Those Who Walk away: Amazon.ca: Patricia Highsmith: Books

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The honeymoon is over, and the bride is dead. The grieving husband convinces the police in Rome of his innocence, but has no such luck with his father-in-law, who shoots him at point-blank range and leaves him for dead. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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COLEMAN was saying, 'She had no brothers or sisters. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Why aren't there more books and authors this good?, May 8 2004

By	Suspense Fan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Those Who Walk Away (Paperback)

I recently "discovered" this author after seeing the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Since then, I've been raiding the library searching for more of her titles. All I can say is that she has created a number of masterpieces of suspense. I found this book particularly touching. It had it all--setting, characterization, good plot. Some of her books are not as well-balanced as this one, but they all offer a fine writing style and excellent characterization. I am amazed by her talent. She was recommended to me by someone who knew I enjoy Ruth Rendell, aka Barbara Vine. I think others who read Rendell/Vine will also like Highsmith's works if they aren't familiar with them already.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Done Just Right, Aug 17 2001

By	Mcgivern Owen L (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Those Who Walk Away (Paperback)

"Those Who Walk Away" is a concise, fast reading novel of low-keyed suspense. The background is an appropriately gloomy wintertime Venice. Ray, the key character, has lost his wife to suicide. Ed is the unforgiving, not to mention self-centered, father in law who blames Ray for his daughter's death and tries to kill him. Ray pursues Ed through the canals, back streets, cafes, gondola rides and fancy hotels of Venice to clear his conscience and calm Ed down. The embittered Ed has none of this and chases Ray in the same fashion. Both find atmospheric Venetian "hiding places". To use a movie term, Highsmith makes use of an excellent supporting cast: Signor Ciardi, Inez, Luigi the gondolier and Elisabetta almost steal the show from the main characters. Highsmith also pulls the reader into the plot quickly, a talent of hers. We are involved from page one! The ending, which no reviewer should reveal, is smooth and satisfying. To fully enjoy the tale, the reader must surrender credibility on 2 points: 1) Those "meetings" between Ed and Ray are truly coincidental and 2) The Venetian police, as personified by Detective Dell'Isola, ask few questions and press few charges. I would give the author her license on those points and enjoy "TWWA" on its own merits. A closing question: Did Ray really let a nice Italian girl like Elisabetta get away? Did he ever go back to Venice to see her just once more?

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4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading, Jun 24 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Those Who Walk Away (Paperback)

I have just read this novel and I must admit that Highsmith's good reputation is justified. Even if it isn't comparable with first class literature, for example a S. Maugham's novel with a really valuable background, P. Highsmith's detective novels collection is praiseworthy. I would say that 'Those who Walk Away' is worth reading. She is able to transform a simple story into a thrilling plot. Here it is the question of an breath taking pursuitbetween a revengeful father and a despairing widower in the obscure lanes of Venice. I would value it as one of the best second class literature.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars No compromises
The novel deals with the dramatic and obsessive attempt of a man, whose wife has just committed suicide, to convince his father-in-law that he is innocent of his wife's suicide... Read more

Published on Jun 19 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars so-so psychological thriller saved by Venice backdrop
OK, I am a true Patricia Highsmith fan. I've read most of her books and short stories. When she is good she is great. When she is bad she is so-so. Read more

Published on Jun 12 2001 by lazza

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Thriller
The dramatic obsession of a father-in-law in front of his son-in-law, whose wife committed suicide trying to convict him of his innocence of their marriage failing and his wives... Read more

Published on Jun 11 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Highsmith masterpiece
Highsmith is my favorite author, and this is one of her best books -- second only to "Strangers on a Train," among the 11 Highsmiths I've read. Read more

Published on Nov 26 2000 by Joseph W. Smith III