The Devil's Eye is by Jack McDevitt. It is listed as a Science Fiction novel. But, the majority of the book reads like a standard mystery novel. An antique dealer and his sidekick are returning from vacation when they receive a dire message from a famous horror writer. In addition to the message, the writer has transferred a large sum of money to the antique dealer. When they go to visit the writer, they are told that the writer has chosen to have her brain's memory erased and given a new life: a futuristic witness protection program. These events cause the antique dealer and sidekick to traverse the universe in search of clues and to solve the mystery. This writer has received some excellent reviews. I found the book to be very readable. However, the book has it share of faults. The characters are not well developed. Not only does the story not have either a sci-fi or mystery strong suit, the story line is just not that plausible. The latter part of the novel (when things get wrapped up) is the sci-f i portion. This section is weak and the story comes to a neat and tidy finish all too easily and predictably.
