Illusions [Hardcover]

Katherine Stone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1994

Suspected of murdering her husband, who has mysteriously disappeared, Jillian Montgomery falls in love with the identical twin whom her husband never knew he had. 75,000 first printing. $30,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The eighth novel from the author of Roommates , Rainbows , etc., tries unsuccessfully to tie a surfeit of tabloid dramas into a single plot. A mystery as well as a chaste romance, the narrative includes surrogate motherhood, separation of twins at birth, duckling-to-swan plastic surgery, serial murders, extrasensory powers and canine heroics, to name a few threads. Left as a foundling at a chapel in France, Chase Carlton, a clairvoyant in his mid-30s, lives in California where the police and FBI hire him to track serial killers. He sees the announcement of the death of movie mogul Victor Chase Kincaid, whom he deduces must have been his brother. Aided by self-induced amnesia, he impersonates his (recovered) twin and insinuates himself into the life of the widow, whom he suspects of murder and for whom he develops complicated feelings. With a supporting cast of cardboard characters whose intertwining relationships require a flow chart to track, Stone builds her story with a series of portentous melodramatic moments that have little impact on the reader, who will be well ahead of the characters in figuring out what to expect next. Only the question of Kincaid's death holds the reader to the end, and that is more a question of how than who in this overwritten and overambitious novel.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 364 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books; First Edition edition (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821744534
• ISBN-13: 978-0821744536
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,912,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bestselling Seattle-born author Katherine Stone set about plotting her life's journey at a very young age. At age five she knew she hoped to become a doctor. Then, after writing her first short story at age 11, she realized that she'd love to be a writer, too.

In pursuit of that youthful dream, Katherine attended Stanford University, where she completed her premed requirements while majoring in English. She received her M.D. from the University of Washington. Following her internal medicine residency in San Francisco, she accepted a fellowship in infectious diseases in Los Angeles.

What remains one of the world's largest outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease coincided with her fellowship, which gave her the opportunity to write and lecture on this mysterious new disease. But it was not all work and no play. There was also romance in L.A. It was there (during a spinal tap!) that she met her future husband, physician and novelist Jack Chase.

While she had accomplished the first half of her young-life goals, Katherine never really got around to the second part--being a writer--until Jack bought her a word processor and urged her to "Just do it." The result? Bestselling books in the distinctive Katherine Stone style: a marriage of lyrical prose, evocative emotion and, above all, romance.

"There's nothing wrong with incurable romanticism," the physician asserts. "I love writing about nice people, who are giving life their best shot despite the sometimes monumental obstacles I place in their paths and who discover, despite those obstacles, the splendor and power of love."

Although Katherine has hung up her stethoscope for the moment and is writing full-time at her home near Seattle, her medical background is often evident in her books. "I very much enjoy sharing my passion for medicine--its drama, its emotion and yes, its science--with my readers."

The author of 21 novels, including Twins, Bel Air, Love Songs, and Pearl Moon, Katherine's books have been translated into 20 languages and sold worldwide. She is in the midst of converting all her novels into e-book formats (and thinking about her next book!)

Please visit her website at www.katherinestone.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Story..., January 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Illusions (Mass Market Paperback)

This story was very interesting, with great characters. As is KS's way, however, the hero turns too sappy, too campy. (The men usually fall in love too early in KS's stories, i.e. "Happy Endings.")
Her characters, especially the males, do tend to be conceited because of the author's writing style. For example, when we're getting to know the male hero, KS writes phrases such as ... "stunningly handsome," as if the male character is describing himself, rather than letting this be a description from author to reader.

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting page-turner, from page 1 to 418, it is spellbinding, August 18, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Hudson, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Illusions (Mass Market Paperback)

Once you read this book, other books will just not measure up to the quality of this one. Heartwarming and full of emotion, yet your imagination is grabbed and you can't let go to the very end.