Customer Reviews

Last Breath: A Sherry Moore Novel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the second of Mr Shuman's novels to feature Sherry Moore, a blind investigative consultant. Ms Moore has the ability to view the final 18 seconds of the life of any dead person she touches. This is a skill that can obviously be useful to police as they try to track down murderers, but it is not without cost to Ms Moore. As the story opens, Ms Moore is in a fragile state. While many are sceptical of Ms Moore's abilities, her results speak for themselves.

A serial killer, with a distinctive modus operandi, has been operating in Maryland and appears to have gone to ground in Pennsylvania. The police are having little success in tracking the killer and Ms Moore is called on to assist.
While Ms Moore's paranormal abilities are central to solving the crime, the novel does not simply rely on these skills. Ms Moore's world is a paradox because of the combination of her paranormal abilities and her blindness. This combination makes her of particular interest to the murderer: he has some questions of his own that he would like Ms Moore to answer.

Mr Shuman writes well, and this novel is a quick read. To me, while this story is a worthy successor to '18 Seconds', I'll be interested to see how the character of Sherry Moore develops further.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

In Cumberland Gap, Maryland, the State attorney general Glenn Schiff never forgot when he met blind psychic Sherry Moore in Philadelphia in 1992 as she explained how the victim grabbed her hand as he died; she was able to "see" the way his witness died. Now he wants her help on the mass murders of three kidnapped women found inside an abandoned Maryland meat processing plant.

Sherry agrees and provides information that helps on the investigation. However, the FBI takes over the case and soon another victim found near Pittsburgh brings in the Pennsylvania state police. While the groups argue jurisdiction, Sherry suffers nightmares as she knows the serial killer is preparing to strike again.

The key to the second Moore psychic mystery is the crime scene descriptions are so vivid they make the tale and the premise of the heroine's skill seem genuine especially when Sherry decries the deaths. The audience will find the courageous heroine fascinating as she refuses to allow her lack of sight from stopping her from living; for instance she is studying the marital arts. Although the serial killer theme is overwhelming the market and government agencies arguing over whose in charge is ancient history, Sherry's description of the victims' last 18 SECONDS or so of life freshen this delightful unique paranormal police procedural.

Harriet Klausner

This is #2 in the paranormal series that George D. Shuman is writing with Sherry Moore being the protaganist. This one deals with a serial killer and autoerotica (erotic asphyxiation). I enjoyed "Last Breath" much more than 18 Seconds, the first book in the series. There were still an abundance of characters but not as many as with the first book(some could have still been left out with no loss to the story, though). The writing was tighter. I got to know more about Sherry, whereas in the first novel she was almost a secondary character.

The villain was well developed and about a 7 on the creepy scale and I liked the whole progression of his "journey" through the book.

I especially like the police procedural, investigative portions of Shuman's writing. That is where he has his experience and it shows in his writing. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in this series.

This book was a great read. As good or better than the Eve Duncan books by Iris Johansen. I can't wait to read more by this author!

The author has created an interesting heroine. She's offstage for large periods of time, but effectively used when called for. He focuses his stories on other elements and knows how to build suspense. A series to watch. Three good ones in a row.

Making her second appearance, blind psychic Sherry Moore faces a double peril. To begin with, she still is suffering from pain and psychological trauma resulting from her previous episode. She's popping pills and abusing her body and nearly dies from an overdose.

But more important is the task at hand: Helping to find a serial killer who suffocates, strangles or hangs his victims. His murders stretch across the country, but the latest victims are found in western Pennsylvania. Sherry, of course, has the unique ability to hold the hand of a dead person and "see" the last 18 seconds of memory.

The novel blends two genres: police procedural and the supernatural. It is a well-written, exciting thriller. The concept certainly is original, the characters believable and paced to a rousing conclusion.

Sherry Moore has been in a fragile condition, recovering from the death of the love of her life and burdened by the sorrow of the many dead people she encounters. She has been self-medicating with pills and liquor, just barely surviving when she is called to help with a case. Three women, kidnapped and missing for two years, have been found dead in a long-unused meat processing plant's refrigerator unit.

Attorney General Glenn Schiff asks Sherry to do what only she can do: relive the women's last memories. Ever since Sherry suffered a head injury as a child, she has lost her sight but has been able to touch the dead and see their last 18 seconds of memory.

Sherry had become a media sensation as a blind psychic years ago when her talent was first revealed to her. She happened to touch a dying man's hand and saw a murder in progress; her vision led to a Mob court case, and her talent puts her in great demand. Since she is frequently well paid, Sherry is comfortable financially, but it matters to her that she has this gift far beyond any monetary rewards. She is the dead's voice. It gives her life purpose, but it also frequently devastates her, contributing to an ongoing depression.

In LAST BREATH, the killer's story is told from his chilling perspective, complete with the history that twisted him into a monster. Time is passing, and he feels his needs changing; his urges are growing closer together.

Attorney General Schiff meets with strange, cold FBI agent Alice Springer, who suggests that they use Sherry to nudge the killer forward by hinting that Sherry has seen his face. Schiff doesn't have long to consider the idea, before it is leaked to the press --- and Schiff suspects that Springer is the leak. Yet it's all moot in the end because families of the deceased hire lawyers who bar Sherry from disclosing information about the victims. Do dead people have privacy rights, even if it is not in the public's best interest?

Meanwhile, Sherry is going down. She's living a nightmare, complete with the memories of the victims, sleeping constantly, mixing prescriptions, drinking --- and sliding over the edge from sanity to beyond. When she lands in the hospital in a coma, Sherry has a visitor who feels a profound connection to her, with ominous ramifications for her. In the meantime, what the media heralds as Sherry's suicide attempt further complicates the use of her visions in the case.

Unlike most mystery serial main characters, Sherry Moore is flawed, fallible and damaged --- vulnerable not because she can't see with her eyes, but because of what she can see in her mind. She is all the more real for her vulnerabilities.

George D. Shuman does an excellent job of handling a large cast of characters, and the details of the investigation ring true. He also pulls the reader into the minds of the characters with great skill. Detailed graphic descriptions of murder scenes and gruesome situations make this book not for the faint of heart (or the squeamish of stomach). However, for anyone longing for a gripping, fast-paced and extremely creepy thriller, this one is for you.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

As many novels this one has a great start and that's it. As you read the plot is almost predictable and has many things that I can't describe here because I'll spoil the book to new readers. The end was awfully boring that I almost didn't finish the book.

Having discovered Mr. Shuman through a book club I was a bit skeptical about the rave reviews his Sherry Moore novels received. I wasn't disappointed in his first one '18 Seconds' and I certainly wasn't disappointed in 'Last Breath', a page turning, edge of your seat book in grand style.

Maybe because I read this one before 18 Seconds, maybe not - but I was up and down with this book. Parts of it were really intense and well written, others I found myself drifting away. I really enjoyed Sherry and her abilities, I'm all about detective books. I just didn't think it was as compelling as it could have been. But I really did like the way he put clues together and also seemingly put you 'into' the mind of how a criminal would think when about to commit a crime.

I'll still give his other books a try, I'm not giving up on him yet! We'll see how that goes...