Trick of the Eye

By: Jane Stanton Hitchcock

Narrated by: Anna Fields

Trick of the Eye is a suspenseful novel in which artist Faith Crowell, a painter of illusionary images, is hired by a wealthy New York society matron to repaint the ballroom of her Long Island mansion. When Faith learns that the woman's daughter had been murdered years ago and that Faith herself strongly resembles the dead girl, she becomes obsessed with finding the truth about the past.

Set in the sophisticated world of the rich and privileged, Trick of the Eye is a hugely entertaining, page-turning read, with a surprising twist ending that is sure to appeal to suspense-fiction readers and to Jane Stanton Hitchcock's many fans.

©1992 Jane Stanton Hitchcock (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Dramatist Stanton's first novel is a thoroughly satisfying thriller, simultaneously luscious and....Pure pleasure for psychological-suspense fans." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Fields captures all the suspense of the story..." (AudioFile)

Another Must Listen!!!!

This author really had me going.From beginning to end the characters never ceases to amaze me. There is such a turn in the end that I was actually angry with the author but that,to me makes a great novel. They get you going, make you feel as though you have all the answers and BAM! here's a switch for ya! I got lucky with Anna Fields as the narrator. She always does a bang up job. Get this one. you wn't be dissapointed.

Money can't buy forgiveness

This author can create characters with the most complicated motives and emotional baggage. As I listened to the book I could feel the oppressive air of the big house and vividly imagine the scene. When I can lose myself in a story and see it in my head - I know I've got a great book. You will become engaged with the story and not want to stop listening. Who murdered the daughter - what's with the butler - why is the mother so reclusive - will Faith fall for the suave Italian? Part of me wanted the ending to go another direction - wouldn't that have been an interesting twist!

Quite A Trick

Preposterous story line, but first-rate characters. Jane Stanton Hitchcock has the gift of perception. She spins outlandish tales, but the deepest, most real people inhabit these storylines. As in Social Crimes, Ms. Hitchcock weaves a complex and mesmerizing look at deceit and intrigue in the land of the rich and privileged. I wish there were more of her books to add to my queue.

Definitely worth it

This book is very entertaining - intricate without being too complex. You will love this one if you like richly drawn characters and settings.

Very Disappointed

Having just finished two of this author’s books, the Jo Slayer series that I absolutely loved, I couldn’t wait to get started on this book. Unfortunately this ended up being a great disappointment.

This ended up feeling like it was written by a different author. The storyline had its moments that flowed nicely and were interesting. But that wasn’t the case for the entire book.

I’m going to try to avoid this narrator in the future. It was very hard for me to listen to her.

Sadly I consider this to have been a wasted credit and would not recommend it. I haven’t decided if I’m going to try anymore of this authors books.

A treat of a read

Like all of Ms. Hitchcock's characters, the ones in this book are so well-developed that I really I cared about what happened to them. The plot is very twisted, which makes it a brilliant read. As with all of her books, the setting is interesting and the story is engaging right from the start. I always learn something, too.

Gripping story, wonderful narration!

I love Jane Stanton Hitchcock books. This is the fifth book of hers I was listening/reading. The story is very interesting and consuming as always. Loved the narration! I wish she wrote more books!

Disappointed

Author is a good writer but was not as excited about the story as previous reviews

decent book from an author I love.

I really love Jane Hitchcock's other books. I've read social crimes like 5 times I think. But this was one of her first books and you can tell. The plot is not as fully developed and she takes 2 times as long as is needed to tell what is essentially a short story. It's not a bad story though. and overall I liked it. The performance was great!

"Filthy Rich"

What disappointed you about Trick of the Eye?

Way too slow for me. I had to use the 2 X speed to get through this story. Great outline, but even the great late Ms Anna couldn't make up for the editing for me or this author's writing technique. The last 21 minutes worth of listening/writing should have been all through out this book for me.

What could Jane Stanton Hitchcock have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The other reviewers gave much better reviews, so you may like this author, but she just was not for me. I did not enjoy all the deep artistic descriptions, I go to a museum for that and I felt author spent way too much time doing this. The actual mystery was very good but was diluted with an in-depth review architectural digest .

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

I only purchased this author as the late great Ms Anna read it. If you like mysteries, try her Kate Wilhelm Barbara Holloway series. If you love romance stories, then get Susan E. Phillips books read by Anna. They will make you smile.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

The book did spark disappointment for me as I spent 8 hrs to hear the author's moral points. They were good as the other reviewers seem to like this author. I just wanted a fast pace mystery and got a morality and art lesson.