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Eye of Vengeance by Jonathon King — book cover

Eye of Vengeance

by Jonathon King
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Overview

When a sniper begins killing Florida’s most dangerous criminals, a journalist must choose between revenge and the law As a reporter for the South Florida Daily News, Nick Mullins has covered the worst of the Sunshine State’s crooks and murderers. But the man he’s obsessed with is Robert Walker, responsible for the deaths of Mullins’s wife and daughter in a drunk driving accident. When a military-trained sniper begins murdering the criminals Mullins has covered in his reporting, he comes to a harrowing crossroads: Stop the sniper’s reign of terror, or succumb to his own thirst for vengeance and allow Walker to become the killer’s next target.

 

Synopsis

When a sniper begins killing Florida's most dangerous criminals, a journalist must choose between revenge and the law

As a reporter for the South Florida Daily News, Nick Mullins has covered the worst of the Sunshine State's crooks and murderers. But the man he's obsessed with is Robert Walker, responsible for the deaths of Mullins's wife and daughter in a drunk driving accident. When a military-trained sniper begins murdering the criminals Mullins has covered in his reporting, he comes to a harrowing crossroads: Stop the sniper's reign of terror, or succumb to his own thirst for vengeance and allow Walker to become the killer's next target.

"King is the future of crime writing . . . [Eye of Vengeance is] a tough, taut, and timely thriller." -Michael Connelly
"King's writing is gritty, vivid, and suspenseful." -Harlan Coben

Jonathon King is an Edgar Award-winning mystery novelist and the creator of the bestselling Max Freeman crime series. Born in Lansing, Michigan, in the 1950s, King worked as a crime reporter in Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale for twenty-four years before becoming a full-time novelist. Along with the six books of the Max Freeman series, King has also authored the thriller Eye of Vengeance (2007) and the historical novel The Styx (2009). He lives in south Florida.

Publishers Weekly

A long but satisfying ride is in store for listeners who accompany crime reporter Nick Mullins on a routine assignment. Coping with the loss of his wife and daughter in a tragic auto accident, and now single parent to his remaining daughter, he is propelled into a search for a deadly sniper, who, it seems, has Nick as his ultimate target. King does a fine job balancing Nick's personal and professional lives, as Nick adjusts to his new circumstances and tries to satisfy his daughter's needs. Mel Foster's radio announcer voice delineates the various characters very well, and the use of a special sound for phone calls adds to the reality. But the narration tends to be serviceable rather than exciting. There are particularly affecting scenes of father and daughter finding their way together in the new circumstances of their lives, an area not explored that often in the thriller genre, but one which fleshes out both characters' background and vulnerability. Nick is a natural companion for that summer jaunt on the open road. Simultaneous release with the Dutton hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 27). (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Jonathon King

Jonathon King is the author of five critically acclaimed, award-winning novels, including The Blue Edge of Midnight, an Edgar Award winner, and Eye of Vengeance. His novels have been published all over the world, including the UK, Germany, France, Finland, Japan, Portugal, and the Netherlands. He lives in Florida.

Reviews

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

A long but satisfying ride is in store for listeners who accompany crime reporter Nick Mullins on a routine assignment. Coping with the loss of his wife and daughter in a tragic auto accident, and now single parent to his remaining daughter, he is propelled into a search for a deadly sniper, who, it seems, has Nick as his ultimate target. King does a fine job balancing Nick's personal and professional lives, as Nick adjusts to his new circumstances and tries to satisfy his daughter's needs. Mel Foster's radio announcer voice delineates the various characters very well, and the use of a special sound for phone calls adds to the reality. But the narration tends to be serviceable rather than exciting. There are particularly affecting scenes of father and daughter finding their way together in the new circumstances of their lives, an area not explored that often in the thriller genre, but one which fleshes out both characters' background and vulnerability. Nick is a natural companion for that summer jaunt on the open road. Simultaneous release with the Dutton hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 27). (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Although Nick Mullins has been a south Florida crime reporter for a dozen years, he still is haunted by the deaths of his wife and twin daughters at the hands of a drunken driver. When four other criminals he has written about are systematically killed by a sniper, it appears as if the gunman also intends to do Nick a favor by assassinating the man who killed his family. King's own extensive journalism background provides verisimilitude in his portrayal of Nick's obsessive working life. Unlike his Max Freeman series (The Blue Edge of Midnight), this standalone doesn't use the Florida environment as a major element but rather alternates the narrative between Nick and the sniper, setting up a mysterious bond as one begins to think like the other. King is a veteran writer who keeps the action moving, provides technical detail without overload, and still manages to flesh out his characters' inner turmoil. Recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 1/06.]-Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A reporter discovers that the criminals covered in his articles are the targets of a serial killer. After three installments in his Max Freeman private-eye series, King (Shadow Men, 2004, etc.) here turns out a standalone that may not stand alone for long. Protagonist Nick Mullins, crime reporter for the South Florida Daily News, snaps to attention when someone shoots and kills a brutal child murderer. Mullins, painfully sensitive after losing his wife and daughter in a car accident, had written a series about the killer. Trying to identify the crack sniper who killed the molester, Mullins draws out poker-faced police investigators; picks the brain of a medical examiner who listens to Cannonball Adderley while performing an autopsy on the victim; and butts heads with his city editor (a former reporter, King shows how new media technologies help reporters get stories, solve criminal cases and go for their editors' throats). A shift to the point of view of the killer, Michael Redman, reveals he's an Iraq war vet, who feels an alliance with Mullins. Mullins and the police, meanwhile, discover a pattern in several recent murders that the reporter also happened to cover. It appears Redman is a serial killer, apparently ticking off the murderers Mullins wrote about in his stories. Canny Mullins soon zeroes in on Redman, confronting him directly at one point. But the reporter can't sway Redman from his course, which heads to the assassination of one Robert Walker, the man who killed Mullins's wife and daughter. In his darker moments, the haunted Mullins has parked outside Walker's home to watch him. Whose is the eye of vengeance?Strong characters, complex tensions and fascinating details aboutcrime-reporting should have readers lining up.

Book Details

Published
November 1, 2010
Publisher
Open Road Integrated Media LLC
Pages
250
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781453209875

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