Synopsis
A veteran crime reporter, Nick Mullins was no stranger to scenes of violence and loss. He was well practiced at keeping tragedy at arm’s length with a professional detachment - until he was forced to face his own tragedy when a drunk driver took the lives of Nick’s wife and one of their two daughters, forever shattering his world. Now, with a nine-year-old to raise on his own, Nick struggles to balance single fatherhood with a career that daily puts him into the dark corners of death and justice. When a convicted murderer is dramatically and publicly gunned down with a single bullet to the head in front of a county jailhouse, Nick is immediately dispatched by his newspaper to cover the story, pressing his old police contacts with his usual mix of subtle charm and brazen questioning. But when he realizes that the victim was the subject of one of his old stories, Nick is drawn into the investigation himself. Before long he’s one step ahead of the cops in the hunt for a cold-blooded killer…a sniper who has a talent for targeting criminals, and who makes it clear that he has his eye on Nick.
With his career, family, and life on the line, Nick plays a delicate and potentially deadly game of cat-and-mouse with the police, the Secret Service, and his editors - all of whom are watching Nick’s every move as he fights to find the shooter before he strikes again. A stirring page-turner bristling with an intense, gritty realism and filled with vivid and unforgettable characters, Eye of Vengeance is Jonathon King at his very best.
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.