Customer Reviews

The Lost Mind

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What would you do if you woke up next to a corpse, the murder weapon in your hand? What if you couldn't remember how you got there, who she was--who you were? What if all the evidence pointed to you being the killer? These are some of the first emotions explored by Jennifer Hobbs as she stands, covered in blood, next to the body of Crystal Denger.

Jenny doesn't remember a lot of things--her name, how she came to be in the woods, that the murdered girl happens to be her best and closest friend. She is, however, both quick-witted and clever. Fearing the worse, and having no memory to go on, she stumbles from the woods--and finds a parked car. Is she running from danger or towards it? One thing is for certain: she is at the scene of a murder. If Jennifer has any chance of finding out what happened to her--she needs to buy some time.

Jenny does a near expert job of removing the evidence of her involvement: the murder weapon, the bloody clothes. The only clue to her identity is a driver's license and the keys in her pocket. The town nearby is her home, and her address is easy enough to find. As to not arouse suspicion, she must behave as though everything is normal... while at the same time trying to solve the crime. But how do you do that when you can't even remember your own mother's face? Who your friends and enemies are? Where you were the night your best friend was murdered?

That, it seems, is the only thing Jennifer Hobbs does know.

This book had an excellent beginning--a very imaginative concept! It had me guessing all over the place. I think Mr. Pike handled the subject well, and convincingly! Jenny is a likeable character, and you genuinely want to see her prevail. Her turmoil is palpable. Of course, with conflicting stories and no recollection of her whereabouts the previous night--Jennifer becomes the main suspect in Crystal's death.

How can you prove your innocence when you think you might be guilty? How can you tell the truth from lies if you can't remember who knows how much--who else is involved? Again--excellent concept. I loved it, and devoured the book in almost one sitting. It reminded me of the same frantic pace set in the film "Memento" starring Guy Pierce. (Wonderfully creative film! Definitely rent it if you liked this book.) However, it wasn't perfect.

While I did enjoy most of the characters--especially the relationship between Jenny and her kid brother, Gator--I found some to be almost unnecessary. Perhaps if they had been given a chance to develop more, I would not have thought so. The timing of the book is very punchy. It doesn't stop to take a breath--even when you would like it to.

If this book suffered from anything, it was that it could have easily been a couple hundred pages longer. It touched on a few topics that were very interesting, but not explained clearly. Soul reversal, mysticism, tarot and even Islam were all part of the story--but I found myself more interested in the actual murder investigation than any of its supernatural aspects. In a way, when all was revealed, I was almost let down with the simplicity of it.

Almost. Some colorful jacket art is provided by Mark Garro, which gives the book a creepy feel. And it is a creepy story! On a whole, "The Lost Mind" was a very enjoyable and fast-paced book, full of shocking events and constant second-guessing. It's as fun as it is strange, with some truly disturbing imagery... expertly crafted by the Lord God of Teen Horror himself--Mr. Christopher Pike.

In this book written by Christopher Pike, a girl loses her mind. Jenny a teenage girl wakes up and has no clue who she is or where she is. She can't remember her family or friends, and now the police are trying to accuse her of killing her best friend,crystal.

I have read many of Christopher Pikes books in the past, and i thought this one was good, but at times it was a little confusing. i think Christopher Pike is a great author, his books keep you wanting to keep reading, and it is hard to put the book down.

I would recommend this book for teenage kids, or other advanced readers.

I can't say enough about this book, it's a masterpiece in my POV. I used to be a big R.L. Stine fan, but when I read this book 2 years ago, it tottally changed me, it's a story about a girl who wakes up in the woods not remebering anything, and how she goes to find the killer of her dead best friend. I must say it's somewhat Science Fiction (more so than horror) but Its amazing. I read this book in 5 hours and couldn't put it down. A must read for anyone, not just a CP fan, because I still am not that much of his books other that the remeber me trilogy, but this book is a must have (although the title is pretty pathetic).

Jenny wakes up in the woods with a dead body next to her. She can't remember anything, including her own name. She finds out the dead girl is her best friend Crystal and that Jenny might have slept with Crystal's boyfriend.
The plot can be confusing, but is based on an interesting idea. Pike's strengths lie in ideas, not the actual writing.

Christopher Pike is renowned for writing YA Fiction that usually has a slightly creepy or supernatural twist to it. This book is no different, and like many of his books, the plot starts out extremely well. Unfortunately, by then end of the book, the reader is left with some pretty crazy stuff that doesn't make much sense.

Story/Plot - The book starts out with a girl waking up in the woods, covered in blood, next to a dead body. A knife lies just inches away, and there is nobody else around. In addition to all of this, the girl has no idea who she is and can't remember anything from her past. As she exits the woods and goes back into her life that she has no recollection of, she is accused of the murder of the girl found in the woods. Will she be able to clear her name? Or did she actually commit the murder for some reason that she cannot remember?

Writing Style - The way Christopher Pikes writes is fascinating. It keeps the reader on the edge of his seat the entire time, and it never allows for boredom. The dialogues and descriptions are excellent as is the way the story is presented. Unfortunately, about halfway through the book everything takes a slightly crazy twist. Buddhism is brought into the story and confuses a lot of the things going on; it just downright distorts the main story and takes away from the plot. If you're willing to sift through the story and persevere through the confusion, you will be "rewarded" with more craziness at the ending. Although I won't go into detail in this review because of possible spoilers, let me just say that the ending is disappointing.

Warnings - Language, Sexual Situations, Mild Violence, Drug Use

Overall, I felt that this story could have been much better had Christopher Pike stayed away from the Buddhism confusion, but it was still interesting to read at the least. The story is very suspenseful and well done, and for the most part the writing style is pretty good. There is some questionable content since it's a teen book, but really, it's an intriguing book to pick up if you need something different to read.

Christopher Pike is a very good writer of teen Horror/Thriller/Mystery/Fantasy. Lost Mind stands out as a book that also tackles metaphysical questions. In an very original novel, Pike deeply explores the mysticism of the soul.

The story is about a teen girl named Jen. She wakes up in the woods next to the dead body of a girl who has been stabbed to death. Fearing she could be the killer's next target, Jen flees - but instead of finding answers, she is confronted with question after question about herself and her life. You see, Jen has amnesia - her only immediate clue her driver's license. When she discovers that the murdered girl was actually her best friend Crystal, and that she is now a prime suspect, she is in a race against time to find the real killer.

Could it be her boorish football jock boyfriend Mitch who has gambling debts? Or does the mysterious Egyptian Amir, who had been seeing Crystal, have something to do with the situation? Jen has no allies except her little brother, who knows something is going on with his beloved big sister. The more Jen finds out, the less she likes the shallow person that she seemed to be. Could she really have killed her best friend?

This is a must-read for Pike fans.

This book is about a girl, Jenny, who wakes up in the woods; not knowing where she is or whoshe is and to top things off, there's a dead girl beside her. The book is from Jenny's point of view and documents her journey trying to piece out her past. She's also running away the police, since she's accused of the murder. The ending was quite surprising and is not what happens in many thrillers. My advice, read it and find out the surprising ending.

When i first read The Lost Mind, by the time i was finished, it tripped me out. confused me a little bit, i must admit. but when i read it a second time, i thought it was definitely cool. still very very trippy...=)

Imagine, for a moment, that you wake up and you have no idea who you are, or where you are. You wake up in the middle of a forest, soaked in blood and in your cold hand, you clutch a knife coverd in the same blood. You have no idea who you've killed or why your in the forest. You slowly learn about yourself and you now realize, your being charged with a murder that you know you did't commit. This is what got me interested in the book in the first place. The book is really interesting as to how they make everyone seem as a suspect and how they slowy develop our main character at a nice pace. But even more interesting, is the increadably odd plot. I'm not going to tell you what it is, since it will spoil the book, but it is something you will most definatly not expect. The characters are very neatly developed and the situations Pike puts you in are intense, you feel as if you were there. The downside to this otherwise, flawless book, is the sometimes confusing situations. Some situations in the book are about a dream these two people keep having, and when they keep bringing it up, I've always had to read it about 2 or 3 times before I got it. However, once you get it the first time, it should get easier when you read about the second dream sequence. The book is for anyone who loves a good thrill, a good plot, or a good sci-fi book. This deals with topics of the black arts (I think) and with many little other things that you'll have to read to find out. Definatly recommended for any teenager out there too, this one will keep you reading, I can almost garuntee that. But it today.

Jennifer woke up not remembering who she was, why she was where she was and... who the dead girl was lying so near her. The girl was stabbed brutally to death. Somehow, she found her way home but things didn't getter better nor did she regained her memory. When morning came, she discovered that the dead girl was exactually her best friend, Crystal, but she still could not remember her. Although Jennifer had lost her memory, she firmly believed that she was no murderer, expecially one who could kill her best friend. But time was running out and the police were beginning to suspect that she was the murderer while the real murderer was on the lose. She had to find him/her fast or else...

This is a real page-turner that can keep you glued to your seat, or your bed if you read in bed!