Review: The Wrong Side of the Hudson
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 18, 2014
Review of The Eye by Bill Pronzini and John LutzThis book was initially published in 1984. It is a quirky mystery narrated in different chapters from different character's perspectives, all of who happen to live on or close to west 98th street in New York City. More importantly there is a serial killer on the loose who seems to be targeting residents of West 98th.The killer, whose identity is revealed early on in this story, is an apartment dweller on "the wrong side of the Hudson River". Lewis Collier is a former Professor of English and currently the "Keeper of the Eye" as well as the "Conscience of West 98th Street". The "eye" is a telescope through which Collier keeps close track of the inhabitants of West 98th from his 12th floor apartment in New Jersey. Collier decides who deserves to live and who merits death. When the story opens, Collier has already killed two residents of 98th and in the opening chapter he has mistakenlykilled another who was not a resident. Collier makes the point that "he is not a psychopath, he is just a deity".There is an ongoing investigation into these murders headed up by detective E.L. Oxman and chiefly involves a married and philandering couple, the Singers; Benny Hiller, a professional burglar, Morco Pollo, musician and drug dealer; Michele Butler, a waitress and shoplifter; Richard Corales, a building superintendent; Willie Lorsec, Richard's friend and a collector of other people's junk; Jennifer Crane, a design artist and a temptress; Jack Kennebank, the undercover "hot dog" plain clothes detective and Cindy Wilson, the doe-eyed divorcee who lives across the street form the Singer and who is currently having an affair with Wally Singer. To a lesser degree, there are other characters that play a lesser role in the overall makeup of this story.Running parallel with the murder investigation are interesting and delightful personal reflections about each of the main characters. All of the characters are fully developed in their own right and are a story in and of themselves. They all to some extent cheat, lie, steal, and keep secrets from one another while all of them are being investigated to some extent as suspects in the continuing murders. And as the murders continue to go unsolved, the lives of the remaining residents becomes more twisted and convoluted. John Lutz has certainly done a great job relating this tale of murder and deceit.A whole book could easily be written about the demented life and times of Lewis Collier, the openly and notoriously exposed villain of this story. And when he commits Murder in the First degree, Collier knows there in no turning back. What happens between Collier and Kennebank, is the first of several mistakes that may bring Collier down.While the hunt for Collier, the Angel of Death, goes on, so do the lives and murders on 98th. There are breakup and unions, as well as bitterness and bliss among the chaos of murder. The ending of this is simply great and was completely unforeseen by me.I really enjoyed this story. Although it was first published in 1984, 30 years later on its republished date, it seems timeless and still compelling. This book is well deserving of a 4 star rating. In my opinion, only an epic is worth 5 stars.