Eye of the Beholder

Ellis provides an interesting tale of deception amidst the backdrop of a cast of characters whose lives were forever changed years ago when a series of murders rocked the local community. Now, faced with an apparent copycat killer, former prosecuter turned corporate attorney Paul Riley is forced to revisit the past to determine whether he helped lead to the execution of the correct man. The plot is very complex, make no mistakes about that. This is a story that includes just about every motive imagineable: insanity, power, love/obsession, infidelity, and general dislike. Try as you might, while a careful reader may work out some of the plot, it is doubtful that he/she can put together all the pieces until the final moments of the book. In the end, Riley faces several situations where he must choose between truth and deception. In some cases the difference between right and wrong is rather blurred. In addition to the plot itself, a few of ths supporting characters stand out, chief among them being Detective Mike McDermott. McDermott seeks the truth, and has his suspicions about Riley. McDermott is also haunted by a tragedy in his personal life that he is unable to separate from his work as a detective.

The book is definitely a Thriller! Edge of the seat read! Even my spouse enjoyed it and the "could happen/did happen" was amazingly real.

This book exceeded my expectations. This book has an interesting plot with great characters. I was hooked from the start and the book never let go. David Ellis shows serious talent for writing. This book was hard to predict how it would end, it was definately enjoyable. Overall, Eye of the Beholder deserves an "A" for a grade.

This was a really good read it sucked you in from the first page. the story was told in such a way you kept thinking you had solved it then there was another twist. have to say housework suffered as I only took 2days to read it. I will now be looking for other books by david ellis

In the summer of 1989, six women were found in the basement near the maintenance lockers of Mansbury College. All the women were tortured and each died in a different manner ranging from strangulation to near decapitation. One of the victims, college student Ellie Danzinger had gotten a restraining order out against Terry Burgos, a part time handyman at the college. Whey they went to his home, they found enough evidence to convict him for five of the killings. The case of the sixth girl he killed Cassie Bentley, daughter to a mega-mogul billionaire was never tried to her father's influence. In 1996, Terry is killed but his last words, cryptic though they might be, were to the prosecutor Paul Riley: "I am not the only one". In the present, a series of murders are linked to the killings in 1989. Paul Riley, now the head of mega powerful law firm, receives strange notes from the killer, has his finger prints on one of the victims and is forced into part of the new case with it evidence similar to the case that solidified his reputation. Looked upon from a fresh perspective with new information, Riley finds that the 1989 case didn't reveal all its secrets and someone wants them to stay buried. This is one of the most energizing and emotionally satisfying police procedurals of the year. David Ellis makes his characters come alive so that readers will either root for or detest them; no one will remain detached. There is plenty of action and the changing from the eighties to the nineties to the present is smooth so that the readers are never jarred out of the storyline. The protagonist as he ages from a man who sees life as black and white to a person who realize there are subtle greys has to make some decisions as he confronts his greatest success with the realization it is also his greatest failure. Harriet Klausner