At First Sight

A Novel of Obsession

By: Stephen J. Cannell

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Meet Chick Best - a middle-aged, self-absorbed, disaffected, California dot.com millionaire. Other than his house and high-priced foreign cars, Chick's most expensive possession is his trophy wife, Evelyn.

Evelyn is good at spending Chick's money, money that has pretty much run out. His other personal possession is his drug-addled 16-year-old daughter, Melissa. Though concerned about his life and family, Chick resigns himself to a miserable state of acceptance.

That is, until he, Evelyn, and Melissa take a Christmas vacation in Maui. With this, Chick's life changes. He experiences unrequited love at first sight when he observes Paige Ellis. His obsession, exceeded only by his need to possess her, isn't diminished when he learns that she is happily married. Instead, he befriends Paige and her near-perfect husband, Chandler.

A short time later, Chick's obsession compels him to drive to Paige's house, where he runs down and kills Chandler in a drug-store parking lot. He attends the husband's funeral, feigning compassion for Paige. Several months later, with his lust for Paige in high gear, Chick stages a carjacking and murders Evelyn. Evidence that Chick has planted in and around the car implicates an ex-convict.

When he calls Paige with the news of Evelyn's murder, she returns the favor and comes to comfort Chick in what she thinks is his time of need. Chick, however, has other ideas. Will Paige learn the truth before it's too late?

©2008 Stephen J. Cannell (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Good story, great voice actor

I have great admiration for the late Mr. Cannell. As a man who suffered from dyslexia, the fact that he created dozens of TV shows and many novels is admirable.

The premise of the story was fascinating to me, and it was interesting to see it from the perspectives of two distinct characters.

My only real beef is with the structure. The fact that each character's perspective is told from both first and third person is illogical, and it is especially confusing when they are together. When Chick's actions are described in the third person, there is no way of knowing if it's his perspective, or if it's Paige telling us what she sees him do.

The narrator, Scott Brick, was brilliant, and every time I come across his name when browsing a book that seems interesting, I feel lucky to know that if I buy it I'll get to enjoy his voice again.
Mr. Brick's voice is captivating, and to me he is one with the protagonist.

That is why, in my opinion, there should have been at least 2 voice actors, just like, for example, in Gone Girl.
Sure, it's easy for me to tell other people they must hire a second actor for a book (it's not coming out of my pocket), but in this case I think the story called for it.
And yet, Brick did a wonderful job, even on his own.

Another issue that comes to mind is the political and personal choices of the author.
In many stories one side of the aisle is presented as humane and the other side as vermin.
Cannell, who was a conservative, has given us sympathetic characters from each side of the aisle. That is something we need to see more often.

Quirky & Fun

An easy listen. Good for filling in the gaps, with Scott Brick up to his usual best in audio performance.

Very good book!

This was a great read. I always enjoyed Cannell's TV screen plays. Am looking forward to more of his books. I highly recommend.

Excellent book

Very dark and twisted humor. But captivating. I couldn’t stop listening. Chick was a great main character. You felt bad for him but were rooting for him in a weird way.

Strong start, and something different from Cannell

The author begins this book with a forward explaining he was inspired to try to write a "different" sort of novel after reading Andrew Klavan's "Man and Wife". M&W is a brilliant book, and a worthy model for this multi-perspective analysis of two marriages. I enjoyed the writing, found the author's management of my empathy masterful, and was very intrigued for about 4/5ths of the story. The ending was disappointing, but honestly, how else could it have gone? Stephen J Cannell was a Hollywood Guy, and this is a very Hollywood ending. I thought the whole package was worthwhile. Scott Brick's intense, deep, quavery voice suited the intensity of the emotions in the telling, and I always find him easy to listen to. Anyway, Cannell does what he set out to do - writes a very different, more-disturbing novel than his Shane Scully series, and I'm pleased to have found it on Audible!

Pretty Good Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Maybe. I don't usually read this kind of Novel. Someone I know had started it and didn't care for it but when she told me the story I wanted to hear how it ended. There are holes in the story you could drive a tuck through but overall I found it an entertaining book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of At First Sight?

I would say the last chapter was satisfying. Of course I won't say anything to give it away.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

He had a good, consistant energy level. Well done.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I would say this book put me in

mildly entertaining, but not great

I listened to this book because I am a fan of Cannell's television series "Riptide."

This tale about the downfall of a self-made man starts off as a humor novel but changes into a horror novel. Personally, I preferred the first half which was extremely funny at times. The humor is about the degeneracy of modern-day California - sex, drugs, violence, vanity.

The writing is non-conventional in that it alternates between first-person narrative from the main male character and first-person narrative from the main female character. There is also a switch from the man being the protagonist to the woman being the protagonist. The story would have been easier to follow if the female chapters had been read by a female instead of having the same male read all of the chapters.

John Christmas, author of "Democracy Society"

Not up to par for Cannell.

Okay, but kind of a let down for this author. I always expect a great read from this author and reader, it was a let down.

Stephen J. Cannell is the best!

I'm never unhappy with a Stephen J. Cannell book, and this one doesn't disappoint! As usual, Scott Brick does a wonderful job. He's the true voice. of Cannell. This story was so compelling that I could hardly stop listening. One of his best!

Different perspective

Would you try another book from Stephen J. Cannell and/or Scott Brick?

Definitely.

If you’ve listened to books by Stephen J. Cannell before, how does this one compare?

This story is told from the perspective of the culprit, the other books from the perspective of law enforcement.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings the books to life.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes.