Equivocal Death

Rating:
Summary: Sophisticated, exciting, and a pleasure to read
Review: Equivocal Death is a sophisticated and highly engaging thriller from a talented new author. It delivers suspense, atmosphere, and even a rare glimpse inside the Harvard Club of New York City. But the novel has a lot to offer besides great entertainment: It is also an honest and thoughtful examination of the limited lives of lawyers working in huge firms, by someone who's been immersed in that world.

"Equivocal death" is a police term for an ambiguous death scene which could be either a murder or a suicide. The phrase has this meaning in Gutman's novel, but it is also a metaphor for the main character's ongoing spiritual death as she encloses herself in a seemingly stable and safe but actually quietly deadly world of nonstop work. Is it murder or slow suicide? These important questions dovetail nicely with the fast-paced crime plot of Equivocal Death.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: Equivocal Death is one of the best books I've read in a very long time. I started reading it at night and ended up staying up half the night because I couldn't put it down. I was surprised when I found out that this was Ms. Gutman's first book. Both the plot and characters were well developed and I found the heroine, Kate Paine, to be an extremely interesting character. Anyone who has ever worked in a large law firm MUST read this book. I am eagerly awaiting Ms. Gutman's next book.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo! A super read!
Review: Everything one could want in a legal thriller . . . and more. The story works on many levels: it's a page-turner that kept me up most of the night; a subtle, cool, and cutting portrait of high-powered law firm life (and death); a well-wrought character study with Kate Paine as the complex, likeable protagonist; and a savvy exploration of bigger issues such as sexual harassment at work. "Equivocal Death" is fabulously written and tightly edited. I loved the book, recommend it highly, and look forward to Amy Gutman's next.

Rating:
Summary: an intelligent page turner
Review: Having read a number of legal thrillers, Equivocal Death is simply a favorite. It is well written, the plot made me want to say up all night reading, and the authors' subtext of contemporary feminist issues made it more interesting and engaging. In short, I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Boring Boring Boring and Repetitively Redundant
Review: I could not bear the writing in this book. The author tries to load every sentence with as many words as possible. It is so badly done that I can not imagine why it was published at all or who would enjoy this book. Even Mother Theresa, were she alive, would find it impossible to care about the dimensionless characters buried beneath the amateurish writing. To be worth the money, this book should come with either a shovel to help you wade through it or a scissor to help you cut the pages into kindling.

Rating:
Summary: Masterful, great novel
Review: I found this novel to be extraordinary--riveting suspense and beautifully crafted writing. The author displays a gifted eye for nuance, which one expects from the best of contemporary novelists, with an uncanny ability to entertain in a manner which keeps you up late into the night reading. Ms. Gutman informs and entertains at the highest level. What a treat to find this book. Where is her next one? I can't wait.

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Debut
Review: I just finished reading Equivocal Death, and I have to say--it's a great book. It's a gripping, well-constructed thriller with a very appealing protagonist. And it definitely meets the can't-go-to-sleep-till-you-know-how-it-ends test. But it's also got something larger to say. Not just about law and big-time law firms (though the author gets that part exactly right). But about people who use careers and institutions to cut themselves off from the world. Definitely a gripping, rewarding read.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book - bring me more
Review: I loved this book. The plot was suspensefull, full of surprises and extremely well written. Amy Gutman simply lived the life of Kate Paine and has a hard time hiding it. But that makes the book all the more interesting. I look for more great stuff from this author. Bring it on.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book - bring me more
Review: I loved this book. The plot was suspensefull, full of surprises and extremely well written. Amy Gutman simply lived the life of Kate Paine and has a hard time hiding it. But that makes the book all the more interesting. I look for more great stuff from this author. Bring it on.

Rating:
Summary: A murder-mystery thriller in a different voice.
Review: If you are looking for a good read to divert you at the end of a busy day -- or a busy week -- this fills the bill. Equivocal Death has all the ingredients of escape: violence, romance, sordid sex, comtemporary social issues, and a glimse into a rarified world few inhabit.

This passed my first test: I couldn't stop reading until I finished it. And then I was sorry I'd read it so fast, because I had enjoyed it so much.

A week later, I knew it had passed my second test: I was still thinking about it.

But how is this different? Any good murder-mystery has to pass those two tests.

What's different is that in most mysteries, the central character is a paragon. she is clever and savy, he's takes care of others; we're secure in the knowledge that our hero or heroine is worthy of the role, and will live to triumph. Not so with Kate Paine. She's naive, compliant, and so self-centered she can't see anyone else's problems. In spite of that -- or because of it? -- I cheered at her triumphs, cringed at her terrifying attacks, and didn't know till the very end just how it would turn out.

I can't wait for the movie! Or for Gutman's next book.