This was an intense book. Every word seemed charged with rage and hostility; especially from the main villain. There were even moments when the cop (hero) was questionable. The most compelling thing about this novel was the authors basics for telepaths. Bester's concepts for telepaths given high homage in 'Babylon 5'. This novel is a well written murder mystery with a fascinating finale. You will truly understand what it means to be 'demolished'. ( )

Old time favourite, first I can remember which handled the implications of telepathy (Espers) and still the best. ( )

In a world where much of the population is psychic, one man plots to do the impossible. Ben Reich, cartel owner, has quite a few problems on his mind - his business rival, Cray D'Courtney is undermining Reich, and Reich sees only one, rather drastic solution to his problems - murder. It seems that the business world of the twenty-fourth century is quite a cut-throat one.

Bester thumbs his nose at all of the conventions of a police procedural and a mystery novel. Bester presents the criminal, Ben Reich, to the reader within the first few pages of the novel. We're shown the planning and execution the criminal act, rather than the details of the incident puzzled out by the reader and narrator alike. There's also a disregard for the conventions of older SF stories, which I greatly enjoyed here, too.

However, the story wouldn't work unless Bester delivered it well, and this he certainly has. It's quite a fast-paced book, and throws a lot of ideas about that have little to do with the plot. The nineteen-fifties in space this certainly is not. Yes, there are a few minor slip-ups that are less than prescient (a punch-card computer, for example, displays the book's age) but for the most part, Bester does a commendable effort in trying to craft a believeable future.

Overall, it's an interesting idea, and well written. The main part of the book I didn't particularly enjoy was the ending - I felt somewhat cheated, in a way. Still, an excellent novel, and quite worth reading, doubly so if you do not like the formulae of the typical detective story. ( )

This is a very clever story and an excellent example of early science fiction.
In a world where peepers exist (a proportion of the population who can read others' minds, thoughts, intentions) is it possible to commit murder? This story is a murder mystery turned on its head, and the reader gets completely caught up in it. ( )

I absolutely loved the premise of this book. What I had a tough time with was in trying to relate to the characters. But the storyline was interesting enough to get me through it. I give it a high rating, but the potential was there to score five stars. Then again, Alfred Bester is Alfred Bester, and I'm an unpublished wannabe. ( )