Eye of Vengeance

by Jonathon King

Covering the story of a convicted murderer who has been killed in front of a corrections facility, veteran crime reporter Nick Mullins becomes increasingly alarmed when he realizes that his own news subjects are being targeted by a serial killer. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Suspense

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Edgar-award winning author Jonathon King is the creator of the Max Freeman crime series set in the Everglades and on the hard streets of urban South Florida. In his previous career as a journalist, he was a police and court reporter for 24 years with the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale and the Philadelphia Daily News.

Reviews

[Karolina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just wasn't my cup of tea. It was ok, and somewhat entertaining. I wish I would have liked it more.

[Michael George · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've enjoyed Jonathon King's Max Freeman series but I found this book to be both predictable and disconnected. I'll continue to read his books but this on just couldn't hold my attention.

[Bethany Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I’ll start at repetition.

I hate repetition. Nothing kills the momentum in a story quite like repetition.

We start the novel with a decent opening. We get to watch as the crime is committed from the POV of the ‘bad guy’.

Then we meet Nick, who’s arguing with his boss when he finds out about the shooting at the court house. He leaves the office and for the rest of the chapter, it’s:

Small piece of backstory.

“You hear? There was a shooting down at the court house, Nick. Boss wants you on it.”

“Hey Nick, you taking that shooting over at the courthouse?”

“Nick, I heard you’re covering that shooting near the courthouse.”

Small piece of backstory hinting that he’s super angry about the fact the guy who killed his wife and child was released from jail and—“Hey, it’s me, Nick the reporter. I’m calling to see if you—my source—can give me any information about the courthouse shooting this morning. I haven’t even bothered heading down there yet, thought I’d call first, you know.”

“Hey, Nick, you know I can’t tell you anything because I’m your source with the police department, but let me tell you about the shooting at the courthouse anyway.”

Then we meet some chick who Nick was ‘drawn to’ right after his wife and child’s accident . . . And that just didn’t vibe with me at all. How do you go from furious: “I’m not letting you walk away” (in reference to the drunk driver released from jail) to “Oh hey, my attractive coworker.” Just an awkward place to put that in my opinion, considering this “released prisoner” reopened fresh wounds—and the fact his surviving daughter will probably be impacted by this as well.

But don’t worry, we get out right back on track while two of his news friends, Chanel 10 and Chanel 7 fill us in on the fact there was a shooting at the courthouse. And just in case you missed it, we also get to sit through a press conference talking about the shooting at the courthouse.

But we finally get a break from the shooting at the courthouse, when Nick who, and I quote straight from page 20: “. . . had never messed up a crime scene in his life, and this would not be a good time to start.” Decides to crawl up a ladder possibly used by the shooter, potentially damaging finger/handprints—and leaving his own in their place. Then of course the cops catch him up there, but not a single one of them asks him to stick around and give his prints for elimination. (I mean, I get that it’s realistic for the police to bungle an investigation, but I’m reading fiction . . . which means I have higher expectations for my detectives). Not to mention, making the police incompetent just so our lead reporter can gain a few points ahead in the game is just bad writing.

Next, we hear about the dead guy. Pages 32, 32, and 33 all repeat the same information about him. First we get to read the exact news article Nick wrote about the case, then we get to relive the article in Nick’s thoughts where he shares the same story in the article with us.

My breaking point was his interview with Ms. Cotton. Ms. Cotton, Ms. Cotton, Ms. Cotton. Christ, he said her name during the interview so many times the word ‘cotton’ started looking like it was spelled wrong to me.

I get Nick says it’s part of his technique to use their names to ‘soften them up’ but holy crap. If he had been interviewing me, I would’ve asked him to stop. It was just obnoxious to the point of being almost mocking somehow.

I made it page 95. I try to give a novel 100 pages, but when I saw the next chapter started at 116, I decided I wasn’t keen on giving the book 16 additional pages of my time.

I just couldn’t take the repetition anymore.

(Final note: I realize this book was published in 2006, but it’s getting so tiring and predictable for the ‘horrendous bad man’ in every crime book to be ‘evil’ because he raped people.

I’m just getting numb to it at this point. It’s a fiction novel. These perpetrators could have done literally ANYTHING. Why is it always rape in some shape or form? I’ve read hundreds of books and I’d be willing to bet 75% of them use this trope as the bad guys ‘ultimate show of evilness!” at some point in the story.

Yawn.

Can we please start getting criminals that actually stand out? You know, be more creative with what makes them evil? Reading a synopsis about: “The most heinous criminal the detective has ever gone up against!”, only to find out the bad guy raped people is just so . . . stale. Y’all have officially beat it to death.)

[Mary Kay Kare]

An excellent book until @50pp before the end (reading ebook version) the viewpoint character does something so incredibly stupid my suspension of disbelief got shot in the head. Since he has demonstrated himself to be an exceptionally smart crime reporter until now, his dismissal of the obvious next victim is just criminally stupid. Didn’t even finish. Just returned to the library. Glad I didn’t buy this one. So disappointed.

[Lynn Laryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

I enjoyed reading this story about journalist Nick Mullins writing victim death stories in south Florida . Nick lost his wife and Julie and his daughter Lindsay two years ago by a drunk driver who was released from prison only eight later. He is raising his surviving daughter Carly. When a man Nick wrote about is visiting his parole officer is gunned down in front of the office.

[Ronpoet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommended

I had forgotten how good of a writer Mr King us until I found this novel. I had read all of the Max Freeman novels and fell in love with Max and his story. If you have not read anything by Mr King I highly recommend that you do. It will be addictive. Definitely a five star read.

[wally · Rating 4 out of 5]

finished...two days ago? that's what the sign says. good read four stars really liked it kindle library loaner will have to look for more from king-jonathan has a series sounds like. first from him for me. and another variation on the 'frontier-justice' theme so prevalent in today's stories. fill your hand you sonofabitch!

[Pam Lyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and the style of this author. I’ve really never read anything from a “journalist” view and how they work and I found it very interesting. It was a “personal” story with the reporter but was a much bigger mystery also. Very entertaining!

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special here

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Good read and storyline. Will read this author again.

[Paschalis]

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[Mary Claude · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful narrative! The pain it portrayed and the path to working through it was well worth the read.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first from Jonathan King and I enjoyed it. It’s a crime story but with the twist that it’s retold from a journalist’s perspective. Not bad.

[Grace Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good read. Kept my interest.

[Mel Brannen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reporter’s perspective while searching for the killer of a double murderer/rapist of children. Well-written. Fast-paced.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sharp shooter is picking off people given light sentences for their crimes. He uses the articles of Nick. His final target will be the drunk who killed Nick's wife and daughter.

Compelling, well plotted.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

EYE OF VENGEANCE (Unlicensed Investigator-Florida-Cont) – VG
King, Jonathan – 4th in series
Dutton, 2006-Hardcover
*** Crime reporter Nick Mullins is still trying to hold life together after a driver killed his wife and one of his twin daughters in a car accident. It is particularly hard now that the driver has been released from prison. But a distraction comes when a sniper kills a prisoner on the jailhouse steps. When another sniper shooting takes place, Mullins begins to realize the victims were both subjects of his in depth articles about killer who received light to no prison time for their crimes.
*** For me, King really knows how to tell a story and how to create a character. Mullins has suffered a devastating loss but knows he must keep himself together for his daughter, whose loss is as great, perhaps ever greater having both lost her twin and being in the accident when it happened. King presented a real sense of the emotions without it overwhelming the story. But you understand Mullins grief, his frustration with his job, his anger at the justice system and his fear and slight ambiguity when he realizes the sniper is killing in the name of “justice” driven by Mullin’s articles. Even the killer, about whom you learn as the story progresses, is an interesting character. I certainly found this to be a page-turning, involving read.

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eye of Vengeance

If the point of the story was that the reporter needed to come to grips with his loss and change his life to his new reality then it was nailed. If the point was to discover who the killer was then it was nailed. If the point was a police procedural with a solid resolution then it was completely missed.

One interesting thing that popped up during the story was that the author stated that newspapers are free to spy on people, including taking notes on information they enter on their computers, and use that information in ways that can hurt people. Funny that the author thought that was deplorable when that is exactly what the “Fifth Estate” does all the time with its constant screaming about Freedom of the Press and their Right to Know and the Public’s Right to Know, even when revealing information can (and does) lead to botched trials, murdered witnesses, and destroyed lives.

Another interesting thing, which may be true in south Florida, but having grown up in Florida, I found it odd that he ordered tea in a restaurant, then had to add sugar. My experience was that unless you asked for unsweetened, tea is always served sweet in Florida, from Jacksonville to Pensacola to Fort Lauderdale.

Overall a good story without a resolution, and enough missed points and facts that all I could do was shake my head.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

King sets this edgy, brooding stand-alone in a milieu he knows well, the world of the professional crime reporter. Nick Mullins, who covers the crime beat for the South Florida Daily News, is still shattered two years later by the deaths of his wife and one of his twin daughters in an auto accident with a drunk driver. Obsessed with revenge, Mullins spends his off hours stalking the driver, who's just been released from prison after serving only 18 months. Mullins's reputation for honesty and integrity endears him to a devoted cadre of readers, including Michael Redman, an ex-cop and former military sniper who begins assassinating criminals Mullins has profiled. As the body count rises, it becomes clear that Redman is indeed working from a list, and that the final name will fulfill a personal debt that he feels he owes Mullins. While the plot unfolds predictably, King's crisp writing and insights into grief and loss give this novel a depth and poignancy unusual for a thriller. On one hand while this guy was killing the criminals but you have sympathy for him and Nick Mullins who at the end has to decide between right and wrong.

[David Freas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Jonathon King since I read the first Max Freeman novel. If I’d read this book first, I never would have tried them.

It’s not that this is a bad story. It’s just not as good as those are.

It starts with a bang – literally and figuratively – which is a good thing but there are no more ‘bangs’ until midway through and at the end. Most of the ‘action’ here happened in the past and we learn about it through the main character’s memory and search through old newspaper stories. There is a resolution to the story but it seemed incomplete, as if King had left something out, as if what was in his mind didn’t make it onto the page.

I also never felt as close to Nick Mullins as I did to Max Freeman. In those books, I felt as if I was along for the ride. In Eye Of Vengeance, I felt like I was watching a TV program.

I wish King had used the time and effort he put into this book into writing another Max Freeman story. They’re better in every way.

[Angelika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read the book in German so my revew belongs to the German translation. Maybe the transcription is much more better in the original!

Die Idee der Handlung in dem Buch eines frustrierten ehemaligen Staatsdieners (Polizist und Scharfschütze in der Armee) das Gesetz selber in die Hand zu nehmen ist für einen Thriller ganz gut, die Umsetzung ist leider nicht wirklich spannend gelungen. Von den beteiligten Personen konnte ich mir kein Bild machen, es gab von ihnen keine wirklich Beschreibung, das macht es schwierig für jemanden Sympathie oder Antipathie zu empfinden. Meine Gefühle zu den Protagonisten würde ich als neutral bezeichnen. Schade, die zur Schaustellung der traurigen und negativen Gefühle einiger beteiligter Personen und das Thema “Selbstjustiz aus Frust am System” hatte durchaus das Potenzial diesem Roman Tiefe und Spannung zu geben.

[Jessica Hammer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a quick, entertaining mystery-thriller, which is more or less what I got. I enjoyed the basic premise: reporter Nick Mullins realizes that a series of apparently unrelated murders are tied together because they're all criminals he's profiled for the paper.

Unfortunately, Mullins suffers from gritty-hard-drinking-reporter syndrome, which was not helped by a personality-through-tragedy infusion. (Oh NOES! His wife and daughter were killed by a drunk driver! Now he is TORMENTED!) This was only partly redeemed by the moral choice Mullins must make when the killer targets the drunk driver in question.

The real reason to read this book is to notice how jarring it seems when an author treats print news as though it still matters the way it did even twenty years ago.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't call this a review, more like a comment. I really enjoyed Eye of Vengeance not just because I always enjoy a good crime story but because of the authenticity of King's description of Fort Lauderdale (I've lived in Broward County for 38 years) is spot on, including his description of the Broward County Public Safety Building (Sheriff's headquarters) and even some of the the people. There actually was a Steve Canfield at BSO although the one I knew retired as a District Chief in 2002. Even some of the cases referenced were based on actual crimes. This is the first Jonathon King novel I've read. But, I am definitely looking forward to reading more of King's books especially since they involve my other hometown of Philadelphia.

[LindaJ^ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good audio for the car. Nick is a crime reporter who lost his wife and one of his twin girls in an auto accident caused by a drunk driver. He has yet to get himself straight but is back at work. Someone is killing excons and Nick finds he has done indepth stories on them. Nick finds himself working with the cops to catch the sniper doing the killing. The story has few surprises and it is by no means a literary masterpiece but had enough action to keep my interest.

[Vicki Elia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Well-conceived motives and characters, although I always wonder why your average citizen suddenly decides he's Batman, pursuing bad guys with abject obsession and stupidity. For fans of the crime/thriller genre, this is an easy read, lacking any subtle motives or twists and turns. 3 1/2 star, that don't really stretch to a 4.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Jonathon King gives the reader a glimpse into the process of how the news is shaped and delivered and at the same time tells a good story. I enjoyed seeing the obvious struggle between the reporter trying to "get the story" and the police trying to stop the sniper.

[Ron Decaigny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all the other Jonathon King books but for whatever reason I just couldn't get into this one. Might be my mood or the writing style but I like to be grabbed by the nose by a book and pulled into the story, this one just didn't do it.

[Syafrizal Abu Mansor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathon did a lot of research regarding snipers and journalists and he put the two together perfectly in this book. I love the plot and I just can't put it down but continued reading it until the end.

[B.D. Crowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. The personal experiences of the author as a journalist brought true authenticity to the character. It did a pretty good job keeping my attention, although I found the ending a bit abrupt and a little unsatisfying. An epilogue would have been a welcome addition here.