Double Image [Hardcover]

David Morrell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

After a harrowing experience in Bosnia, war photographer Mitch Coltrane makes a vow. From now on, he will only take those pictures that celebrate life; that document hope instead of despair. Still, wartorn images continue to haunt him. He learns to shield himself by fixating on a beautiful woman in an old photograph. But slowly he grows obsessed. Who is she? He must know. And as Coltrane searches for answers, he falls hopelessly in love, forgetting that the past can sometimes intrude on the present, with terrifying consequences.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Successful photographer Mitch Coltrane is discovered shooting a covert mass burial masterminded by Bosnian henchman Dragan Ilkovic and narrowly escapes with his life. When he is back at home in the United States, the lives of Coltrane's grandparents and several friends are sacrificed before Coltrane guns down Ilkovic. Numb and edgy around girlfriend Jennifer, Coltrane finds solace in meeting an idol, photographer Randolph Packard, who dies shortly after he and Coltrane begin collaborating on a project. Coltrane thus has the opportunity to purchase one of Packard's estates, where he discovers a photographic altar to a gorgeous rising film star of the Forties named Rebecca Chase and becomes obsessed with the mystery surrounding Packard, Chase, and a young woman who is a dead ringer for her. Morrell (Extreme Denial, LJ 3/15/96) should have saved one of these plots for another novel. This overwrought effort stretches credulity, missing the perfect "angle."?Susan A. Zappia, Maricopa Cty. Lib. Dist., Phoenix
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Thrill master Morrell badly misses the mark in his latest. Apparently he couldn't decide between two good plots, so he used both. Big mistake. The first half of the book focuses on Bosnian thug Dragan Ilkovic, who hunts down photographer Mitch Coltrane to exact revenge after his photographs serve as key evidence in Ilkovic's conviction for war crimes and murder. Then the story suddenly shifts focus when Coltrane, who has a perfectly nice girlfriend, finds a photograph of the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and decides he must find her; instead, he finds her stunning but evil daughter, who leads him on a terrifying chase to the wilds of Mexico, where he discovers she's a very bad person. Not to worry. Once he figures out she's evil, he and his girlfriend get back together, and everything's turns out A-OK. It's true there's plenty of the kind of material here that action fans crave: wild sex, bloody violence, and stomach-churning suspense. Unfortunately, the plot is rambling, confusing, and barely credible. Morrell's track record as a reliable producer of action thrillers (he created Rambo) will generate demand, but even fans may lose patience with this one. Order fewer copies than usual. Emily Melton

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1ST edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446519634
• ISBN-13: 978-0446519632
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,338,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Quick Read? Yes. But Not What it Could've Been., July 29, 1999

By 

P. Connors "Colonialpara" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Double Image (Mass Market Paperback)

Like a lot of other readers at this site (and elsewhere), I am a longtime fan of David Morrell. I have read most, but not all of his works and I must agree with some of my fellow readers. There is a lot that iswrong with this book. First, Mr. Morrell seems to have broken a cardinal rule of plotting -- he combined two distinct, but unrelated plotlines into one novel and to what purpose? Second, as others have noted, some of the lines between Mitch Coltrane and his erstwhile lady-love border on the absurd and read like the trashy dialogue used on day-time soaps. It made me wonder if Mr. Morrell actually wrote entire sections of the book. In Mr. Morrell's defense, I will say this to his critics. It's very easy for those of us in his reading public to read his works and then "armchair quarterback" what he should and shouldn't have done with his plot and characters. It's another thing entirely to create something (in this case a novel) from nothing. Remember, Mr. Morrell make his living conjuring up stories to entertain the rest of us. That's a big task. How many of his readers could do half as good a job? How many of us could turn out books that please all readers, all of the time? I'm not a published author and I often wonder if any of my fellow critics are, either. Until such time as those of you who are his harshest critics become as big and best-selling an author as David Morrell, I say give him a break. After all, the only perfect person in the history of the world walked the face of the earth 2,000 years ago. He's gone now, David Morrell isn't him and will make a mistake now and then. So will the rest of us. Stop whining and wait for his next work. Or don't! The choice is yours.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different, but still as compelling as ever, May 20, 1998

By 

J. Lancaster "Jamie" (Collierville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Double Image (Hardcover)

Double Image is a slight departure from Davids other recent work, but is still an excellent read. Less action thriller and more psychological, it reminds me of when I first saw Vertigo and couldn't wait to learn the answer to the mystery.

In typical Morrell fashion the descriptions are vivid and the pace is perfect. There are no 'rough spots' to get through where the story drags, and every time you have to put it down you feel like you're missing out on something. I am very thankfull that David has never subscribed to the Clancy and King motto of 'bigger is better'. My biggest problem with David's work is that I stay up all night reading and am tired at work.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay; kept me turning the pages but left me unsatisfied, January 1, 2000

By 

Brian H. Galloway (Spring, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Double Image (Mass Market Paperback)

As other reviews have stated, this book is basically two novellas very loosely tied together by an aging legendary photographer and the influence he has had on the central character's life and work. It was good for a bit of escapist reading, but left me wanting something meatier.