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By Reason of Insanity
NYPD Lieutenant Ben Tolliver is on the trail of a murderer who lures young modeling hopefuls up to his Soho loft with the promise of turning them into modeling superstars
- GenresMystery
346 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
James Neal Harvey
15 books7 followersJames Neal Harvey spent fifteen years in the advertising business before selling his company and devoting himself to writing.
He made his hardcover debut in 1990 with By Reason of Insanity, which introduced NYPD detective Ben Tolliver.
Harvey followed Tolliver through four more novels, including Painted Ladies, Mental Case, and the concluding thriller, Dead Game.
In 2011, Harvey published the nonfiction Sharks of the Air, a detailed history of the development of the first jet fighter.
In 2014, he returned to thrillers with The Big Hit, a mystery about an assassin.
He made his hardcover debut in 1990 with By Reason of Insanity, which introduced NYPD detective Ben Tolliver.
Harvey followed Tolliver through four more novels, including Painted Ladies, Mental Case, and the concluding thriller, Dead Game.
In 2011, Harvey published the nonfiction Sharks of the Air, a detailed history of the development of the first jet fighter.
In 2014, he returned to thrillers with The Big Hit, a mystery about an assassin.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 3, 2014
This is the first in the Ben Tolliver mysteries, which are currently being republished. In order, the books are as follows:
1. By Reasons of Insanity (1990)
2. Painted Ladies (1992)
3. Flesh and Blood (1994)
4. Mental Case (1996)
5. Dead Game (1997)
I missed this series when it was originally published, so I was interested to be introduced to it from the beginning.
Set in New York, this is typical of the police procedurals of the time and I remember reading several similar in style. Lieutenant Tolliver is called to a building site, where the body of a young and beautiful girl has been found. She is the third such young girl, who has been found murdered in the same way and Tolliver now finds himself under pressure from his superior officer and the press; mostly in the shapely form of journalist Sarah Weston, who has named the killer, ‘the Greenwich Village Murderer.’ Although Tolliver finds modern methods of finding the murderer is looked down upon by his boss, he turns to Dr Stein for advice on what is motivating the man responsible. Then, the killings take a whole new turn, when a photo of the last victim is left on the desk of Sarah Weston. It seems the murderer is luring young, hopeful models to his photographic studio, but what is his motivation for the murders? Along the way, Tolliver meets a model who advises him on the case and who becomes a love interest in the storyline. Like some of the novels by authors such as Lawrence Sanders, we are aware of who the murderer is and see part of the storyline from his point of view.
At first, I found this novel a little hard to get into. However, soon I was gripped by the storyline and I realised how much I enjoyed (and missed) those kind of police procedurals. The main weakness, for me, was that most of Tolliver’s interaction came from people outside of the police force – in the form of model Margot Dennis and the journalist, Sarah Weston. It would have been nice for Tolliver to have had a partner, with which he could have discussed the case. The storyline may seem a little dated now, but when I had finished the book I was glad that the next book in the series is now back in print and I am looking forward to reading on. If you like authors such as Lawrence Sanders or Ed McBain, you may also enjoy this.
Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, for review.
1. By Reasons of Insanity (1990)
2. Painted Ladies (1992)
3. Flesh and Blood (1994)
4. Mental Case (1996)
5. Dead Game (1997)
I missed this series when it was originally published, so I was interested to be introduced to it from the beginning.
Set in New York, this is typical of the police procedurals of the time and I remember reading several similar in style. Lieutenant Tolliver is called to a building site, where the body of a young and beautiful girl has been found. She is the third such young girl, who has been found murdered in the same way and Tolliver now finds himself under pressure from his superior officer and the press; mostly in the shapely form of journalist Sarah Weston, who has named the killer, ‘the Greenwich Village Murderer.’ Although Tolliver finds modern methods of finding the murderer is looked down upon by his boss, he turns to Dr Stein for advice on what is motivating the man responsible. Then, the killings take a whole new turn, when a photo of the last victim is left on the desk of Sarah Weston. It seems the murderer is luring young, hopeful models to his photographic studio, but what is his motivation for the murders? Along the way, Tolliver meets a model who advises him on the case and who becomes a love interest in the storyline. Like some of the novels by authors such as Lawrence Sanders, we are aware of who the murderer is and see part of the storyline from his point of view.
At first, I found this novel a little hard to get into. However, soon I was gripped by the storyline and I realised how much I enjoyed (and missed) those kind of police procedurals. The main weakness, for me, was that most of Tolliver’s interaction came from people outside of the police force – in the form of model Margot Dennis and the journalist, Sarah Weston. It would have been nice for Tolliver to have had a partner, with which he could have discussed the case. The storyline may seem a little dated now, but when I had finished the book I was glad that the next book in the series is now back in print and I am looking forward to reading on. If you like authors such as Lawrence Sanders or Ed McBain, you may also enjoy this.
Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, for review.
October 24, 2017
I'm sure there are many people who would enjoy this story, but it was a little more vulgar and violent than my normal reads. I suppose that should've been obvious from the description of the book, but I guess I thought it might be written more as a thriller.
March 27, 2016
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Marketing executive Peter Barrows spends his nights scouring Greenwich Village for wannabe models. He lures them back to his studio with promises of stardom, getting their hopes up just before he snaps their necks. Then his work begins, arranging their corpses to be photographed, giving them the grace and poise they never possessed in life. Peter Barrows is an artist—and death is his medium.
A hard-bitten cop with a secret in his past, Ben Tolliver is obsessed with the Greenwich Village murders. After the third girl is found, he throws himself wholeheartedly into the search for the killer with the camera. Barrows believes that an artist must be willing to sacrifice anything for his work—and as Tolliver is about to find, bringing a crazed killer to justice demands nothing less.
*3.5 stars*
A pretty decent police procedural that was originally published in 1990 and is now reprinted.
Like all crime fiction from the early 90's, this book certainly has its ups-and-downs. It took me a little bit to get into the story-telling but once I had found the groove, there was plenty to like about this crime novel.
Ben Tolliver is a good MC but I think he could have used a partner. Not just for the sake of solving the crimes quicker, but it would have helped telling the story a little easier.
The two "informants" - Margot and Sarah - were different enough and likeable enough to give their stories some weight.
My biggest disappointment (apart from missing these books when they first appeared 25 years ago) was that it feels dated. You know, sometimes that isn't a bad thing (read Christie and Sayers now) but in this case, it was just a little distracting. Maybe it has been because of the rise of shows like CSI, with their instant test results and simple solves, that this book doesn't feel like it was written for TV - in the same way some thrillers are now.
Paul
ARH
Marketing executive Peter Barrows spends his nights scouring Greenwich Village for wannabe models. He lures them back to his studio with promises of stardom, getting their hopes up just before he snaps their necks. Then his work begins, arranging their corpses to be photographed, giving them the grace and poise they never possessed in life. Peter Barrows is an artist—and death is his medium.
A hard-bitten cop with a secret in his past, Ben Tolliver is obsessed with the Greenwich Village murders. After the third girl is found, he throws himself wholeheartedly into the search for the killer with the camera. Barrows believes that an artist must be willing to sacrifice anything for his work—and as Tolliver is about to find, bringing a crazed killer to justice demands nothing less.
*3.5 stars*
A pretty decent police procedural that was originally published in 1990 and is now reprinted.
Like all crime fiction from the early 90's, this book certainly has its ups-and-downs. It took me a little bit to get into the story-telling but once I had found the groove, there was plenty to like about this crime novel.
Ben Tolliver is a good MC but I think he could have used a partner. Not just for the sake of solving the crimes quicker, but it would have helped telling the story a little easier.
The two "informants" - Margot and Sarah - were different enough and likeable enough to give their stories some weight.
My biggest disappointment (apart from missing these books when they first appeared 25 years ago) was that it feels dated. You know, sometimes that isn't a bad thing (read Christie and Sayers now) but in this case, it was just a little distracting. Maybe it has been because of the rise of shows like CSI, with their instant test results and simple solves, that this book doesn't feel like it was written for TV - in the same way some thrillers are now.
Paul
ARH
May 7, 2015
Nothing but the attractive front cover drew me to read this book. And I loved it. The realistic characters, the believable plot emboldened with a thundering pace, and I couldn't put it this bastard down even when I was too tired to read. James Neal Harvey writes with smooth, stunning clarity; the scenes he depicts are drenched with unabashed realism that from the very first page to the last, felt, to me, like a blur of ecstasy. If you love a good, smart mystery, do yourself a favor and check this gem out.
January 5, 2017
This was my first murder mystery book read quite some time ago. It was because of this author that I am still reading thrillers, murder/mystery today. Great book!...cannot wait to read his other books.
June 11, 2012
My grandma bought this book for me and I held off reading it for a while. but really it ended up being a great book. I love crime books. This one is a pretty good one.
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December 6, 2012graphic
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews