Опасна игра

by David Ellis, Дейвид Елис, Мария Неделева (translator)

Мисли сега. Могат ли следите да ги доведат до мен? Каква грешка допуснах? Дали е капнало някъде от моята кръв? Верандата… вятърът… стъклото… пистолетът… кръвта… трупа… Каква грешка допуснах?

Марти Калиш е инвестиционен консултант, влюбен в омъжена жена. Но съпругът й е убит и Марти е обвинен в убийството. Той е бил на местопрестъплението, имал е мотив и е манипулирал уликите, за да прикрие вината си. Дори си е признал. Но какво всъщност е признал Марти? Каква е вината му? Какво наистина се е случило в нощта на убийството? Всички отговори са в „Опасна игра“.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Legal Thriller, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Legal

520 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 2001

About the author

David Ellis is a lawyer and the Edgar Allan Poe Award winner for Best First Novel for Line of Vision. Ellis attended Northwestern Law School and began his legal career in private practice in Chicago in 1993. He served as the House Prosecutor who tried and convicted Illinois Governor Blagojevich in the Impeachment Trial before the Illinois Senate. He was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 2014 and took office December 1, 2014. Ellis currently lives outside Chicago with his wife and three children.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Holly B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible listen~Review:

Narrated by: Dick Hill
Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
Release date: 07-08-08

Let the show begin..........

Such an entertaining listen from David Ellis with a fabulous narrator. A blend of murder mystery and legal thriller.

Calm, calm, calm is what the protagonist kept reminding himself. He had to keep his poker face or else! Do the police have any idea? Things are happening too fast and Marty can't deal. He needs time to think, think, think.........

The trial begins...
Seven men, five women
The judge is known as "Potluck".
Clock is ticking.... boom, boom,boom

This is an older book, but I never skimmed and was entertained and on edge. The conclusion was great, but I did suspect the outcome so wasn't too shocked.

I'll be reading more from Mr. Ellis soon!

[Pamela Small · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! SPELLBINDING! Had I not searched for Edgar Award winning debut writers, I would never had heard of David Ellis. This book was the EDGAR winner in 2002 for first novel!

LINE OF VISION is a brilliantly crafted mystery-thriller with intense courtroom drama that has the reader rooting for the victimized protagonist. It has an extremely unique and enthralling plot with twists and turns that are unexpected and jaw-dropping thrilling! The climax-denouement is electrifying! An exhilarating and cleverly executed legal thriller!

Bravo, Mr. Ellis! You penned a well deserved Edgar Award! One of THE BEST thrillers I have ever read! A richly deserved 5 star rating for this award winning novel! Highly recommended for fans of crime and legal thrillers! It is one of my favorites in this genre! In fact, it is THE favorite!

[Tooter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars

[Metodi Markov · Rating 1 out of 5]

Скука, няма да я довърша…

Главното геройче Марти е крайно досадно и противно типче.

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 5 out of 5]

From start to finish this book is a Möbius strip of plot twists. That was only one of the ways author David Ellis avoids predictability in this noir genre crime novel. All the right elements of uncertainty are here. Is the protagonist an entangled victim trying to do the right thing or is he the creator of a complicated web of lies that might at any moment ensnare him? There is sexual obsession and there will be murder.

Marty Kadish is the first person narrator. His career toward a lucrative partnership is on an upward trajectory; his personal life has plummeted in the opposite direction. He has no deep relationships, no living relatives apart from his divorced sister and her two young children. He has repressed strong emotions that alienated him from his mother who died of cancer when he was young. He has no fulfilling activities outside of work, except, well, a clandestine affair with a married woman, Rachel. Rachel and her husband head a foundation for deprived children. Marty is a volunteer fund-raiser, part of the community service stint expected of someone of his status. Thursday nights, Rachel's husband works late hours at the hospital. Marty crouches on those nights with voyeuristic longing at Rachel's erotic figure backlit against the wide bedroom window. This is how the story opens, with Marty crouching in the November wind-chill at his usual vantage point with a clear view of the back patio and den.

The stalking is creepy. The obsession disproportionate. Yet he seems like a decent enough guy, concerned for Rachel's safety when she alludes to her abusive husband, almost idolizing her unattainability, her flawless perfection. These ambivalent impressions are conveyed by flashbacks of past intimacy. Yet, with the first person point of view, his reliability is never to be taken for granted.

Part I depicts a frenzied internal dialogue. That dialogue will continue over the next five days. Has he removed all traces of his presence? Does anyone know about his affair with Rachel? He hasn't spoken to anyone, but perhaps some close long-term friends suspect. Are there any holes in the alibi his has constructed? And above all, how does he act? How exactly would an innocent man act? Does his pretense at innocence actually cast more suspicion on him? It gets worse when the police come around to question him. First he claims only a passing acquaintance with Mrs. Reinhardt; then he's referring to her by first name. Was she having an affair? Of course not. Rachel wouldn't do that, he protests, a bit too heatedly.

Privately he confides to the reader, “I've always wondered what it would feel like to have killed someone. Not the feeling of committing the act – that never really interested me – but after. Of carrying that little secret, wondering who knows what, playing the little games with everyone.” (p.61) He should feel remorse, but Instead he thinks of Poe's Tell-Tale Heart: “There will be no thumping heart calling me from the floorboards. No voice tormenting me. No ghosts.” (p.61)

On the other hand, he is so good with his ten-year old nephew, Tommy. Tommy loves him. Can't wait until his next visit. Marty has become Tommy's emotional anchor ever since the divorce. So is Marty a sociopath? A narcissist? Or just someone who let his impulses get away from him?

This book had me hooked every minute. I could barely tear myself away from it. The finely crafted suspense was a welcome distraction from the current Coronavirus lock-down.

[Kim Hess (kims_killer_reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After loving Look Closer, by David Ellis, soooo much, I knew I had to read more books by him. Well, I finally had the chance to listen to this particular book. And I really enjoyed it. I felt like the book was definitely a slow burn. It was a lot of build up, that in my opinion, could’ve been cut out a bit. But it still kept my interest the whole time. But when it gets to the courtroom scenes, I’m hooked. I love trials in books. If they are done the right way, they can be very exciting to read. And this one definitely was. Like I said, I listened to this one and the narrator was so great. He fit the part perfectly. Just like the narrators for Look Closer did a fantastic job too.
But if you don’t know much about it, because this is an older book, I’ll tell you only the minimum as not to ruin or spoil anything. It’s about a man named Marty. He’s been having an affair with Rachel, a married woman. When Rachel’s husband suddenly goes missing, the cops look to Marty as their main suspect. His motive, they think is to get rid of Rachel’s husband, so he can have her all to himself. But as the story progresses, everything is not what it seems. You are left wondering what’s true and what’s not and who can you really believe? Crazy twists. I really did love it. Just wish it was a little shorter in the beginning.😉 But once again, loved another book by David Ellis. This was a twisty ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me!

What are your favorite books by Davis Ellis?
Can anything top Look Closer? 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out rather brilliantly. The narrator is stalking (and having an affair - we think) with Rachel, the wife of a well-known surgeon. One night, during dinner, as he watches from the woods behind her house for her evening flash, he sees the surgeon begin to beat Rachel. He charges in and kills the doctor. As it was very cold, he was wearing a ski mask, and he hauls off the body of the doctor. Rachel is senseless on the floor. His idea is make it look like a kidnapping. He then begins to set up an alibi, but he is constantly second-guessing himself and stumbling. A nice touch is that he is telling the story and we never quite know what the real story might be. He appears credible, but is that really the case?
 
There is never any doubt (or is there?) as to the killer. The narrator tells us right off he did it and even confesses, but as the police investigation continues, there is no body, no gun, no physical evidence connecting Marty to the killing/kidnapping. Was there an affair? Was he stalking Rachel, the doctor's wife?
 
The trial begins and Ellis does a great job of recreating the trial scenes. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read more Ellis.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book from 2001, investment banker Marty Kalish is having an affair with married woman Rachel. Rachel's surgeon husband beats her. One night, the husband is killed, even though the body is not found. The police arrest Marty.

I recognized David Ellis's name because of his collaborations with James Patterson. He does well on his own. Marty is the one telling this story. True or not? I didn't know what really happened that night, although I had a theory from the very start that wasn't too far off. But I was going around in circles until the end. The second half was a good legal thriller.

[Tenley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me forever to finish, but that's strictly a 'me' problem and not this book's problem.

I'm officially a fan of David Ellis. His writing is extremely well done and his stories are clever and twisty. Ellis is very talented at writing thrillers and I've yet to figure everything out before he reveals it to me.

This book is captivating as is Look Closer. As soon as I finished this book, I grabbed The Best Lies.

Don't sleep on this author!

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only giving it one star so I can write review. I got to page 99. I quit. I do not have time for this man-child's "introspection".

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Please, you're embarrassing me. Let's leave it at this: I have my moments."
A brilliant courtroom thriller! Masterfully constructed, the a-maze-ing plot told me what was going on, but I never knew what was REALLY going on.
Unfolding at such a breakneck pace, you're in danger of developing carpal tunnel syndrome from flipping the pages so fast! It's packed with twists I never saw coming.
I usually can see something, however small, coming.
This story is so unique that I had no foundation on which to base a guess.
You are never quite sure what's true.
Left me guessing the whole way through to what I thought would have been an extremely gratifying ending.
But.
There's more!
How fun!

No plot points. Discover and relish this gem on your own. You'll be left feeling full of satisfaction.

PS - I will say this. The character of Marty Kalish is one of the most fascinating I've ever read...

This was a debut?!

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically read almost 100 books per year, most of them fiction. I picked this one up on a lark and am so glad I did. What a novel! From page one, I was enthralled in the story. I held my breath during the fresh approach that Ellis uses as a story-telling technique. We watch the action unfold through the eyes of the main character and we think we know what has happened. The murder takes place early on and we "see" it happen. But did we see everything? We aren't sure. In fact we aren't sure until the very last page of the book.

I was pleased to read a mystery/crime novel that wasn't all police procedural or all court-room drama. The story is fleshed out very nicely, and I found the characters to be multi-dimensional. There are several sub-plots to the story but they all relate to the main theme and serve to push the experience forward. And most importantly, I really cared what happened to the characters.

I am looking forward to Mr. Nellis' next work with great anticipation. It will be hard to top this one but it will be fun trying.

[Jim Crocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is David Ellis's FIRST BOOK! written in 2001. Hard to believe that's almost twenty years ago.

The SF Chronicle said: "CRACKLES WITH UNEXPECTED TWISTS" and they weren't lying either. I am a HUGE David Ellis fan. Oddly enough, I have never read his first book until my Goodreads pal Jimmy turned me on to it.

This is a first-person, past-tense narrative. So it's written directly to you, the reader. Where the SF Chron said "unexpected twists" they could have "confusing and obscure". But that's intentional. And subsequently as a reader, I found myself confused (being fooled) along with the narrator character fooling himself (kinda). That leads to "obscure". Subsequently, it's a bit of a challenge. So I knocked one star off my rating. Not the end of the world. I million other folks liked it, including James Patterson. Who know's, this was probably the beginning of the Patterson-Ellis partnership.

I got my copy from the local library. It was in paperback with a smallish footprint. For me that's too small and my eyes are now strained. I go for LARGE print whenever I find 'em. Or I read on my smartfone.

Let me just say that over the course of nearly twenty year (and I don't know how Ellis found the time) he has perfected the art of "Unexpected Twists" to the point where the reader is no longer confused or challenged.

Now I am ready for his second book: Looks like that is Life Sentence

Cheers and Happy Reading!
JIM in MT

[Rhonda Silly Mummy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Line of Vision is the story of Marty Kalish who falls in love with a wealthy married woman, Rachel. She tells him that her husband is abusive and that he plans to kill her. One night the husband is murdered and Marty confesses as the killer. However, the police are not so sure and want to charge the wife along with Marty.

Marty tells us what really happens as he slowly unfolds some great unexpected twists in his story. You think you know what Marty did but you don’t. The plot keeps thickening through the book. I just loved it. I loved how smart Marty is.

Line of Vision is the first book I have read by David Ellis. I enjoyed this book as much as I do any John Grisham piece, and mind you – Grisham is damn good, I never thought anyone else could beat his style. But Ellis has moved me and I hope to find more of his writing. His characters are very strong and believable.

Marty’s story kept my attention over the three days that it took me to complete it. I could have done in one day but I was too afraid to finish the book. You know when you’re served a delicious meal and you don’t want to finish it all because it’s too nice? And that good feeling you get after a good workout at the gym? That’s how I felt when reading Line of Vision, so I let it span over three days! Crazy, huh?

I totally recommend the Line of Vision for anyone interested in seductive courtroom thrillers. What a creative author Ellis is!

I give Line of Vision 4 out of 5 stars. If Ellis had gone a little further and maybe created contact between Marty and the Rachel after the sentencing I could have given 5 stars.

[Helen Ahern · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed, having read the rave reviews I was expecting a good book but sadly it was not to be. To like a book I have to feel some empathy towards the main character or characters. I did not like Marty Kalisz and I did not care if he was guilty or innocent, I just wanted to get to the end as quickly as possible.

[Kimmy Goldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snooze fest. Was not captivating at all. This is probably bc this “thriller” was written 20 years ago, so no hard feelings for the author. Just too long…too bored…and I prob need to try one of his more current novels! 😂

[Marika Charalambous · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book by David Ellis. A fun courtroom drama, although I found it a bit too long and detailed in all aspects of the main character's life. Still, enjoyed it.

[Judith Cenkus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosh if this book had been 307 pages instead of 407 I bet it would have been a lot better!
Instead of reading this one, read his book "Look Closer".

[Ccdemaio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my goodness this book was so annoying. I listened to the audiobook and chose it because I really like the narrator (Dick Hill). The plot line was incredibly frustrating and despite being well read (voices clearly delineated) and easy to follow, the story arc was hard to manage. It was such a straight line... I wanted something interesting to happen and it took WAY to long. Skip this one. There are WAY better thrillers out there that won’t make you hate yourself for finishing it. I wouldn’t have finished this book if I could leave a book half listened to, but I struggle with that.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I thought the story was interesting, it took too long to pull all the pieces together. I was pretty sure where the story was going and it just took so long to get there. It was a similar to Gone Girl. There were a few surprises in the end.

[Mary (Biblophile) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, convoluted, complex murder mystery. By the time the protagonist gets done telling his story, you're not sure who did it.!

[Matthew Dafoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

BANGER ALERT!

Okay, a bitch is tired. I can't write a proper review right now. Review to come. But know my head is SPINNING. This was so good.

[January · Rating 4 out of 5]

Line of Vision by David Ellis
[448] 437-page Kindle Ebook

Genre: Legal Thriller, Crime, Mystery

Featuring: Lawyer, Adultery, Murder, November, December, Detectives, Flashbacks, Courtroom, Excerpt from Look Closer

Rating as a movie: R for violence and adult content

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¾🔭

My thoughts: 🔖23 of 437 Ch. 4 - This guy is too frantic for this late at night. I'll have to finish this one tomorrow. I'm cutting it close.
🔖339 Ch. 70 - It was a good run but I didn't make it. I'm stopping to go to a book discussion and author's chat, so I will get spoilers. I struggled to get into this book. It was frantic yet dull and slow and took a long time to pick up. It has finally gotten somewhere but I'm barely interested. So far I don't see the point of the story.

So, I had to add the audio, Dick Hill, it was odd, but I can see how it could be good. I got some spoilers but they just made me more excited for the end. All in all this story was better than okay. it's taken a while to get started. I didn't feel this book until the lawyer showed up. Then end made it worth it.

Recommend to others: Probably This story is pretty good.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars - Not The Run Of The Mill Legal Thriller!

Line Of Vision, an Edgar winner and David Ellis' first book, is well worth reading.

The plot, which involves the confession by Marty Kalish, an investment banker, to killing his lover's husband and the trial to defend him is well-developed, the characters -- and especially the main character -- are very credible and three-dimemsional and the pace, once the trial begins, is faster than a speeding bullet.

If that's not enough to generate interest in reading this strong first effort, it's filled with red herrings and lots of surprises. The only factor that keeps me from giving Line Of Vision a 5-star rating is that Ellis takes a bit too long to get to the trial portion of the book. Despite this minor criticism, Line of Vision is a well above average legal thriller. Enjoy!

[Meg McCullough · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5! A little slow to start but David Ellis did it again! I love how he includes the protagonist’s thoughts in italics throughout the book. This courtroom drama left my head spinning with all its twists!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Ellis is a master of twisty turny tales. Genius character development and his courtroom descriptions are insanely good. Could not put this one down!

[William Lowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too long, you can figure out what's going on in the first 75 pages. The positive is that there are few clever things that improve the core story.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit slower than his usual books! Nothing is as it seems and even when you think you know, you’re wrong

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Boy! This one did not go where I thought it was going! A tense first person narrative of a crime, trial prep, and the trial, with plenty and I do mean plenty of twists along the way. Ellis drags you in and doesn't let go until the very last moment. With a satisfying tie up to every loose end, this one is a stunner of a read!

[India · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific suspense novel / courtroom drama.
The writing is excellent -- particularly in nailing the descriptive nuances of people's reactions, physical movements.
A few surprises. You think you've got it figured out, and you might, but not exactly the way you thought.
It felt just a little long, though - otherwise I might have given it 5 stars.