Black Out: A Novel by Lisa Unger (2008 )

Genre:  Psychological/Suspense Fiction

Lisa Unger is back again with another white-hot thriller.  As with her previous books, Beautiful Lies and Sliver of Truth, Unger will pull you in from the first page, and you may not get any sleep until you finish it.

Annie Powers leads an idyllic life in a ritzy part of Florida with her husband, Gray, and their four-year-old daughter, Victory.  Very few people know that five years earlier, Annie was Ophelia March, a teenage runaway who was also the accomplice of a serial killer named Marlowe Geary. Ophelia barely escaped from that situation alive with the help of Gray, who had been tracking the killer and subsequently rescued and fell in love with Ophelia; with Gray’s help, Ophelia became Annie, a sweet housewife who suffers from blackouts and panic attacks and has a sketchy memory of events of the past.

But soon Annie starts to see signs that Geary has returned. She becomes petrified and will do anything to protect her new life, and her daughter. Has Geary really returned? Or has Annie/Ophelia finally lost her mind?

Unger unfolds Annie’s story slowly with each chapter going backward and forward through time, keeping the reader on a painful edge. Though Unger is a relative newcomer, she’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her stories aren’t always realistic, but her imaginative scenarios are compelling and emotional. She’s on her way to becoming one of the great ones.

Reserve Black Out today.

CourtTV’s series Murder By The Book is back! 

In case you missed it last year, the hour-long show is narrated by popular mystery authors who tell true stories of crimes they’ve witnessed or been involved with and that subsequently inspired them to write.  For example, James Ellroy kicked off last season’s series with his chilling tale of the still-unsolved murder of his mother in a suburb of Los Angeles when he was a child, and how it has haunted him throughout his life. 

Other episodes from last season featured a different author each week and included stories from both Faye and Jonathan Kellerman, Lisa Scottoline, and Michael Connelly.  This season, best-selling authors such as Sandra Brown, Harlan Coben, Lee Child, David Baldacci, Elizabeth George, and many others, get to tell their stories.

The show is full of drama and reenactments, documentary footage, and the author’s insights; it will hook you if you’ve ever wanted to get inside the mind of a successful mystery/crime author.  The season kicked off November 5 and will air on CourtTV every Monday evening.  Don’t miss it!

Genre: Thriller

Koontz and Patterson fans, here’s one you won’t want to miss.  Cody McFadyen’s debut thriller, Shadow Man, will have you double- and triple-checking your locks and windows each night! 

FBI Agent and serial killer specialist Smoky Barrett had a successful career and was well-known for her talent in solving cases, until one horrible night of violence took her young daughter and husband from her and left her wounded and scarred, both inside and out. The story opens six months after this tragedy, and we see Barrett trying to pick up the pieces of her life and trying to decide if she can go back to work.  She receives word that a life-long friend of hers has been brutally murdered, and this prompts her to get back in the game.  The hunt is on for a man who thinks he’s a direct descendant of Jack the Ripper and intends to play a game of cat-and-mouse with Barrett, committing murders until she catches him.  He even sends her computer video files of the horrific crimes.  Barrett must find the killer before his crimes become more personal.

This novel is definitely not for the squeamish.  McFadyen’s descriptions of several murders left me sickened and shaky; however, don’t lose faith in the author to bring you some relief near the end!  Well-written, fast-paced and enthralling, this book is one you won’t want to miss if you love thrillers.  If you’ve read it and feel the same, drop a comment, or tell us about another thriller or author that may appeal to crime/thriller readers. (This book contains explicit language and violence.)

Like it? Read the sequel: The Face of Death