"Death Wish" by Brian Garfield (1972)
Say the title, Death Wish, and most people will think of the 1974 film starring Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, an architect-turned-vigilante after street punks rape his wife and daughter, resulting in his wife’s death and daughter’s institutionalization.

Behind the movie, however, is a masterfully written novel by Brian Garfield. First published in 1972, the original name for Garfield’s most iconic protagonist is Paul Benjamin, and he was a CPA. The basics of the story are the same—a liberal, non-violent citizen turns into a one-man army to battle injustice and street violence—but the similarities end there. I love me some Bronson, and think that the film is one of the best New York crime thrillers to come out of the 1970s, but when it comes right down to it, the old adage is true: the book is better than the movie.

"Death Sentence" by Brian Garfield (1975) 
Three years later, in 1975, Garfield unveiled a sequel. Death Sentence is a desolate but distinguished suspense novel that follows Paul as he leaves New York and continues his war against crime on the streets of Chicago. Set in the weeks around Christmas and New Years, Paul is trying to settle into a new life and a new job, but he can’t let go of the past just yet. 

Audio specs:
MP3 @ 64 kbps

Duration:
Death wish - 5:18:26
Death Sentence - 5:26:29