The Tarnished Eye

by Judith Guest

A novel inspired by a baffling true-life crime, Judith Guest's "finely tuned page-turner" (Publishers Weekly) melds heart-pounding suspense with an emotionally charged family drama. The community of Blessed, Michigan, is shattered by the murder of the Norbois family -- Paige, Edward, and their four children -- in their summer home. Sheriff Hugh DeWitt, still grieving the loss of his infant son, is determined to find answers to a string of urgent When did the murders occur? Which family member was the primary, intended, victim? What could have fueled such hate-driven violence? As suspects and secrets swirl around the case, one stunning revelation lies in a shattering clue that may be right in Sheriff DeWitt's line of sight. With her own untarnished eye, Judith Guest delivers a novel that transcends genre and showcases once again her remarkable literary gifts.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Book Club, Suspense

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

Reviews

[Barb H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judith Guest's Ordinary People is familiar to many, both as the book and the award-winning film. She clearly demonstrated sensitivity to family dynamics and to the desires and needs of individual adults and their offspring. This talent was again evinced in this mystery/ suspense novel. It is remarkable because she was able to integrate the story of the horrifying murder of a family of six with their psychosocial components and the process of the police procedural.
The similarity between these two books is also viewed in the process of grief, the coping skills involved for the individual and the adolescent's moods and view of parental regard. One could almost picture these characters with her sensitive narrative.

Guest was skillful at maintaining a high level of tension throughout the book, with a heightened sense of suspense during the climax. She deftly maintained the ability to keep the perpetrator of this heinous crime concealed with only minimal hints.

I did enjoy reading this mystery and hesitated betwee a 3 or 4 star rating. I would give it a 3.5 with the comment that Ordinary People was definitely better, but also different.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family of six is brutally murdered and the bodies are not discovered for three weeks. The investigation is led by the local small-town Michigan sheriff. He tries to enlist the aid of his friend, a big-city police chief, but the friend is dealing with his own high-profile case, that of a serial killer that is targeting U of M co-eds. Supposedly inspired by a true, unsolved mystery, Ms Guest does a good job of throwing in several red herrings before the final reveal. Lacking, however, was a reason to care about the victims. We only get to see them alive in the first couple of chapters and they are not very cuddly. The answer to the mystery seems almost too pat, tieing up too many loose ends into one neat litlle package. Entertaining, but not gripping. Rather ho-hum, actually.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beach read. Characters are not well defined. Sappy in places. It is a murder mystery and follows the typical timeline for this type of book (intro detective with some personal flaw/problem/unfortunate life event, horrible crime, attempt to find killer, twists, solve, detective as hero, detective fixes aspect of personal life, the end.) But as this type of book goes, not a bad read.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judith Guest is probably best known for her novel Ordinary People, which was turned into an award-winning motion picture. In her book The Tarnished Eye, Guest gives us a completely different kind of story, but with the same intuitiveness about why people do the things they do.


The novel is based on the true story of a murder that happened in Northern Michigan. In the fictionalized version, a family of six, the Norbois family, is brutally murdered while at their vacation home in Blessed, Michigan. Sheriff DeWitt, still recovering from the SIDS death of his infant son two years earlier, is emotionally ill-prepared to investigate this crime, yet he feels a strong desire to see the perpetrator brought to justice. His investigations take him to Ann Arbor, where the police chief is having troubles of his own in the form of a serial killer who is preying on young women at the University of Michigan campus. Despite the fact that each of the Norbois family seems to have someone who might want to kill them, the investigation leads both men to the conclusion that their cases are linked.


The writing is spare, but the emotions are strong. Through a series of flashbacks to the days before their deaths, Guest paints a picture of the Norbois family that makes you want to find their killer almost as much as Sheriff DeWitt does. DeWitt himself as the main character begins to come to terms with the tragedy in his own life through the course of the investigation, and you feel for him as a grieving father as much as you respect him as a dogged investigator. The setting didn't hurt my appreciation for the book. My parents live near Traverse City in exactly the same kind of resort area that the book describes, and many of the real places mentioned in the book are places I've been. All in all it was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to any mystery lover.

[Kristin]

The "true-life crime" that this book is loosely based on is actually the murder of my grandmother's cousin's family. To this day, the murder still remains unsolved.

[Melissa Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[SraPanadera · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was well-written as far as mechanics and style go. As far as story---well. It is a quick read and quite interesting in parts but it can't decide what it wants to be. A murder mystery? A study of random evil and coming to terms with it? A grieving father who finally gets back into things? Guest gives us just enough on each of these and each character to make us interested and then fails to develop anything and basically just leaves us hanging. At which point the reader realizes that this was a waste of time, luckily not a huge one. On top of this, the murders were unnecessarily gruesome and creepy and for no purpose. Why make a point (several times) of a ten year old being raped and horrifically murdered in a manner different to anyone else if you are never going to tell the why or purpose of such? Or the mother? Why bring up the manner and details of a string of serial murders of young women if you are never going to give the why of that either? This seems odd, especially with the author being a woman. And what was with calling the serial murders "co-eds"? The book takes place in 2004 and the characters using the term are not that old. And northern Michigan is not the land that time forgot. Overall, this books seems to make you question the author's psyche than any characters. And speaking of characters, northern Michigan was given enough detail to figure in as one and it was by far the most interesting.

[lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this fictional account of a true story: an unsolved murder in a small vacation town in northern Michigan. The authoir stuck to the majority of the evidence while applying her own theory of who may have committed this brutal crime. A typical summer read type of style.

[Luke Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this 3 and a 1/2 stars... but alas here we are and it’s not quite 4. Judith Guest is a fantastic author, and Ordinary People is one of the best American novels about family and grief... so I had high hopes. The Tarnished Eye is a competent suspense mystery that was quite readable and enjoyable, albeit a little thematically jumbled. The mystery element of the story, based off the Robinson Family Murders of 1968, is so absorbing and intriguing that it’s gets frustrating when Guest starts splitting the chapters up with introspective chapters about the inner workings the victims leading up to the murder. Guest has such a sharp eye for family dynamics and it’s obvious she has a desire to insert that element into the plot, but it does not fit in this genre the way she wants it too. I will
Say... I was very surprised and impressed with how gruesome, dark and suspenseful the murder mystery element of the story was, and I would love to see Guest attempt a new mystery with a more modern take (this book was published in the mid 2000’s and it shows). I was genuinely unsettled by the graphic details of the murder and was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how it all ends, but the conclusion was lackluster left me wanting more.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judith Guest is the author of the acclaimed book and movie "Ordinary People" Tarnished Eye is her last novel and quite different. As many readers indicated the mystery is about a killing in the fictional Michigan town of Blessed and is based on a similar killing of an entire family in Good Hart, MI. I have read the nonfiction book "When Evil Came to Good Hart" and this book follows closely a lot of the facts of those murders but also links in the Ann Arbor/Ypsi serial murders of young women many of them co-eds that were done by John Norman Collins, a former Michigan college student. From my memory Judith Guest uses a lot of those events to interweave the two mysteries together to arrive at one related suspect. Throughout this rather short book, Guest brings a number of suspects to the forefront of Blessed Sheriff Hugh DeWitt whether they be local yokel handymen, shifty driftwood collectors, a business associate, the victims lovers, and friends. It does keep you guessing at least until near the end. Unlike others, I think Guest does a good job in character development and descriptions even the secondary people. She shows her talent as a writer by switching gears from a tear jerker/drama acclaimed book to a suspense novel.

[Jenny Yates · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty standard police procedural. The writing is clear and sound, but not inspired. You keep reading because you want to find out who did it, and at the end you do.

The murder is a particularly violent one, with a whole family slaughtered at their summer house. The cop at the center of the book is a sensitive guy who’s dealt with some personal loss, and who is trying to keep it together for his family. His anxieties pursue him, but they don’t keep him from being an effective detective.

The book takes him through interactions with other law enforcement personnel, the voracious reporters reporting on the grisly murder scene, and the various suspects. Every once in a while, he comes home and his wife pampers him and nags him a little for not taking better care of himself. Then he goes back to working the crime, following his instincts. In the end, he figures out the answer without a lot of drama.

[Amber Plant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on cd. This was my first book by Judith Guest and it was just ok. I think I would have liked it better in print but can't tell you for sure. The narrator's voice was slightly annoying to me and I couldn't tell his male voices apart so a lot of time I had to guess who was speaking. I also had to guess when the main character was thinking. The chapter where the little girl is speaking has got to be one of the most annoying voices I've ever heard and it was all I could do to not throw the cd out the window! Besides that, I thought the story was good and interesting. I was kept guessing until the end which is a huge bonus!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tarnished Eye was suggested reading in one of my social media feeds. This is not a new book having been out since 2004 but still new reading for me. The author's earlier book, Ordinary People had admirable character studies and strong storyline that had me looking for the same with this book. This is not at all what I expected but a straightforward murder thriller mystery. There's three plus storylines that takes awhile to unwind and after some plot twists and shifts one is given a tidy ending. It is a solid but not stellar thriller that I didn't mind reading but if one has other options one might put this aside.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the novel about the murders of the Norbois family I had to find out about the real murders that inspired The Tarnished Eye. The fact that the real murders are still listed as unsolved is intriguing. Could the murders have actually happened the way Judith Guest's novel explains it? That's up to each reader to decide. I went to college in Ann Arbor from 1965 - 1969 so the coeds that were murdered were discussed a lot among my friends. I did not know about the murders in Good Hart, Michigan (or Blessed, MI in the novel).

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book and they used 2 narrators which I like because it's easier to keep the characters straight when I listen while I work. The story is loosely based on an unsolved crime from the 1960's in Michigan. The families involved - the one murdered and the sheriff who investigates - are such sad people. Both needed to talk to their families more!!
The story was good and kept me guessing till the end.

[CMG (Mac) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adequately entertaining. Loved the Sheriff main character and a lot about the setting. Enjoyed some of the quirky small town characters.


Perplexed with the red herring. They made him look too guilty. I “read” in audio so too hard to go back but I think they found the good evidence on the real killer and just dropped the red herring. I am used to getting an explanation - wrap up. I’ll read reviews to see if I just missed something.

[Keith Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book I wanted to like more than I did. Based on the Goodhart murders, it falls a bit flat. Mardi Link's true crime book, "When Evil Came to Goodhart," does it all so much better. Still, I'm glad Guest took a whack at the story. It deserves to live. Here's a little thing I wrote back when it came out:

https://annarborobserver.com/articles...

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

When you think of the author of the amazingly excellent novel "Ordinary People" perhaps expectations are too high. The protagonist was well drawn, but the family murder was disappointing. Why was the murder of the young boy particularly gruesome with no explanation or resolution. The book had unfulfilled potential for me. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Kim Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a thrift find and all I can say is WOW. There were a few errors in the writing but it didn't take away from the story enough to matter personally. As the story progresses I found all of the pieces came together really well, with an excellent twist at the end. I love being blindsided by a suspense novel and this did it for me.

[Krissy White · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I thought The Tarnished Eye was a good book although I was having trouble believing some of the occurrences that happened in the book. Overall The Tarnished Eye was a good book that kept me invested in its entirety.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad story, but it wasn't great either. It felt a bit choppy to me, and the ending was a little coincidental. The characters weren't particularly likable and didn't have the depth I generally prefer in books.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written murder mystery. I've been reading a lot of non-fiction, and just wanted a fun read. This fit the bill.

[Debbie Tanguay · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick read murders in small town sheriff trying to solve- decent

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

good char. development, setting

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well told story of the hunt for a killer, one up north the other in Ann Arbor. Found it hard to put down!

[Chris Birdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. It seemed a bit confusing at first, but well worth the read.

[Renny Barcelos · Rating 2 out of 5]

It never managed to grab my interest and was boring in most parts...

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad mystery. Family found murdered in their summer house. Pretty well written.

[Leslie Appelbaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story. Nothing great but easy read.