From Publishers Weekly
Heavy-handed and uninspired, this horror novel set in 1975 features a New Jersey pediatrician who conceals the fact that he conducted experiments on inmates at Auschwitz. The sinister doctor, who has changed his name to Emerson Thorne, apparently remains true to Nazism by driving a silver Mercedes and stating his preferences for German and Austrian composers. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Thorne, 11-year-old Jessie Morrison has been experiencing nightmarish "spells" that psychically transport her to a concentration camp and enable her to see through the eyes of a camp victim (how she came to possess this ability is never fully explained). Jessie's alcoholic mother and sadistic stepfather don't notice her odd blackouts, but a concerned neighbor takes her to Thorne for a medical checkup. A meaningful glance passes between patient and doctor, and Thorne knows he'll have to silence the child before she blows his cover. Luckily for Jessie, a revenge-minded Czech whose family died in the camps also knows the identity of the evil man. Ptacek, author of 18 novels and editor of the Women of Darkness anthologies, offers a transparent plot, predictable resolution and cliched characters in a silly book that exploits a terrible subject.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA-- When Jessica Mae, 11, moves to Hunters Heights, New Jersey, she begins lapsing into frightening gray spells and speaking a strange language. Stefan Marek, also a new arrival to Hunters Heights, claims to be a journalist, but his briefcase conceals photographs of suffering and death from Auschwitz. Dr. Thorne, long-standing pediatrician in town and a candidate for a humanitarian award, protects a dark past behind a facade that crumbles rapidly with the increase of the girl's spells. The mystery begins with Jessica's traumatic visit to Dr. Thorne and is sustained throughout. YAs will like the fast-moving action, intrigue, and sympathetic characters.
- Jessica Lahr, Edison High School, Fairfax County, VACopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.