Eye Of Vengeance (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jonathon King (Author) "He'd had the hooded binoculars up to his face for forty-five minutes, but still his eyes were not tired..." (more)
Key Phrases: mike redman, parole office, Sheriff's Office, Nick Mullins, Secretary of State (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Veteran journalist King, the Edgar-winning author of the Max Freeman novels (The Blue Edge of Midnight, etc.), sets this edgy, brooding stand-alone in a milieu he knows well, the world of the professional crime reporter. Nick Mullins, who covers the crime beat for the South Florida Daily News, is still shattered two years later by the deaths of his wife and one of his twin daughters in an auto accident with a drunk driver. Obsessed with revenge, Mullins spends his off hours stalking the driver, who's just been released from prison after serving only 18 months. Mullins's reputation for honesty and integrity endears him to a devoted cadre of readers, including Michael Redman, an ex-cop and former military sniper who begins assassinating criminals Mullins has profiled. As the body count rises, it becomes clear that Redman is indeed working from a list, and that the final name will fulfill a personal debt that he feels he owes Mullins. While the plot unfolds predictably, King's crisp writing and insights into grief and loss give this novel a depth and poignancy unusual for a thriller. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* King, who won the Edgar Award for The Blue Edge of Midnight (2002), is a former daily journalist who brings both the newsroom and the field to vivid life in his Max Freeman series. His latest is a stand-alone tale about another newsman, Nick Mullins, a crime reporter for the South Florida Daily News. Mullins is a crime victim himself, having lost his wife and one of his twin daughters to a drunk driver. The scenes of Mullins trying to mimic a normal life with his surviving nine-year-old are harrowing. Pressures build for Mullins as he learns two things: the DUI offender who tore apart his family has just been released from prison, and another prisoner, en route to a courthouse plea, has been killed by a sniper. As Mullins investigates the sniper shooting, he learns that the killer has a hit list, all of whose victims have been subjects of Mullins' own stories. Tension skyrockets as Mullins fights to save his daughter and to surmount his own need for vengeance. Intriguing views of crime scenes from the media side of the tape, masterful plotting, and a credible, striving hero make this a winner. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Signet (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451221508
• ISBN-13: 978-0451221506
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #569,096 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Get in. Kill Quickly. And get out without being seen.", May 18, 2006

By	E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Eye of Vengeance (Hardcover)

In Jonathon King's "Eye of Vengeance," Nick Mullins is a crime reporter for the South Florida Daily News. He is bereft after losing his wife and daughter in a car accident caused by a drunk driver named Robert Walker. Nick is trying to be strong for his remaining child, nine-year-old Carly, but he is sometimes lonely, bitter, and depressed. Walker has recently been released from prison, and Nick stalks him, trying to find a way to make this beast pay for slaughtering his family. Work has always been Nick's passion, but he has promised himself that he will try to spend less time on the job and more hours tending to his child's needs, something that he failed to do when his entire family was alive.

Nick is assigned to cover a shooting at the local jail, and he is startled to learn that the victim was Steven Ferris, a convicted pedophile and murderer. Three years earlier, Nick had covered the Ferris trial extensively. Now, an unknown assailant has shot Ferris as he was entering the jail, and further investigation reveals that the shooter was an extremely skilled sniper. Even more alarming, this individual has targeted other felons whom Nick has profiled over the years. Does Nick have a groupie who is very good with a high-powered rifle?

"Eye of Vengeance" is a fast-paced novel in which Jonathon King tackles the subject of journalistic ethics and excesses. Although Nick loves being a reporter, he is becoming sick of the hype and competitiveness that often drive editorial decisions. In addition, King explores the understandable temptation to seek revenge against those who have wronged us. If an expert marksman is conveniently executing some seriously bad people who would be no loss to society, should Nick applaud the effort or step in and try to stop the carnage?

King's dialogue and prose style are fluid and realistic. The sniper, whose identity the reader learns early on, is an intriguing and methodical man, not your cookie-cutter psychopath. The author wastes no words as he builds his suspenseful narrative to a satisfying, yet not entirely tidy, conclusion. "Eye of Vengeance" is an entertaining, thoughtful, and engrossing thriller that has substance as well as style.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Predictable but well done, June 1, 2006

By	Wendell Henderson (AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eye of Vengeance (Hardcover)

This was the first of Jonathon King's novels I have read and I will likely go back for more. "Eye of Vengeance" is not particularly unique and any semi-intelligent reader will know pretty early where it is going. In such cases, the make or break factor is how well the book is written. If you can figure out the ending, the key is in the telling. Is the book bad enough that the reader puts it down or good enough that, despite the predictability of the plot, it is worth staying with? In this case, it's clearly the latter. King clearly knows his way around a newsroom; considering his background, he should. But he doesn't just know it, he makes it come alive and gives a good feel for the pulse and pace of putting out a paper (alliteration not intended). He puts a nice spin on stock situations (the pressuring editor, the stoic detective, etc) and weaves a tale that holds attention. I really liked the book and found it a compelling read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary!!, May 30, 2006

By	nobizinfla "nobizinfla" (Windermere, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eye of Vengeance (Hardcover)

Jonathon King's fifth novel (first stand-alone), "Eye of Vengeance" is a riveting read and ought to be an Edgar nominee...it is that good.

Mr. King maintains his high standards.

Employing an economical cast of characters and utilizing lean prose, this hard-boiled narrative is compelling reading from cover to cover.

Nick Mullins is a veteran reporter who covers the South Florida crime beat.

Nick is searching for clues to what he suspects are connections between a serial sniper and some of his in depth profile stories.

About halfway thru the book Nick and the readers learn who the sniper is---"Eye of Vengeance" is more about the why, rather than the usual whodunit.

Nick has ghosts from his past that haunt him as he attempts to connect all the dots.

Throughout the book, bad things happen to bad men---and you find yourself cheering for the lesser of the evil doers. There is no shortage of action and no dull moments.

A very absorbing novel.