Rating: 
Summary: A fabulous read with a fantastic twist at the end.
Review: As Dominick Dunne said in his review of this book, it is a "sleek and elegant" mystery with a fantastic twist at the end. I notice it was nominated for an Edgar Award and a Hammett Prize and deservedly so. The author creates an atmosphere of beauty and suspense. Anyone interested in art should have a ball with this book. I dare readers to put it down once they've read the first chapter. I've given it to many friends. They all agree it's great..
Rating: 
Summary: Did Not Live Up to the Hype
Review: I had trouble putting down this book each evening. Although the writing is mediocre and the descriptive passages are too long and obviously padded, I was propelled by the misguided expectation that the solution to the mystery would be logical and satisfying, neither of which is true. The disappointing revelation of the identity of the murderer is almost an afterthought, the unlikely relationship between the protagonists is nonsensical, and the ethical decision forced upon Faith is the stuff of romance novels. A sensible person would have made another choice. A Trick of the Eye was a disappointment, since I invested considerable effort in searching for it on the Internet, having been inspired by Diane Rehm's interview with its interesting author.
Rating:
Summary: A clever slight of hand
Review: I read this book a few years ago and I continue to recommend it as a first rate thriller. The premise, a wealthy woman manipulating an artist for her twisted purposes, is clever and memorable. The characters and the prose are compelling. I only wish there was more work by this talented writer! There are few books I have read that have made such a lasting impression. This is a definite "must read". If you've stumbled across this review, it's a sign, buy this book you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A clever slight of hand
Review: I read this book a few years ago and I continue to recommend it as a first rate thriller. The premise, a wealthy woman manipulating an artist for her twisted purposes, is clever and memorable. The characters and the prose are compelling. I only wish there was more work by this talented writer! There are few books I have read that have made such a lasting impression. This is a definite "must read". If you've stumbled across this review, it's a sign, buy this book you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fabulous First Book
Review: Jane Stanton Hitchcock's first mystery Trick of the Eye was a wonderful discovery. Her writing is fresh and descriptive and in the imagination department her cup runeth over.The plot, while seemly simple, is filled with elegant twists and turns. This is the story about an artist who paint's trompe l'oeils (paintings that are made to look as if they are real - a 3-d image that tricks the idea into believing it exists)and is called upon by a wealthy, eccentric woman to recreate her now deceased daughter's coming out ball upon the walls of the ballroom where the party was held. She brings her up to her estate and keeps her there while she is working on the piece and entertains her with stories from the past. The artist becomes enmeshed when she discovers she is the spitting image of the woman's dead daughter and tries to discover who killed her. All in all a wonderfully woven tapestry of characters, writing, plot and images.
Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous First Book
Review: Jane Stanton Hitchcock's first mystery Trick of the Eye was a wonderful discovery. Her writing is fresh and descriptive and in the imagination department her cup runeth over. The plot, while seemly simple, is filled with elegant twists and turns. This is the story about an artist who paint's trompe l'oeils (paintings that are made to look as if they are real - a 3-d image that tricks the idea into believing it exists)and is called upon by a wealthy, eccentric woman to recreate her now deceased daughter's coming out ball upon the walls of the ballroom where the party was held. She brings her up to her estate and keeps her there while she is working on the piece and entertains her with stories from the past. The artist becomes enmeshed when she discovers she is the spitting image of the woman's dead daughter and tries to discover who killed her. All in all a wonderfully woven tapestry of characters, writing, plot and images.
Rating:
Summary: What are the other reviewers thinking?
Review: One of the greatest mysteries ever written, Trick of the Eye entrances the mind and roils the heart with its Trojan tracery of cues and colors that lead the reader, step by quickening step, down an aphoristic path of sumptuous literary pleasures to a rapturous ambush at the end both shocking and inevitable.
Rating:
Summary: The wealthy ARE different...
Review: This book first appealled to me, an almost old woman, since the main character, Faith, is no longer young. Well written descriptions of Faith's changing perception draw one into the mystery. The solution and the ending are tart,yet satisfying. On a deeper level,it serves as a grim reminder that your life is what you choose to make of it. Read the dedication after you finish the novel. I hope to read more from this writer, & would like to know more about her.
Rating:
Summary: Suspense with a real twist
Review: This book has got an amazing twist at the end. I don't understand other reviewers who said they guessed the ending. I've given it to about twenty mystery lovers and not ONE guessed the real ending because it's not about whodunit. It's a real trick of the eye, like the author says. It was nominated for both the Edgar Award and the Hammett Prize as the Best First Novel of the Year, and one can see why.
Rating:
Summary: One smart, savvy, compelling read
Review: This wonderful book is the best evidence ever that works in the mystery genre can transcend the genre stereotype and land full force among the best writers of contemporary literature. I loved the plot, found the characters compelling and extraordinarily well-developed. Jane Hitchcock is a terrific writer and I look forward to reading her a lot more in the future.
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