Review: Eyes Wide Open by Andrew Gross
Reviewed by Lauren Cannavino
Eyes Wide Open by Andrew Gross is a book full of murder, mystery and suspense, but it does not read like a typical murder-mystery. To be honest, I am not sure exactly which genre this novel really falls into. The book concentrates on the mysterious and tragic death of Dr. Jay Erlich’s troubled nephew Evan and all of the bizarre unfolding of events immediately following the discovery of his body at the bottom of a cliff. Dr. Erlich decides to stay and help Evan’s parents – his schizophrenic brother Charlie and his wife Gabby – and to try and uncover what was really behind the death of their son. What they discover is astonishing and also comes with a very heavy price.
Evan was troubled, like his father, but the circumstances surrounding his death make the ruled cause of death, suicide, appear a bit suspicious. The signs seem to point to murder instead. After uncovering a few more details and learning of a few unresolved murders, Jay discovers that much of what happened to Evan is tied to his brother’s involvement back in the 1960′s with cult leader Russell Houvnanian.
Houvnanian’s character and the situations surrounding him – his followers, abandoned ranch living, free love, drugs, and murder – mirror those of Charles Manson and his family. As a result of this, I feel that I spent more time paying attention to how similar the two were and drawing these comparisons rather than paying attention to the actual story. There are parts of Eyes Wide Open that move very quickly, such as the action near the end and the discovery of what actually happened to Evan, but there are also a lot of parts that drag on and on. Dr. Erlich annoyed me as a character and I felt that he spent too much time trying to be a hero rather than actually being one. I will say however, that the open ended finish to the story was quite intriguing and was very nicely done.
Andrew Gross is a good writer who has strong dialogue skills and an easy way with words, but I had a hard time remaining interested in the story. I never felt a level of compassion with any of the characters other than Gabby and I had a hard time maintaining interest in the action, or lack thereof that was unfolding throughout the story.
Rating: 2/5
Lauren Cannavino is a graduate student, freelance writer, wine lover, and avid reader. Random musings can be found over at www.goldiesays.com.
Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Meryl L. Moss Media Relations. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Contemporary, Literature & Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers
[...] http://luxuryreading.com/eyeswideopen/ [...]
What a let down! I love good mysteries but even the book kept me glued to the story, I would not want to go through what appears to be a re-hash of the Manson family. I felt so saturated it when that real event was on the news in the 1960s. The whole time gives me the willies. I was a college student at the time of the murders and remember not wanting to watch the news.
I, too, am glad that this site has homest reviews. I was impressed by Andrew Gross’s reputation as a great mystery writer and had entered contests for this book. This time I can say that I am glad I didn’t win.
Carol Wong
I slipped up! I do want to thank you for this review, I am grateful for the red flag on this one.
This sounds like a good read for the dark and (sometimes) dreary days of fall and winter coming up. I love snuggling with a good thriller/mystery and scaring myself
. I love a surprise ending that I did not expect so this might be a good book to pick up. A slow plot can be kind of cumbersome though, so I will think about it a little more. Thanks for the review!
Colleen Turner recently posted..Half-Past Dawn…
I’m pleasantly surprised about the reviews on this Web site; I feel like I can believe them when I’m skeptical about most book reviews I read. Thank you for this.
I was so unhappy that I didn’t win this book in the several online contests I entered for it. That’s because I read nothing but glowing reviews about it. We all depend on honest book reviews, and I’m glad I found one.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the reviews! We also strive to be very honest when giving our thoughts about books.
I don’t know if I would brand this type of story a Murder Mystery…it actually sounds more like a Thriller to me. Especially when you start bringing in things that remind me of the Manson Family. I’ve read all the Manson Family type stuff I could find because my mom was pregnant with me and living in California when they were caught. I suppose with the other elements you touched up in the review it could also be considered a psychological Thriller which I love reading also.
Not knowing all the answers until the end of the book when you are surprised by all the puzzle pieces coming together is what I like when reading this type of book. Unlike some other books where it’s obvious what the ending will be like.
Mary Kirkland recently posted..More Halloween Funnies