Line of Vision

Written by David Ellis

Narrated by Dick Hill

Marty Kalish is a young man suffocating in the heat of an affair with a married woman named Rachel. When Rachel's husband disappears one night, Marty is one of the first to be questioned. With few likely suspects, the police arrest him for murder. We know Marty was outside their home that night. We know he has a motive. We know he's guilty of something. But is it murder? Everything we learn - about Marty as a man, his affair with Rachel, and the night in question - comes from Marty himself. We want him to be innocent, but the more he tells us, the more we fear he is guilty. And as the twists and turns of the plot unfold, we can't be completely sure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Feb 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9781423352532

David Ellis

David Ellis has from an early age been a fan of British comedians (think Frankie Howerd and the Carry On crew) and their influence can be seen in this varied selection of his comic verses of over fifty years. He worked as an English teacher in England where he sought to encourage creative writing and an appreciation of literature, including poetry. Well known in the UK and Australia as a Chess player, he has been West of England, Cornish, Kent and three times West Australian champion. He has competed in a number of Australian Open and Closed Championships with a best result equal 3rd. He has also regularly coached young players, including a to-be British Champion. He has been Chess columnist for the West Australian newspaper for more than 24 years and in 2001 received the Australian Chess Federation Medal for outstanding work as a chess correspondent, the year after receiving the Queen’s Australian Sports Medal. He plays piano and has been in demand as an accompanist - in collaboration with a junior choir he recorded a 45EP and years later recorded two CDs with a soprano, Willemina Foeken. He is father to two children. His son is a champion Ultra- Marathon runner while his daughter has competed in a number of Triathlons as well as successfully representing Western Australia in both the Girls and Womens Chess teams.

Reviews for Line of Vision

[Margaret · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Book ends abruptly in chapter 47. I didn't get to hear the rest.

[booklovers2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Listened to this on audio. I rate it 2.5 to 3 stars. It was difficult for me to care about any of the characters. The narrator was ok, but somewhat boring. Marty Kalish is a single man who is infatuated with Rachel. Rachel is a married woman of a prominent heart surgeon. Rachel is physically abused and confides in Marty that she fears for her life. She knows that Marty is out there, watching her at night as she undresses. Marty confides in us that she does this for his benefit. Rachel's husband is murdered and his body is removed from the scene. Marty is questioned by the police and once he realizes that Rachel is being looked at as a suspect, he confesses. But did Marty do it? He recants his confession, but he is charged with the murder. As his trial unfolds, Marty realizes that Rachel may not be the woman he thought she was. He loves her, but was he set up and is being tried for a murder he didn't commit? The question lingers back and forth and the reader isn't really convinced either way. The ending was somewhat believable, but it made Marty out to be smarter than he portrayed thru-out the book. I personally didn't care for any of the characters.

[ecw0647 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[she_climber · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very much another version of Presumed Innocent. Entertaining but nothing compares to the original. Kind of saw/suspected the plots twists coming.

[tadad_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Meh. Not a very likable protagonist even though I think I was supposed to like him. The ending is fairly predictable. I will forget this rather soon. Overly long.

[chrissywest · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pretty intense! That is what I thought well reading this book. Line of Vision is a powerful suspense/legal thriller. It is David Ellis’s debut novel. Another legal thriller, this intense, that comes to mind is A Time To Kill by John Grisham. A reviewer on Amazon said, “This book is brilliantly plotted and very cleverly set out. It casts doubt at every turn.” That statement is so true.The depth put into the characters is astonishing. Especially Marty’s character. The whole story was told in Marty’s point of view. So you have the dialog in regards to the conversation Marty is having at that time, with whatever other character. But also the dialog as to what he thinks. It was a little confusing at times to decipher the two. There is no way you could speed read through this book. You would miss too much.There is even some humor in this book. This excerpt made me chuckle.“Do you believe that Marty Lalish took the doctor through those woods on November eighteenth?”“We don’t know. But it’s likely. It’s the most logical route.”“Any sign that Marty Kalish had been in those woods?”“He didn’t pin his business card to a tree, if that’s what you mean.”I recommend this book to any one who enjoys a good legal thriller. If legal thrillers are not your thing. Just read it for the suspense. It’s full of surprises. Deserving of the Edgar Award it received.