Eyes of a Child is the third book in Richard North Patterson’s Christopher Paget Series. I have not read the first in the series. But I enjoyed the two I have read.
Christopher Paget is a California defense attorney. Teresa Peralta was his assistant. Now that she and her five-year-old daughter Elena have left her abusive husband Richie Arias, Paget and Peralta are also lovers.. Arias, who is used to controlling Teresa and manipulating most people he knows, isn’t going to accept the new relationship or the loss of Teresa’s income.
As the story unfolds, Arias is shown to be a terrible person. He is one of the worst characters I have read in a while. His antics, while disgraceful, seem reasonable for a sociopath. The terrible things he does made me keep reading, because I couldn’t wait to see how his delusional world would crash down around him.
When Arias turns up dead, Teresa and Christopher are both suspects. Arias’s dirty tricks haunt both of them, put their relationship in jeopardy, create doubt, and keep the story moving after his death.
Another good part of Eyes of a Child was that I kept questioning myself. At one point, I was sure I knew who killed Arias, but I soon found myself suspecting someone else. In the end, Arias’s murderer was something I didn’t discover on my own.
As someone who appreciates the law, I need to point out that I appreciated the trial portion of the story. The way the lawyers lined up their questions and presented evidence was fascinating to me.
Spoiler
If you’re interested in reading Eyes of a Child, stop reading this review now.
Admittedly, I don’t have a child, and I have never been charged with murder. So, I can’t say with certainty how I would have acted in some of the situations the characters confronted. Still, I found some of the love between Christopher and Teresa hard to imagine.
I can’t imagine making love to someone I suspected of murder. That’s especially true when there was no possibility the murder resulted from self defense. Similarly, I can’t imagine being indicted for murder and jumping into bed. I think the shock of possibly spending the rest of my life in prison would damper my ability to have sex just then.
When it fits, I appreciate romance and respect love as much as anyone. Sometimes, though, the romance seems forced. When I can’t imagine being romantic in some situations, I have a hard time relating to the characters. Obviously, the characters aren’t me. They have different moral values than me. But jumping in bed with a person you suspect of murder?
Even though the relationship aspects of Eyes of a Child didn’t resinate with me, I enjoyed the book. If you like legal mysteries, Eyes of a Child will be worth your time.