“I will admit upfront that this novel's cover art took me aback. The woman looks sensual and suggestive, and I thought, Is this a novel about kissing? Because if it is, I'm not going to be too thrilled. I was in for a pleasant surprise because the novel has little to do about kissing and much to do about suspense and recovering lost memories. I won't rehash the plot, which is already described above. I will also admit that I somewhat groaned at the amnesia story thread simply it's been done so many times by other authors. But this novel does offer a new twist.
I have to disagree with some other reviewers because this is not a typical Dekker novel. There was no crude language, edgy content, or push-the-envelope violence. There wasn't even a crazy, over-the-top ending. So no, this wasn't a typical Dekker. Even the writing style was different, and I attribute that to Erin Healy. I like her style. This is more of a conventional mystery involving uncovering secrets, murder, police investigation, and cat and mouse. SPOILER WARNING: The only ingredient that makes this novel stand apart from many similar mysteries is that the heroine has somehow attained an unusual gift for stealing memories. She can't remember the details of her accident and soon learns that the memories of others can help her unravel the truth. This intriguing concept takes a done-before amnesia story and makes it something else. Thankfully.
Shauna discovers this strange gift through a casual kiss with the boyfriend she can't remember. I'm glad this wasn't a torrid love scene. In fact, the focus was more on what happened as a result (the stolen memory) than on any passion she may have felt toward him. Shauna quickly learns that her gift extends beyond a kiss. It comes from physical touch and a sense of vulnerability on the part of the other person. So in this sense, the novel isn't about kissing at all. Once I realized this, I relaxed a bit (call me old-fashioned, but I don't get into kissy romances) and decided that the cover is somewhat (and thankfully so) deceptive.
One thing I didn't like was that Shauna's need to steal memories (a talent she explores throughout the book) causes her several times to be forward toward men. She's looking for the physical and emotional connection that causes her to have these memory-stealing experiences. But in order to do so, she must trigger something in the other person. The first time is a kiss. Later, it's as innocent as a casual touch on the arm. But before she masters the technique, she twice flirts with two different men. One is a reporter, and she just comes out and asks him to kiss hers. What is the guy supposed to think except that she's interested in him? I understand Shauna's need to remember, but this technique seemed pretty manipulative to me—I mean, leading a man on just so she could get her memory-stealing fix? In a couple of other scenes, she puts her hand on another man's knee to try to trigger the memory-steal. What was the man supposed to think when she was coming on to him? I must be honest that I kept thinking of pragmatism each time she used this tactic. Her actions were apparently okay as long as she got the result she was looking for.
This qualm aside, I still enjoyed the novel a lot, though I thought the details at the end were a little confusing with perhaps too much to wrap up too quickly. The ending also felt a little flat and conventional; I guess I was expecting something surprising to happen. On the other hand, the writing and pacing were topnotch. I liked the different writing voice and style, which I attribute to Erin Healy. How much did Ted really have to do with this novel? I'm not sure, but I will say that I didn't see much of him here (based on the many of his novels I've read). Or if it was him, he was definitely going in a different (and pleasing) direction on this project.
As far as spiritual content, the heroine seemed to have some understanding of God but had drifted away from Him years ago. In a nice scene, her maid tells her that God can use our memories (and hurts) to mold us into the people we're supposed to be. Shauna seemed pretty conflicted through most of the story and didn't show much faith in her lifestyle. She kept breaking the law and lying. But by the end, it became clear that she was finally recovering a faith she had forgotten. So in that sense, I thought the faith elements were so-so and could have been stronger. But I have to praise Dekker and Healy for at least incorporating some faith elements into the story. So much Christian fiction these days seems to steer clear of any overt faith message, so this was nice to see. Overall, this novel was a worthy read, and I'm glad I read it. ”
Adam Blumer wrote this review Saturday, January 24 2009.
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