''Death Sentence'' is a 1975 novel by

Brian Garfield Brian Francis Wynne Garfield (January 26, 1939 – December 29, 2018) was an Edgar Award-winning American novelist, historian and screenwriter. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, he wrote his first published book at the age of eighteen. Garfield went on ...

, the sequel to ''

Death Wish Death Wish or Deathwish may refer to: Common meanings *Suicidal ideation, term for thoughts about killing oneself *Death drive, term in Freudian psychiatry Arts and entertainment Radio *"Death Wish", a 1957 episode of the radio series ''X Minus ...

''.

Plot introduction

Six months after ''

'', Paul Benjamin has moved from New York City to Chicago after the death of his catatonic daughter, the result of the brutal attack that transformed him into a vigilante. The only thing that distracts him from his renewed vendetta against crime is a beautiful woman, whom he starts dating. As he leads the double life, a

copycat Copycat refers to a person who copies some aspect of some thing or somebody else. Copycat may also refer to: Intellectual property rights * Copyright infringement, use of another’s ideas or words without permission * Patent infringement, a v ...

vigilante begins stalking the streets, using a distinctive .45 caliber Luger pistol.

Vigilantism Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

soon becomes a rallying cry for the city as the police search for their man before innocent people are hurt. Now, Paul is not after criminals or even justice but a man who is as dangerous as he himself has become.

Film adaptation

Death Wish II ''Death Wish II'' is a 1982 American vigilante action film directed and co-edited by Michael Winner. It is the first of four sequels to the 1974 film ''Death Wish''. It is the second installment in the ''Death Wish'' film series. In the story, ...

'' (1982) borrows some elements from the book, but ultimately it contrasts with the book's storyline, characters and setting. In 2007, a film based on the novel (though a completely different storyline) was made, starring

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...

and directed by

James Wan James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the ''Saw'' and ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of The Conjurin ...

Characters

*Paul Benjamin – After leaving New York, Paul moves to Chicago to start a new life, but continue his war as he hunts the streets of his new home. *Irene Evans – Paul's new love and a lawyer, she gave up her smoking habit and is Paul's girlfriend, which is the reason of his utter distraction. *Harry Chisum – Irene's former mentor, he suspects Paul being the "Chicago vigilante" to the point on confronting him in his home and explaining why he must end it at once. *Orson Pyne – A college professor, he is killing in the same manner as Paul. *Truett – This gun owner sold two guns to Paul and one to Orson. *Jim Splater – Paul's new employer, he introduces Paul to Chicago. *Michael Ladlow – Chicago local *Dan O'Hara – Chicago local *Captain Victor Mastro – A detective, he is investigating the murders of the muggers. *Captain William Marlowe – Also a detective, he is investigating the muggers' deaths with Mastro. *John Childress – one of Paul's previous co-workers *Joseph Crubb – a dangerous teenager whom Paul stalks for two days before finally tracking down and shooting him *Lloyd Marks – fell into trouble when he encountered a mugger with his daughter, but was saved by Paul, who shot the mugger. *Joanne Marks – The blind daughter of Lloyd Marks, she was threatened by the mugger, but was saved by Paul, who shot the mugger before he could do any harm to her.

Creation

The book was written as a "penance" for the film version of ''Death Wish''.

References

1975 American novels American thriller novels Sequel novels Novels set in Chicago American novels adapted into films Death Wish (franchise) {{1970s-thriller-novel-stub