Restitution [Mass Market Paperback]

I just finished Lee Vance's debut thriller "Restitution" and feel almost breathless. I picked it up on a whim last night and read it straight through in a matter of hours.

It has everything a thriller should have. Tension. Suspense. The ordinary man forced by events to be a hero. Classic stuff.

This is not to say that "Restitution" is flawless. There are, in fact, many flaws, but as with Clive Cussler and certain others, the writing and story are powerful enough to lift you over the major potholes in the plot.

Lee Vance is just plain good and I look forward to his future work.

Time and time again, I was awestruck by how Vance played the Everyman theme, the Kafkaesque situation of a man in thrall to forces greater than himself. Vance plays it like a violin. For the first half of the novel, Peter Tyler is the victim of circumstances. A Wall St. player with lots of money, doing big deals, flying all over the world, Tyler is brought up short when he learns his wife his dead, a murder victim.

A really nasty cop makes it clear that Tyler is the prime suspect.

Crushed at first not only by the death of his wife, but by the rejection of inlaws, employer, co-workers, the media, all of whom think him guilty, Tyler begins to fight back.

He reaches out to an old friend, Andrei Zhilina, whom he learns has disappeared. His twin sister, Katya, also an old friend is distant for a variety of reasons Both Katya and Andrei are employed by William Turdale, a real master of the universe type, Wall St. wheeler and dealer, billionaire and a really nasty guy.

Peter is under increasing pressure from the police to confess. Katya asks him to go to Moscow to find Andrei.

It would be unfair for me to reveal more of the plot except to say it's a doozy. Yes, there are potholes along the way, but Lee Vance definitely has a style to whiz you right over them.

The characters are near masterpieces. Not in the Shakespearean tradition, but in the manner of thrillers. Peter Tyler, as noted is the ordinary self-absorbed guy thrust into a situation where he has to do extraordinary things not only to avenge his dead wife, but simply to survive. William Turdale needs only the greased mustache and tophat: he's exactly the kind of guy portrayed in the early "Perils Of Pauline" silent movies, tying the damsel to the tracks in the path of the oncoming train. Robert "Tigger" Meyer is the stalwart friend who is always there. And the mother of the twins is a mystery till the last. Lots of other sharply drawn characters also populate the pages.

There are evil corporations involved on end of the scale and the private dreams, aspirations an loves of two people on the other.

It's a fast read and a worthwhile one. With this first effort, Lee Vance is definitely off to a great a start. I can hardly wait for his next effort.

Jerry

Peter Tyler has a high-powered Wall Street career. He's ambitious. A real guy's guy. Married to his college sweetheart. His life looks solid. Ordered. Easy.

On the surface.

But there are cracks--weak places in his character and his history. As his marriage struggles, he finds himself increasingly attracted to the sister of his best friend, Andrei. A one-night stand with her leaves him conflicted, but before he can sort it out, his wife is murdered in their home and he's suspect number one. When it's discovered that a package sent by Andrei is the only thing missing from the murder scene, Peter believes Andrei is the key.

Only Andrei is missing.

In order to prove his innocence and find his wife's killer, Peter goes underground. Bitter cops, greed, vengeance, ruthless pillars of society, and the Russian mob all conspire to put obstacles in Peter's way as he fights to save his own life and find the truth.

First novel? Yes. An amazing first novel. The pace is relentless, the plot serpentine, and the writing tight. Vance hints at the rewrites and efforts he made to bring a winner to the market. They paid off. Restitution is fabulous, and one of my top reads for 2007.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended first novel. Hope he is writing the next one right now!

Lee Vance's debut novel, Restitution,takes part in the worlds of high finance and fine art as it follows one man determined to avenge the death of his wife. The plot starts off strong, however, as it unfolds it becomes contrived and convoluted in an effort to maintain its level of suspense. Further, I found the characters to not be developed well enough to enable me to care much about what happens to them. In fairness, Restitution, is a fast read and is definitely good enough to make you want to find out how it ends. However, due to the limitations described, it is not a book that I'd recommend you rush out to read. Restitution shows Vance's potential as a creator of fast-paced thrillers but it is not a book that deserves to be placed near the top of your to-be-read list.

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