Brainwaves [Hardcover]

Leonard Goldberg (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 403 pages
• Publisher: Signet; First Published Stated edition (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739430602
• ISBN-13: 978-0739430606
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,891,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Pedestrian and predictable medical thriller., February 10, 2003

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brainwaves (Paperback)

Leonard Goldberg has been writing medical thrillers for a number of years, and they usually range from fair to good. His latest, "Brainwaves," is at the lower end of the spectrum. Joanna Blalock, chief forensic pathologist at Memorial Hospital and her live-in lover, homicide detective Jake Sinclair, are again the main characters. Joanna and Jake are putting their heads together to solve the mysterious murder of Karen Crandell, a brilliant neurologist who was conducting cutting edge research in the area of the human brain. Who wanted Karen dead? Was it one of her colleagues at the hospital, jealous of her success and perhaps anxious to take credit for her accomplishments?

"Brainwaves" does not succeed for a number of reasons. The dialogue is forced and stilted and the characters are one-dimensional. The book has a minimum of suspense, since there are only a few possible suspects. The science offers nothing new that has not been covered in other similar novels. I recommend that you skip this one.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Long and drawn out., April 25, 2004

By 

A. Vegan (Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brainwaves (Paperback)

Although it isn't in the list of the Joanna Blalock series, Brainwaves is the 8th book in the series. Dr. Karen Crendall, a noted neurologist was found dead in Memorial Hospital. Simon Murdock is convinced it was a suicide. Jake & Joanna disagree. Dr. Crandall was on the verge of a medical breakthrough using brain tissue DNA to recapture aural and visual memories. Joanna and Jake are convinced it was murder. But to prove their case they have to use the victim's revolutionary research and enter the recesses of Dr. Crandall's mind to unveil a killer hidden in memory's darkest realm.
Lately, the books by Leonard Goldberg have been either really good or really bad. Unfortunately, the bad ones have outweighed the good. Brainwaves was just too long and drawn out. The very beginning was great and I thought I had another thriller in my hands but it wasn't to be. It was ok, but I wouldn't rush out to read it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cutting edge medical thriller, November 16, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brainwaves (Paperback)

Forensic pathologist Dr. Joanna Blalock is highly regarded in her field and frequently works with the police when their jobs overlap. Her favorite homicide detective to work with is her friend and live-in lover Jake Sinclair. They are now working together on the case of Dr. Karen Crandell, a neurologist who was found dead in her office. At first all signs point to a suicide, but Jake and Joanna soon figure out that somebody killed her but made it look like a realistic suicide.

Dr. Crandell was working on some cutting edge research that has mysteriously disappeared. Jake and Joanna are able to trace the theft and the killing to her colleague at the Brain Research Institution at Memorial Hospital but from there the trail goes cold. Joanna and Jake set a trap to catch a murderer, but can only hope he takes the bait.

Fans of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs are going to like BRAINWAVES, a cutting edge medical thriller based on actual ongoing research. The mystery itself is fast paced and exciting but what makes this novel a scalpel cut above the rest is the way current technology is interposed throughout the story line, giving it a futuristic feel without slowing down the pace.

Harriet Klausner