Intrigue, Jan 2004, 24.95, 254 pp.
ISBN 1890768537
While studying at Harvard to be a lawyer, Grant Sutherland also worked in the homicide division in Boston. One night a young man came at him with what Grant thought was a gun and the homicide detective killed him. Grant later found out it was a knife and he has had trouble living with the guilt. After he obtained his degree, he accepted a job in Paris as a field agent for the U.S. embassy Legal Attaché Services.
On his second day on the job he is called in to investigate the deaths of two young people who were murdered on their way home from clubbing. One is the granddaughter of a powerful American billionaire and the other victim is the son of a Bolivian diplomat. Upon examining the bodies, Grant knows this is the work of the Assassin, an international high-priced hitman who was involved in one of his Boston homicide cases. When Grant starts asking too many questions, he gets the wrong person nervous. The Assassin goes after Grant by trying to kill his beautiful co-worker; now the case has become very personal.
Tom Mitcheltree has written a very intense investigative thriller placed in a country where the principles of law are very different then the ones in the USA. Despite the serious tone of the book, the author uses humor to lighten up the storyline that becomes too tense at times. The protagonist is a very unusual but likeable chap who acts according to his beliefs and bends the rules when necessary. BLINK OF AN EYE is a must read for those who like profound action packed thrillers.
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 10% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 80%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, Foreign
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- life in that culture
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- France
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
