Amnesia
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
If the only witness to a murder has amnesia, how do you catch the killer?
Instead of matching fingerprints or DNA, forensic psychologist Dr. Peter Zak solves cases by studying psychological clues and phenomena. Peter, whose specialty is the brain and behavior, consults for the Boston public defenders office, analyzing the thought processes and personalities of witnesses and defendants.
Sylvia Jackson was shot in the head and left for dead, her boyfriend murdered. Waking from a coma after six weeks, she remembers nothing-until three months later, when she begins to recall details of the crime and the killer. Finally, Syl accuses her ex-husband, remembering what seems like incontrovertible evidence of his guilt. But Stuart Jackson seems destroyed by his ex's ordeal; could he really be guilty of this vicious crime?
Peter quit consulting on trials a year ago when his wife was brutally murdered by a killer angered by Peter's suggestion of an insanity defense. But when his old colleagues call for help with this bizarre case, he's hooked. It's Peter's job to determine how reliable Syl's memory really is, and to use those memories to uncover the truth.
Amnesia is guaranteed to be the start of an intriguing and original crime series.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Boston psychologist and memory expert Peter Zak pits his wits against time and a brain-damaged woman's faulty recollection to prove a man innocent of a gruesome murder in this fast-paced first effort. Zak, still mourning his murdered wife, Kate, is cajoled into taking on a new case with former sidekicks defense attorney Chip Ferguson and PI Annie Squires (who will remind readers, at times, of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone). Their quest: to show that Sylvia Jackson's memory is as faulty as her accusations against her ex-husband, Stuart, who's in the dock for murdering Sylvia's lover. The plot is compelling, but Zak remains a cipher. We learn only about his "oversized" build and his often distracting yuppie interests. The rest of the characters are similarly pale, except for Sylvia and bulimic Maria Whitson, whose sufferings are brilliantly rendered. Later, Maria's entanglements in the Jackson case are skillfully added to an already complex mystery. The depictions of cognitive testing are definitive and dramatic. Ephron exhibits a tendency toward clich , however, and the self-important details of Zak's Cambridge lifestyle are intrusive, particularly if compared to the sophisticated "Spenser" standard set by Robert B. Parker. But despite its defects, this debut effort shows promise. If Ephron continues the series, no doubt Zak and his cronies will flesh out, providing mystery lovers with a welcome addition to the genre.
