The Eye of the Beholder - Softcover

Behm, Marc

3.56

433 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 034529260X ISBN 13: 9780345292605

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1981

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Spying on people is routine business for private investigators, but a seductive, enigmatic woman will turn one P.I.'s life upside down when he becomes obsessed with her. Reissue. Movie tie-in.

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Review:

If the Noir genre has a singular power, it is the ability to enshroud the reader with a fierce, unrelenting atmosphere. From the very first page of Marc Behm's astounding The Eye of the Beholder, it is clear that we are in a world that is unforgiving, brutal and without beliefs. Despite its short length, it is packed with violence and cynicism. The Eye is a private investigator at Watchmen Inc.: dedicated, proficient and near sociopathic. He is obsessed with crossword puzzles and always carries a picture of 15 schoolgirls--one of whom is the daughter he never knew. Dogging the footsteps of a bi-sexual serial murderess seems like just another job until his dedication turns into an intense obsession. The Eye makes voyeuristic observations that span 30 years, 100 killings and every state in America, as the coldly efficient femme fatale acquires and murders one wealthy suitor after another. Punctuated by routinely vicious episodes, both The Eye and his enigmatic quarry pursue their quests with lyrical grace, both bound by a tragic hopelessness. This is a potent mix of a heartbreaking love story, epic thriller and violent travelogue. Make no mistake, this is stone-cold, hard-boiled, classic noir-harsh and graceful--a formidable accomplishment. --Danny Graydon

Review:

One of the most remarkable combinations of a private-eye novel and psychological suspense story, with an entirely new slant, that has ever been published --The New York Times

A pivotal work in the history of mystery fiction --The Guardian

'An astonishing novel that is unlike anything you have ever read. One of the great lost novels of the last century.' --Stav Sherez

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