Book Review: The Tarnished Eye

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

The Tarnished Eye     Amazon US HC Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada HC
Judith Guest
Class/Genre:   Mystery

Judith Guest, the author of the acclaimed novel "Ordinary People", has written a very respectable suspense novel with "The Tarnished Eye." A wealthy family spending the summer at their northern Michigan vacation home is found brutally murdered. The father and his three suns have been shot, the mother and her young daughter have been raped and bludgeoned. The family had little if any participation in the life of the small resort community, and their bodies were not discovered for a week or longer, creating an extremely gruesome scene.

Local sheriff Hugh DeWitt copes with the rampant gossip which blooms after the discovery, the frustrating wait for results of crime scene analysis, several red herrings, and the aftermath of his own personal tragedy. Calling on personal and professional friendships, DeWitt searches for assistance from law enforcement officers in larger Michigan cities, and encounters frustration there as well, since a serial killer has been striking in other parts of the state.

This reader wasn't surprised when the two cases begin to merge into one, a more experienced author of suspense might have been able to disguise that feature more skillfully. Nevertheless, "The Tarnished Eye" is an enjoyable read.

Woodstock - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Woodstock - RAM