Eye of the Beholder

Eye of the Beholder
3.5 Stars

Synopsis:
Alexa Chambers will never forget the night J. L. Trask barged into her family home and accused her stepfather of murder. Now Trask is back and determined to find those responsible for his father’s death even if it means dredging up old skeletons. There are many who actively object to Trask’s investigations including an exceedingly dangerous killer with a mysterious agenda of their own.

Review:
While this is a solid romantic mystery, I was not completely swept away by it. The plot had a good foundation but develops in a predictable manner. There is a definite lack of tension and suspense, and the final scenes feel contrived and anti-climactic. Due to a process of elimination, the villain is quite show more obvious as all other suspects are conveniently out of the way by the time the killer’s identity is revealed.
The romance was enjoyable mainly because the characters are very personable. Alexa is an intelligent, independent and confident woman, and Trask is attractive and compelling. There is one aspect of the characterization that bothered me and that is the sudden appearance of a particular character at the end. It too me a fear minutes to figure out who this person even though it is someone who is mentioned repeatedly throughout the book – it was a confusing twist.
As always, Krentz’s writing flows and her dialogue is witty and engaging. There are also one or two steamy scenes but nothing to get too excited about.
In sum, the book is very similar to other books Krentz has written so if you enjoy her writing then this is definitely for you. show less

The whole murder/suspense thing was pretty well done and with lots of plot twists. The art world background was pretty interesting. The "hop into bed as quickly as possible" felt awfully contrived this time. Not a bad tale, and does hold interest through most of the book. See publisher's blurb for more clues.
The narrator did good character differentiation, but the intonation of the MC sounded more like an irritating early teen.

This was fine, much better than the last JAK book I read. Really exactly what you expect from Krentz. I listened to this while walking, and it was a fine mindless companion other than the reader not being good at all.

She kept me on my tows. I would never suspect that the murderer was the one that end up being. A thrilling suspense, with an intriguing romantic tale, between Trask who wants to avenge his father and the daughter of one of the suspects.

re-read in 2004 by accident