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A review by vixdag
The Amnesia Project by Barbara Winkes
4.0
The Amnesia Project by Barbara Winkes is a very timely mystery. Dani, Alice and Joy have just finished college and they have decided to go on a trip to New York to celebrate and bond before they each go their separate ways. Unfortunately for the three friends, Alice’s parents force her younger sister, Paige off on them at the last minute. They decide to make the best of it and head off to the Big Apple. One night while Alice and Joy are out bar hopping and Dani is left to “babysit” the under age Paige, Paige reveals that she has had a crush on Dani for some time. They share one kiss, but Dani puts a stop to it. Not only is Paige under age, but Dani is not out to her two friends , yet. The next day the foursome is out sightseeing and Paige simply disappears.
The book follows Dani’s pursuit to find out what became of Paige. She secretly feels responsible for her disappearance and goes so far as to become a police detective. The suicide of a prominent surgeon leads to a break in Page’s missing person case. And that point, anything else would be a spoiler.
The book is told in the first person, present tense, but the author skips back and forth between Dani’s life and Paige’s. The entire case is filled with roadblocks and becomes more and more ominous as it becomes evident that it isn’t just a missing persons case.
The dialogue is tight. Dani is consumed by her guilt at the detriment of any personal relationship she may attempt. Paige is lost and confused. The two things I liked most about this book was that feeling of “Oh no, oh no!” you get when you can’t stop turning the pages when the plot grabs hold of you. I also liked how the story highlights the real threats facing women, minorities and the LGBTQ community.
Towards the end, one of the villains lays out the grand plan when Dani is captured. I thought this took away from highlighting her skills as a detective. I know that it was important for her to be captured, but I would have preferred to see her connect all those dots on her own.
All in all, this was a good read. It gave me the chills because its make believe plot could easily be put into practice in our current political climate.
I was given an ARC of this book by the author in return for a fair and honest review.
The book follows Dani’s pursuit to find out what became of Paige. She secretly feels responsible for her disappearance and goes so far as to become a police detective. The suicide of a prominent surgeon leads to a break in Page’s missing person case. And that point, anything else would be a spoiler.
The book is told in the first person, present tense, but the author skips back and forth between Dani’s life and Paige’s. The entire case is filled with roadblocks and becomes more and more ominous as it becomes evident that it isn’t just a missing persons case.
The dialogue is tight. Dani is consumed by her guilt at the detriment of any personal relationship she may attempt. Paige is lost and confused. The two things I liked most about this book was that feeling of “Oh no, oh no!” you get when you can’t stop turning the pages when the plot grabs hold of you. I also liked how the story highlights the real threats facing women, minorities and the LGBTQ community.
Towards the end, one of the villains lays out the grand plan when Dani is captured. I thought this took away from highlighting her skills as a detective. I know that it was important for her to be captured, but I would have preferred to see her connect all those dots on her own.
All in all, this was a good read. It gave me the chills because its make believe plot could easily be put into practice in our current political climate.
I was given an ARC of this book by the author in return for a fair and honest review.