Death Wish by Brian Garfield

In the wake of a chilling attack, an ordinary man decides to take revenge

When his wife and daughter are attacked in their home, Paul Benjamin is enjoying a three-martini lunch. A professional man, soft around the middle, Paul lives happily isolated from the rougher side of New York City. As he nurses his gin headache, a call comes from his son-in-law asking him to come to the hospital. In a few hours, his world will collapse around him.

As Paul slurped down his lunchtime gin, drug addicts broke into his cozy Upper West Side apartment. For a handful of money, they savagely beat Paul’s wife and daughter, leaving his wife dead and his daughter comatose. After his shock wears off, and Paul realizes the police department is helpless, his thoughts turn to revenge—not just for him, but for every decent family broken by the dark forces of society.

“Read it!” - Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A fantasy of our time . . . a scary novel about life and death.” - New York Times

“If you are . . . tempted to look at the last page, forbid yourself by sealing it shut with a piece of scotch tape.” - Kansas City Star