Sliver (novel)

First edition (publ. Bantam Books)

Sliver (1991) is a novel by U.S. author Ira Levin about the mysterious people in a privately owned New York highrise apartment building, especially after a new tenant — an attractive young working woman in publishing — has moved in. The novel became the basis for the 1993 film of the same name starring Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, Polly Walker and Tom Berenger .

Plot summary

When working woman Kay Norris makes the acquaintance of a handsome and friendly young man who lives in the same "sliver" building, she does not know at first that he is the owner. While keeping a low profile himself, he turns out to know an awful lot about the other inhabitants including many of their secrets. It then turns out that he is a modern-day Peeping Tom who, unknown to everyone, has had surveillance cameras and microphones installed in every single apartment, with his own place in the building serving as his headquarters. The novel is also a murder mystery, and the beautiful heroine soon becomes a damsel in distress herself.