Hide Your Eyes (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I'd kill for publicity like yours," said Shell Clarion yesterday morning..." (more)
Key Phrases: mirrored eyes, mirror eyes, Valentine's Day, Peter Steele, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In journalist Gaylin's sharp debut suspense novel, preschool teacher and off-off-Broadway box office staffer Samantha Leiffer is happy with her offbeat life in downtown Manhattan--"the kind of muted happy that you don't notice at the time." Then, sitting on an abandoned pier taking a break from a tough day, she witnesses a couple disposing of an ice chest in the Hudson's chilly waters. Sam realizes that the man has seen her watching--and when the chest turns out to hold the body of a mutilated child, she's drawn into a world of intrigue. Attacks on Sam as well as key friends force her to try to unravel clues to the murder. Her chief ally is policeman John Krull, whose quiet solidity leads her gradually toward love. Though the crime plot overshadows several of Gaylin's most appealing secondary situations late in the book, this is a consistently entertaining evocation of Manhattan's strange and artsy underside, narrated by a heroine with a beautifully judged blend of warmth and wit, independence and edge.
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Review

this is a consistently entertaining evocation of Manhattan's strange and artsy underside, narrated by a heroine with...wit, independence and edge. -- Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Signet (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 045121448X
• ISBN-13: 978-0451214485
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #754,100 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Next Evanovich?, February 23, 2005

By	Vampire Angel "vampire_angel" (USA) - See all my reviews

I originally only picked up this book because the author has the same first name as I do. I didn't know if it would be a good book, but I was willing to give it a try. I am glad I read it. Samantha Leiffer has had a fairly normal life. That is, a life filled with arrogant, annoying boyfriends, ignorant parents, and low-paying jobs. She works part time at both a day care and the box office of a small performance theater, boyfriend-less, but content with her array of outrageous friends. From a gay guy named Yale St. Germaine, to a mute actress named Hermyn, each of her acquaintances are comedic in their own way.

Samantha's life was good, uncomplicated, until the night she witnessed two people dumping a dubious-looking ice chest into the Hudson River. It turns out that she has witnessed the aftermath of a murder by a serial killer, and the killer is not about to let Samantha live. Racing against the clock, Samantha has to figure out who the killer is before he or she kills again, before Samantha herself becomes the next victim. In Samantha's corner is the lovable Yale St. Germaine, the sexy(but sensitive) homicide cop named Krull, and a host of slippery characters from all over New York, each ready to do anything to stop another child's death.


I am not the best at plot summaries, so don't be turned off from this book just because you don't like my summary. Give the book a chance, you just might like it. I have to say, I was a little disappointed with the ending, however the rest of the book makes it a worth-while read. The characters are all interesting, the plot is smattered with plot twists, and the humor has a Janet Evonovich-ish air to it. So if you like Stephanie Plum, but don't know what to read next, try Alison Gaylin.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thriller with a sense of humor, February 22, 2005

By	S. Kolberg "Aunt Purple" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's not often that a book about a serial killer can make you laugh out loud, but this one does. Hide Your Eyes is like a roller coaster ride. It's scary, but it's huge fun at the same time. The heroine of the book, Samantha, is smart and funny and someone you want to spend time with long after you're done reading. The book is filled with memorable characters, from Samantha's odd and oddly touching cohorts at the theater box office in which she works, to the sexy cop she must convince to take her seriously. When Samantha, also a part-time nursery school teacher, sees something she isn't meant to witness, she has a hard time getting either her friends or the police to believe her. But when strange things begin to happen to her and evidence of crimes begin to mount, it's obvious that she's next in the killer's line of sight. This is an excellent debut from a talented newcomer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Good!, February 25, 2007

By	Kelly Houser "Kelly Houser" (United States) - See all my reviews

Sam works as a ticket-taker at an off-Broadway theater. She is happy with her own little world until everything changes one evening. While walking home, Sam sees two people throwing an ice chest in the river. A few days later, she hears on the news that an ice chest containing the body of a child was found. Sam is dumbfounded. She doesn't know what to do. Then she notices she is being followed. Sam doesn't know what to do: figure out the crime herself or go to the cops. Either way, she will have to figure it out fast or she could be next.

Excellent book! I was captivated by Gaylin's writing style and found the plot to be interesting and fast-paced. I will definitely be checking out more of Gaylin's work.