Blindspot [Paperback]

Nancy Bush (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2010

The crime scene at an Oregon rest stop is brutal beyond belief - a young man's lifeless body cut to ribbons, and his pregnant girlfriend left alive but comatose. Psychologist Claire Norris is assigned to treat the survivor at a private mental hospital. But there are no clues to the identity of the catatonic 'Jane Doe'. A difficult job only becomes more complicated with the arrival of ex-homicide detective Langdon Stone, who questions Claire's every move. Reluctantly working together, Claire and Lang begin to unravel the chilling truth about a twisted case - one with ties to a killer who is right in their midst, eager to see a mission of evil through to its terrifying end.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Beautiful psychologist Claire Norris defies her superiors to protect her patients in this fast-paced and highly implausible romantic suspense novel. Claire, who works at a private mental hospital, is still haunted by memories of a patient who killed his girlfriend, Melody Stone, in front of her, nearly killing her, too. When a pregnant woman is attacked and ends up catatonic, Claire takes her as a patient, raising the hackles of investigating detective Langdon Stone, Melody's brother, who blames Claire for his sister's death. Distrust turns into sizzling passion as Langdon and Claire combine forces to solve the mystery before another life is claimed. Though Bush (Unseen) keeps the story moving quickly and ends with an unexpected twist, the plot gets bogged down by bizarre quasi-mystical side concepts and an obsession with pregnancy and motherhood.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Zebra; 1 edition (July 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420103415
• ISBN-13: 978-1420103410
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NYT and USA TODAY bestselling author Nancy Bush has been writing for (gulp!) over thirty years. Her solo thriller, HUSH, and WICKED LIES, co-written with her sister, bestselling author, Lisa Jackson, debuted in 2011, and one of her most beloved series, The Danner Quartet, is now available in e-book form: LADY SUNDOWN, MIRACLE JONES, JESSE'S RENEGADE and SCANDAL'S DARLING. Nancy is currently working on companion thrillers NOWHERE TO RUN and NOWHERE TO HIDE to be published in late 2012.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A highly entertaining read, July 6, 2010

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blindspot (Paperback)

Psychologist Claire Norris's new client is a victim of a savage assault and murder at a rest stop. Rafe is brutally slaughtered, and an unidentified woman is left catatonic when the attacker tries to take the baby from her womb. Claire has had trouble moving on from a previous case, and things don't look to improve when the two cases become intertwined thanks to the involvement of Detective Langdon Stone.

Detective Stone holds a serious grudge against Claire, who he blames for the death of his sister Melody. Melody was murdered by one of Claire's patients, Heywood Marsden III, and the paranoid schizophrenic attacked Claire as well. Claire, who witnessed the attack and was nearly a casualty herself, also pins the blame on her own failures. The two team up into an unlikely pair as they search for a resolution to the case of the unidentified woman and the rest stop attack, tracking down a psychopath whose behaviors lead him to pregnant women.

Nancy Bush unleashes a thriller that lunges headlong at a near unrelenting pace. When the book focuses on the investigation and the animosity between Claire and Langdon, the pages fly by in an energetic frenzy. It does slow down in a few spots, but it's nothing that isn't easily overcome by the rest of the story --- or simply by Claire herself. Claire is a great central character who is always willing to push the envelope in order to aid her patients, even to the point of potentially losing her job. The murder of Melody Stone and the assault on her by her own patient has been harrowing on multiple levels, and it is nice to see her struggling with that as she also seeks to help a new patient. She is a tenacious soul who doesn't back down in pursuit of answers.

The animosity fired her way by Langdon is right on, as you would expect for a family member who feels his sister was let down. He doesn't give Claire any wiggle room or the benefit of the doubt. Well, until he does, and until he falls for her. Only in that development does the book seem to jar out of reason. When the two are quarreling and digging jabs at each other, their scenes are really striking and fresh. Once they get romantic, it just seems to lose some steam and plausibility.

All told, BLIND SPOT is a highly entertaining read. It has some strong mystery and a snappy pace, not to mention a shocking twist late in the game, all of which more than make up for any of the niggling little quirks along the way.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fast-paced thriller, July 1, 2010

By 

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

This review is from: Blindspot (Paperback)

In Tillamook County, Oregon psychologist Claire Norris provides counseling to clients at Halo Valley Security Hospital. She does her best to be there for her patients as she personally never moved on from when one of clients paranoid schizophrenic Heywood Marsden III killed his girlfriend, Melody Stone, in front of her and tried to kill her too.

At a rest stop, someone kills Rafe and tries to remove the baby from Tasha's womb, but failed; Tasha is left in a catatonic state at Laurelton General's Hospital. Claire accepts the woman as a patient. The late Melody's brother Police detective Langdon Stone leads the official investigation. Like herself, he blames Claire for his sister's homicide. However as their mutual disregard turns ardently heated the cop and the doctor team up to prevent another murder from occurring.

This is a fast-paced thriller with a great late twist, but at times slows down with an extremely deep profound look at a psychopath's obsessive compulsive behavior; in this case pregnant women and mothers. Claire is terrific as she tries to help her patients even when the law and her bosses warn her to back down or else. Although the romantic subplot seems over the top of Rogers Peak as the lead pair has a tragic history, fans will enjoy this exciting action-packed thriller.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blind Spot by Nancy Bush, October 14, 2010

By 

Ron Miller - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blindspot (Paperback)

From the moment I picked up "Blind Spot" by Nancy Bush I was ready. I had read all the reviews and wasn't going to be caught flat footed by this suspenseful mystery... I followed Ms Bush as she lead me through her fast paced novel, Sometimes I re-read five or ten pages just so I could reduce the possibility of missing a clue in my Blind spot. I smirked when she even had one of her characters. Explain what a Blind Spot is! I was ready. I've been solving mysteries since forever and this one was easy. UNTILL --- about ten pages from the end!! I realized her quick paced story line with multiple sub plots and her development of many faceted characters had turned my head allowing her to pass obvious critical clues past me right through my blind spot. Just like the reviews had told me she would! After re--reading my notes, scratching my head, and feeling like I should be on "Side A" with Dr Norris I placed the book on my nightstand and went to sleep, confident in the knowledge that all her readers will be caught by Nancy Bush. She knows where your blind spot is too and you will be caught flatfooted as well.My best Mystery thriller Novel this year. Don't miss it. Ron in sunny Italy