Friday, January 22, 2010

"The deplorable mania of doubt exhausts me. I doubt...everything, even my doubts." Flaubert


Nick Wilder is a crime scene photographer. His older brother Sam is the success of the family and Nick resents this, even when Sam offers him money, Nick has an attitude about it. Then, one night while walking together, a man dressed in rags, runs from the shadows, kills Sam and runs away. Nick is left with blood on his clothes and not much memory of what happened.
The reader views the past, by flashbacks, to the time before the killing and we learn that Nick was at a coffee shop, looking at the photos of one of his crime scenes, when Sara Garland approaches him, begins a conversation and suggests that Nick take her out. Sara seems starstruck with Nick but why this is, is a mystery. However, Nick and Sara begin a relationship.
Nick isn't a very interesting character. The reader sees the nightmares Nick has about his past and learns that homeless men have killed two other people in other cities and Nick wonders what is behind it all. At this time, Nick is a suspect because of Sam's blood on his clothes and other things.
This lengthy novel was hard to finish. There were some surprises and interesting segments but as a whole, with no characters that the reader could care for, the conclusion didn't matter and was predictable.
However, the author does show talent. With a more concise story and characters with whom the reader can sympathise with, this writer may be more successful in the future.

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