An Eye For Murder
by Libby Fischer Hellmann
A Poisoned Pen Press release
November, 2002
With roots in World War II, this finely constructed novel
takes place in present-day Chicago.
Commercial television producer Ellie Foreman is slowly drawn into an insidious
plot of broad proportions which gradually threatens her family, her beliefs and
finally, her very life. Hellmann demonstrates a complete grasp of the vital
elements of suspenseful thriller writing. Her characters are believable and
nearly always act in a believable manner.
Principal actor in this compelling drama, Ellie Foreman,
struggles to get on with solving the very real problems of her life, an errant
ex-husband, a teenaged daughter, a mortgage she can’t afford, and a career that
requires enormous energy and attention and time to be successful. Yet step by
step she is unwillingly enmeshed into an insidious plot and is forced to divert
her energies to solving a mystery that surprisingly and logically involves her
own father. Although there are occasional coincidences, the strength of
Hellmann’s writing and fascination with the story carry us swiftly down the
pages.
But Ellie Foreman is no superwoman and Hellmann portrays her
with compassion, wit, and a keen eye for some of the ordinary details of the
woman’s life, while at the same time we see missteps, anxiety, fear, and even a
reawakening love interest. The author’s hand is less sure in the uses and
portrayal of violence in the book, but that is largely a quibble. In a less
significant work, such small lapses would go unremarked. “An Eye For Murder” is
an eminently worthy first novel, an enjoyable experience, and I look forward to
more from this author.
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