Privileged Lives

Vince Cardozo #1

by Edward Stewart

Uptown, in a private hospital suite, Babe Vanderwalk Devens, the exquisite socialite, just woke up from a seven-year coma.Aross town, in a luxurious high rise, a handsome young man has just been found dead and mutilated.Now Vince Cardozo, a dedicated New york cop, wants to expose the truth about Babe's coma and the murdered love-slave. It means entering the world of America's wealthiest men and women and finding out just how the rich and famous live - and die.....

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Paperback

First published February 1, 1988

About the author

Edward Stewart grew up in New York City and Cuba. His first novel, Orpheus on Top, was published in 1966. He wrote thirteen more novels, including the bestselling Vince Cardozo thrillers Privileged Lives, Jury Double, Mortal Grace, and Deadly Rich. He died in Manhattan at the age of 58.

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ran across Edward Stewart’s Lt. Vincent Cardozo series in an Amazon Kindle special promotion. They have been resurrected by Open Road Media, and I’m glad I found them. Stewart, who died at age 58, in 1996, had been a relatively unknown author, but this series promised to perhaps change that. It consists of four books, the last, Jury Double, having been published after his death. One reviewer suggested had he lived the series might have evolved into something like Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series; high praise, indeed. This one is the first.

The book begins with the vignette of a woman awaking after lying in a coma for almost 100 months following an accident. The scene then shifts to Cordozo on the beach being called to the homicide of a man in a mask whose leg had been amputated.

Well written with some nice phrases, e.g.: “ The air in the stairwell pressed like a blanket soaked in hot water.” and “a man who moved with the ease of a stone wall learning to walk.” Dobbs, the gossip columnist reminds me of Alice Longworth who said, “If you have nothing good to say come sit here by me.” He had some wickedly funny comments during his interview with the cops.

Another telling quote that hit home: “No matter what else happens,” he said, “no matter what else you discover has happened, hold on to work. Work is the last, the most important, the only frontier. Everything else comes and goes—but work stays. The one friend, the one parent, the one child, the one lover. It’s the only thread we’ve got to guide us through this labyrinth we call a life.”

On the other hand, this is not a book for the squeamish. There are some descriptions of sexual depravities that would, I’m sure, disturb the fearful and puritanical. I knocked off a star for what I thought were coincidences beyond belief, but generally still a good police procedural.

[Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book begins as a fictional rehash of the Sunny Von Bulow "murder", and introduces us to Vincent Cardozo, Lieutenant in the NYPD. It takes us into the lives of New York's glitterati of the 1980s, from the fashion scene through the real estate world, to the nouveau riche, even blistering the bastions of religion of the time. I would call this a classic of American Literature, if that were not a cliche. Stewart was a STRONG, amazing, storyteller, and spared us nothing when writing this book. It is not a happy book, but it IS a fantastic one.

[Gabriela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phew! What a ride! Super well written, I loved Mr Stewart’s phrasing and his expressions.

[Meagan Cahuasqui · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting plot but lacking character depth

Overall, this had the gritty dirty feeling i like about these kinds of mysteries, but the treatment of the women characters specifically was dismal. It's handling of marginalized communities was also abhorrent. Someone might want to excuse the lack of sensitivity by citing the year and time in which the story takes place, but there's better ways to convey that kind of prejudice without crapping all over every character. The character development (or lack thereof) was just weak writing. It was interesting enough though to keep me reading to the end.

[Danya Bakhbakhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one had its ups and downs, the story was lovely and interesting but at some point it seemed to be unnecessarily too LONG! Felt like it could use some more editing or something.

I liked the mother/daughter drama but the investigations were soo boring and slow and there were too many characters involved that I stopped giving any attention to the way they looked like and in the last 200 pages names got mixed up in my head and I just gave up on keeping track of them. And even though this book was meant to express the glamorous life of the wealthy and famous people.. it just didn't feel right. Maybe life was different in the 80s but these people's life had the impression of an old/punk/addict/former-rock-star's life.
Also the romance was super duper dull, I mean there was too much porn and drugs especially at the end but real love was such a BLAH!! And you know that sensation you're supposed to feel at the last page of a book? Like you don't want to put it down, or that the end was worth it after all, or even that anger that hits you when the book takes an unwanted course? None of it happened, the end was quiet. Totally wanted but that's it, so classic and expected.

It's just gonna be a long time before I pick up another old book.

[Ira Therebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It sure is a good book for it's genre, which is a thriller novel.



A cop is investigating two separate cases thatare coming closer and closer together through the book. There are a lot of plot twists and witty dialogues

Another thing I liked was that the book was written in the 80's when AIDS was pretty new and it was very interesting to have the attitude towards it from that time shown in that book. Just as it was interesting to see the different attitudes to homosexuality in this book reflecting that time

My main problem was that there were so many characters I had trouble to keep up with all of them in the beginning. Also I didn't get very interested in one of the cases from the start, but it did get better with time.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an excitingmystery detective story

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An electrifying novel. Hot, spicy thriller.

[Linka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although not written badly - and interesting enough, I could not finish this book. It kept my attention up until halfway - then I realised that I would not survive reading the other half. It was too long. In an attempt to reach some form of closure, I ended up skipping to to the last 3 chapters, skimming the pages for some morsel of enthusiasm to spark in me. It could have been 2/3s the length, then I might have pushed through.

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never given a one star review that had ANYTHING good about it, but I am making an exception for this book. This book was SICK in a way that I have never experienced a novel to be. I admit that the first 150 page or so had me hooked in a Harry Bosch kind of way, but then came such a perverted and disgusting scene that I immediately put the book down.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE BOOK!!

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get interested after 10 chapters so I gave it up

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read but I have to admit it disturbed me. The story was interesting but some of the graphic descriptions left me a bit cold.

[Rzeznik Malgorzata · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
A good, long, complex, twisting and involving story.

[Trish Schneider]

dnf

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

would recommend to nobody. too long, for one. not satisfying. deeply disgusting and disturbing. i read it all the way through and regret it. i feel awful

[Narzack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, it's kinda just whatever. Long, meandering, poor resolution. I wouldn't read it again or recommend it.

[Kim Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my very favorite books I read in college. A fantastic murder mystery/thriller. A complex story with well-developed characters focusing on the lives of the NYC rich and famous. A socialite who wakes up from a 7-year coma and has to piece back together her life. Good detailed police procedure. Some graphic, very disturbing content. I couldn't put it down. Great ending that I didn't see coming.

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book kept me glued to the pages... I couldn't put it down. But, it has some graphic, very disturbing content... murder mystery that involves mother/daughter/S&M/drugs and a lot of cover ups to protect the rich and famous.

[Jay Sprenkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gritty and detailed

I wasn't sure who dunnit until the end. Good detailed police procedure for conflict to resolve. The transitions were rough in places so I was occasionally confused. Satisfying ending. Enjoy!

[Lysergius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugly. A world where people are just pieces of meat.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A "who dun it" about rich people and their kinky lives.

[Epicreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent story, but so dated it was distracting. Or, maybe it was that the characters were not well-rounded enough to suspend disbelief. I don't know if I would read other books by this author.

[Joni · Rating 2 out of 5]

3

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 3 out of 5]

sordid. confusing. unhappy people living cruel lives . torture, drugs, sadism, false friendship. and at the end, true love. murder and police procedural.

[Elaine Brennan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful


How do I write twenty words about why I have no idea why I read this thing to the end?

[Jackie Simons]

Read 1/02

[Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best page turner ever!