to die because the life is to hard for him is really pathetic, he wanted to do everything good for his family and the only thing he did was very wrong.