Blind Spot [Mass Market Paperback]

Judy Mercer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2001

Good news doesn't come at 4 A.M. The call that comes in the predawn stillness of a warm Los Angeles night shocks Ariel Gold awake. A friend has been blinded. The assualt on Laya is brutal, the result tragic, the method insidious. The LAPD thinks it's a case of product tampering, with the "unlucky" Laya a random victim. Ariel's not so sure. As a correspondent for the TV newsmagazine Open File, she is in a unique position to satisfy her doubts. As a friend, she won't quit until she has. But the claims of friendship, Ariel soon finds out, can prove complicated -- and dangerous....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

How people react to sudden, personal tragedy is the question at the center of Mercer's latest Ariel Gold page-turner, which opens when Ariel's friend and yoga teacher, Laya, is blinded by a bottle of eyedrops that contains a corrosive chemical. The incident sends Laya on a soul-searching mission and prompts Ariel, an L.A. television news correspondent, to search for answers about why Laya was maimed. What the police are treating as a product-tampering incident is actually tied to the beating death of a man later identified as James Price, a crime that Laya witnessed and did not report. She was seen by one of the killers, however. Meanwhile, Ariel has her own identity questions. An amnesiac with only a few years of memory, she is confused when a San Rafael woman named Dorothy writes her letters referring to old conversations and dropping ominous hints about a murderer. Is Dorothy a forgotten old friend or a piece of the Price murder puzzle? The plot lines converge when another witness to the Price murder is beaten to death, and Laya enrolls in the Marin Guide Dog Academy in San Rafael. Until this point in the story, the suspense is undercut by the leisurely pace, but once the tale tightens up, it moves swiftly to a tense and satisfying conclusion. Even so, the plot takes a back seat to Ariel, the book's winning element, who is desperate for memories of her dead twin sister, Jane, and slowly comes to terms with her lost past. In her, Mercer (Split Image; Double Take) has created a modern and believable heroine who finds herself in a strange world where every incident may reveal the secrets of her unknown personal history. When Ariel's vulnerability takes center stage, the novel acquires complexity and resonance, but when her amnesia becomes irrelevant, the novel's title could well refer to Mercer's lack of vision about what makes her main character unique and fascinating. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Back in her fourth outing, Ariel Gold is reconstructing her life, cleaned from her memory by a brutal attack. Then a friend is blinded by contaminated eye drops, and Ariel swings into action.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (February 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671034251
• ISBN-13: 978-0671034252
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,638,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When reading a series, it helps to read ALL of the series, October 15, 2003

By 

"shyrungsfolks" (Boise, Idaho United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blind Spot (Mass Market Paperback)

I was looking for information about a new Ariel Gold book when I found and was completely surprised at the negativity of these reviews posted on Amazon.com of this fourth book (Blindspot) in the series. Even though I started reading the series with this book, the writing was so intriguing that I was compelled to get the others and read them. I found the writing to be excellent as have my friends who are also eagerly awaiting the next book. Until then, we will re-read and wait. I suggest to all who found the fourth book confusing to re-read it and get the entire series. I hope that Ms. Mercer writes another one soon.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written realistic thriller, April 2, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blind Spot

Judy Mercer writes a very realistic thriller starringa scarred protagonist whose affliction will not magically disappear in the foreseeable future. Ariel's problem makes her a simultaneously stronger yet vulnerable person who still hopes to one day have her memory restored. The story line is filled with action, powerful characterizations, and a complex plot. BLIND SPOT is a fascinating, pulse-pounding thriller that appeals to a mainstream audience even though New Age readers will appreciate the paranormal elements.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars HO HUM, April 18, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blind Spot (Mass Market Paperback)

Rather than follow up on the really wonderful Fast Forward, with books that actually enlighten us as to what really happened to Ariel Gold and her dead twin sister Jane, Judy Mercer uses their story as a mere backdrop for new really dull and non pertinent adventures. The reader gets no closer to Ariel's missing years in this convoluted story about her blinded yoga teacher, a deadly assault & a mysterious letter from an old acquaintance that knew both girls. I just finished the book last night and keep asking myself what was that book about and why did she even have Ariel as the heroine. As another reviewer wrote, the villains were totally obvious--and boy was she right. There was no mystery, no suspense, and no romance with her former boss and worst of all, no resolution to the mystery of her missing life. Message to Judy Mercer: You can resolve the Ariel story for us and still have a series. Tie up the loose ends and then go on and write humdrum stories about Ariel Gold girl reporter.