Monday, August 30, 2010

Summer 2010 Reading Spectacular #7

Reading right up until the last minute, I finished another book today. Not bad, since I started it yesterday.

It was the debut novel from George D. Shuman, 18 Seconds. The title refer to the approximate amount of time that something is held in short-term memory and, as a result, the duration of the final moments of a victim's life seen by blind psychic Sherry Moore upon physical contact with the deceased. Though the novel is ostensibly Sherry's (and three have since followed in the Sherry Moore series), the interwoven characters of the story are given their share of page space. (The book arguably belongs more to Lieutenant Kelly Shaughnessy -- a recently promoted New Jersey officer coping with office politics, a troubled marriage, and a pair of violent abductions on her caseload -- than to Sherry based on narrative focus alone.) The result is a satisfyingly well-developed story where police work gets as much attention as the psychic element. While certain revelations are less-than-revelatory, they don't particularly detract from the reading in any notable way. I good first outing for Shuman, and one for which he was apparently nominated for a Best First Novel award from the International Thrillers Association (didn't know such a specific organization existed) and for a Shamus Award (had to look that one up, too).

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