At First Sight: A Novel of Obsession

AT FIRST SIGHT is a radical departure for Stephen J. Cannell. It is neither a continuation of his Shane Scully series nor is it a return to the type of stand-alone novel he was writing early in his career. Rather, it is a "unique" book that, as he reports in his Acknowledgements, those involved in his career "beg[ged]" him not to write. The fact that Cannell chose to follow the impulse of his muse is our gain, as this is arguably his best work to date --- enthralling, engrossing, addicting. Chick Best is a southern California dot.com millionaire whose life trajectory is quickly going south. He is married to Evelyn, a hellion who, at least from Chick's viewpoint, is interested in little more than spending his money and bedding her personal trainer. Their 16-year-old daughter Melissa, in Chick's words, has discovered more drugs than Dow Chemical and dates an outlaw biker. Actually, those are her more charming attributes; one expects Melissa's head to start rotating on her shoulders at any moment. But Chick is not the put-upon Job he would have you believe him to be, and this is where we get a hint of what an excellent storyteller Cannell can be (as if, given his extensive bibliography and enviable list of hit television series, the jury somehow might still be undecided). Chick complains mightily about Evelyn's spending habits, but does so while drinking a bottle or two of wine bearing a stratospheric price tag. He bemoans his daughter's drug use while ignoring his own alcoholic intake as well as his other excesses, both named and unnamed. He is, so to speak, preoccupied with the moat in his neighbor's eye while ignoring the plank in his own. It is while the Bests are on a hedonistic family vacation that Chick is hit by a thunderbolt named Paige Ellis, a beautiful younger woman vacationing with her husband Chandler, an all-around good guy. There is a subtle irony here --- Chandler and Paige, like Chick and Evelyn, deserve each other, but in entirely different ways. This becomes more and more apparent as Chick, instantly and irrevocably smitten with Paige, begins a skin-crawling campaign to ingratiate himself into their lives. Chick's obsession with Paige does not end with the vacation; it grows and festers, even as his life is slowly crashing down around him on all fronts. Given a sudden opportunity to murder Chandler, Chick takes full advantage, doing the deed and seemingly getting away with it. Paige is devastated, which allows Chick to be there for her and offer support. Robert Butler is the homicide detective assigned to the case. He is Chick's polar opposite in every way --- homely, disheveled, spiritual, sincere --- but is determined to identify Chandler's murderer and bring him to justice. Robert has his own reasons for his obsession with the case: his wife was killed under similar, if unrelated, circumstances years before, and her death is unsolved and unavenged. Unaware that Robert is even investigating the matter, Chick is busily plann

At First Sight is a terrific read. Cannell is a master storyteller and he moves the plot along with surprises galore. His characters are terrific, especially Chick who truly believes the world owes him more than he owes the world. Good story, fast paced, and a quick read from an author I heard speak recently about a life filled with amazing experiences.

I thought At First Sight was a nice change of pace from Stephen Cannell's Shane Scully series. At First Sight is funny and has some great twists and turns. I actually read this thriller in one sitting and couldn't put it down. The characters are interesting and we get the story from multiple points of views, which adds to the depth. Great read!

I am a fan of Cannell's Scully series but have not read his other books. I really liked At First Sight! I thought it was a great departure from the Scully series and gave Cannell the chance to create a really interesting new character. Chick made me laugh but was at the same time pretty disturbing! I was sucked into his downward spiral and only put the book down a couple times before I was finished. I did think his female protagonist could have been a little more layered, but overall I found this a fun, dark read with a timely perspective on popular culture as well.

this book is totally different from all other Cannell books, I like them all but rate this up with The Plan, nothing like it of course, but I could not put it down.