Erased From Memory (A Carla Day Mystery) [Paperback]

Diana O'Hehir (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2007 | Series: A Carla Day Mystery (Book 2)

Carla Day and her father, an Egyptologist suffering from Alzheimer's disease, return. A connection between a millennia-old Egyptian death and a present-day California one lies in the depths of Dr. Day's faulty memory. And only Carla can decipher the clues.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A well-crafted plot and an engaging cast of characters headed by smart, plucky Carla Day and her gentle, 86-year-old Egyptologist father, who suffers from Alzheimer's, lift O'Hehir's refreshing sequel to 2005's Murder Never Forgets. When Carla and her father visit Northern California's Egypt Regained Museum, where an ancient coffin lid he discovered is displayed, Dr. Day's concern for a man collapsed on the floor lands him briefly in jail as a murder suspect. The victim, who was just in a coma, later wakes up at the hospital and abruptly disappears—only to turn up dead with an ankh in his mouth. While the intermittently confused Dr. Day stubbornly insists on revisiting the coffin lid, Carla launches an investigation that will put both her and her dad in danger. A chilling conclusion will catch many readers by surprise. O'Hehir's first novel, I Wish This War Were Over (1984), was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Diana O'Hehir is a poet and novelist who grew up in Berkeley, CA, and now lives in Northern California with her husband. The author of books of poetry and fiction, she has taught at Mills College for 28 years. She has won several prestigious awards, including a grant from the NEA for fiction. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425218724
• ISBN-13: 978-0425218723
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,840,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific Egyptology mystery, December 9, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Erased From Memory (A Carla Day Mystery) (Hardcover)

In Northern California, Carla Day takes her octogenarian father Edward, a renowned Egyptologist suffering from Alzheimer's father to see his greatest find, an ancient coffin lid housed at Egypt Regained Museum. While there, a man collapses to the floor; Edward rushes to his aid starting with loosening the victim's tie. However, security yanks him away as they assume he is choking the man to death. Local police arrest Edward charging him with strangulation, but the man lives lying in a coma in a nearby hospital.

At the hospital, the comatose man apparently got up and left. Not long after he vanishes, he reappears as a corpse with an ankh in his mouth. Edward keeps arguing that they came here to see his coffin lid though he has visited it several times while Carla tries to uncover the truth about the dead man, not realizing how much danger she and her father are in from an unknown assailant who prefers to remain anonymous.

The sequel to MURDER NEVER FORGETS plays out on two levels as readers obtain a first hand look at the ravages of Alzheimer's on the victim and his daughter inside a cleverly design whodunit. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Dr. Day intervenes until the final unnerving shocking final confrontation. Diana O'Hehir provides readers with a terrific Egyptology mystery combined with a strong personal look at senior health care issues.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Alzheimers hero -- what a concept!, February 2, 2007

By 

Four eyes - See all my reviews

This review is from: Erased From Memory (A Carla Day Mystery) (Hardcover)

There are two heroes in this mystery: a gentlemanly scholar (his expertise is ancient Egypt) who happens to have Alzheimers, and his feisty not so ladylike daughter. They make a terrific -- and humorous -- pair. He's in danger, but doesn't exactly know it. She does know it, and is trying to save him. I liked the author's first book (Murder Never Forgets) in this series just as much. The action all takes place in California, which in a way becomes a character, too.

2.0 out of 5 stars Disppointed, February 13, 2012

By 

H. Timblin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Erased From Memory (A Carla Day Mystery) (Hardcover)

First I must agree with another review...the writing style was a bit awkward in parts. I found myself rereading sentences to make sure I understood what the author was trying to say. I never really connected/enjoyed all the archaeology and Egyptology stuff...I guess I should have realized the book would be focusing on these things.

Also, there is an ongoing background story about some of the character's sexual "escapades" that I found to be off-putting and unnecessary. I felt like it was "thrown in" in the hopes of generating and keeping the interest of certain readers.