First off, this has absolutely nothing to do with last year's film Death Sentence with Kevin Bacon. Sure, the titles are the same, and the movie was supposedly "based on the novel by Brian Garfield," but trust me, they have nothing to do with each other. Not a single plot point from the novel found its way into the film. Not even the characters' names are the same.Brian Garfield wrote this after the film version of his novel Death Wish was released, and while it's not a novelization of Death Wish 2 or anything, at times it sort of feels that way. By which I mean, there is almost no reason for this book to exist, except that the novel Death Wish was adapted into a popular film, and Garfield clearly felt the need to capitalize on it. (Just to be clear, though, this book was published in 1975, years before any of the original film's sequels were released.)Death Wish the film ended with the main character moving to Chicago. The book did not. However, Garfield chose to pick up where the film left off by moving Paul Benjamin to Chicago. Right off the bat this is sort of strange, since a major theme in the first novel was Benjamin's love of New York, despite what it had become in the '70s, and his refusal to quit the city of his birth. Also, Death Sentence could really take place in any large city. Except for street names, a few buildings, and constant mentions of "the Loop," there is nothing particularly "Chicago" about this tale, at least that I could discern. Also, one thing that I thought worked really well in Death Wish were all the minute, quotidian details of Benjamin's professional life as an accountant, especially since they contrasted so strongly with his nighttime hobby of killing junkies, thieves, and muggers with a .32 revolver. As juxtapositions go, it's nothing spectacular, but it worked, I thought. In Death Sentence, however, this aspect has been largely jettisoned.* For the most part, this book is concerned with Benjamin's activities as a vigilante, his growing romantic relationship with a female attorney who works for the D.A.'s office, and the possible existence of another vigilante on the streets of Chicago; someone who was inspired by Benjamin's "crusade."Death Sentence also features an aged professor of law named Harry Chisum, through whom Garfield frequently commits the unpardonable sin of authorial intrusion. Chisum has a lot to say about law and order, but most of his ideas are pretty half-baked and simplistic.In fact, the whole novel is pretty half-baked. It's OK to raise questions about crime that may have no answers, but doing so in the form of a pulp novel that has flat, uninteresting characters and plodding action is really just a big waste of time. After reading Death Wish and Death Sentence I really had no idea what Garfield was trying to say about crime, revenge, and vigilantism, and frankly, didn't really care.*One detail that the original film changed that I thought worked really well was Benjamin's/Kersey's profession; from C.P.A. to architect. The idea of someone who's intrinsically connected to the character of a city--especially one who designs the large public housing projects that often breed crime--taking his revenge on the populace of a city for their criminal acts is potentially really interesting. There are points in Death Sentence where it seems as if Garfield is hinting at this, particularly when he describes the architecture of the ghettoes in which Benjamin stalks his prey, but it never really comes to anything, since Benjamin is an accountant, as he was in the first novel.
I've said before (perhaps in reviews of Steinbeck's SWEET THURSDAY and Heller's CLOSING TIME and LeGuin's TEHANU or other EarthSea sequels, but if not in the reviews of, then at least in my appreciation for 'em) that I'm a sucker for sequel-novels. Bringing back characters of whom you've grown fond for more adventures is just something I've always been able to get behind, whether the novel is fantastic anyway (SWEET THURSDAY), or perhaps a little bloated (CLOSING TIME). DEATH SENTENCE is no exception.Sure, it makes no sense that Paul Benjamin is in Chicago now, considering a frequently-brought-up point from DEATH WISH was his unwillingness to relocate, even to the nearby suburbs of Long Island or wherever. His love for the city (of New York City) was strong enough to make him a vigilante, rather than to make him run scared, even when his wife and daughter were raped and (ultimately) killed in their own home. The question of whether vigilantism has its place is still well-explored (and enhanced in the form of a SPOILER ALERT!? copycat vigilante), if not eventually answered in any concrete way.And of course, now Paul Benjamin has a love interest; someone with the DA's office, no less! CONTROVERSY. I understand that, to an extent (or maybe absolutely), this book was a reaction to the Hollywood treatment of the first book (which could account for the relocation to Chicago, as that's where Paul Kersey goes at the end of the first film...even though the movie DEATH WISH II, which wasn't released for another seven years after DEATH SENTENCE was published, takes place in L.A. with only the flimsiest of explanations). In a way, this sequel kicks it up a notch, intensifies Benjamin's situation. In another way, it's a sequel, and in some ways not quite as compelling as the original. Still, like I say, I'm a sucker for THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF...and of course it's no disappointment where that's concerned.Plus, like the first DEATH WISH novel, it only took me a day to read. I was lucky to find a single copy at the Saint Louis Public Library. No other local library system appeared to have it.
What do You think about Death Sentence (1976)?
After the events of Death Wish (Garfield's novel of course) Paul moves to Chicago shortly after the death of his catatonic daughter, Carol. Paul buys two guns, a car and a builds a life second to his true goal, which is continuing what he started in New York. Not an act of vengeance or justice. But the simple act of eliminating what he believes to be the root of all evil. But this time Paul's actions cause other citizens to imitate "The Vigilante(s)" putting themselves in danger and even ending up backfiring with fatal results. Where Death Wish looked into the darkness of the human heart, Death Sentence was the resolve and said, "Vigilantism is not the answer." Death Sentence is a psychological thriller filled with action, insightful discussions and the downsides to having a real-life Paul Benjamin lurking down the darkest streets.
—Izzy
This book is a strange beast. First of all it has absolutely nothing to do with the "Werepig" Bacon movie Death Sentence. It reads like a sequel to Death Wish 1, the movie and the book (which I read years ago after seeing the movie). The main character seems to be Paul Kersey from the first movie rather that Paul Benjamin from the first book, and the book is more like Death Wish 2, the movie. A lot of the violence that you're anticipating happens off stage in the way of news reports on the vigilante activity as if the writer is dodging the main scenes. The twist at the end was fairly good and there is some interesting food for thought about vigilantism in the dialogue. Short and to the point, more a tract about violence in society and crime but still a fairly enjoyable read if you like this sort of thing. I enjoyed it.
—Lostaccount Darkpool
