Mind Games [Paperback]

Hilary Norman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1999

On the face of it, the double homicide of Arnold and Marie Robbins looks like just another brutal Miami Beach murder - except that teenage Cathy Robbins is lying between the bodies, traumatised but unharmed. Is she a silent witness to murder, or is she a killer?

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Piatkus (October 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749931221
• ISBN-13: 978-0749931223
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,312,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whew! What a book!, September 18, 2005

By 

Yocheved Miriam (Beersheva, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind Games (Paperback)

A housekeeper arriving for work discovers her two employers, Arnold and Marie Robbins, in bed with their throats slashed. Nestled between them, bloody but alive, is their 14 year old daughter, Cathy. The plot takes off from there -- and as more deaths occur, all committed with a scalpel-type weapon, and all tied, in some way, to young Cathy, it appears that the sweet blond 14-year old may in fact be the killer.

Two main protagonists emerge: an African-American cop named Sam, and a psychiatrist, Grace Lucca, who's asked to examine Cathy. Against all odds and most of the evidence, Grace refuses to believe that Cathy is the killer. She believes there's someone else behind it all, someone working very hard to make Cathy appear to be the guilty one. Sam, the detective, isn't quite so sure. After all, the evidence is overwhelming.

It's too bad British author Hilary Norman's books aren't more available in the US. They are tops, every one of them -- they have fascinating, tense plots, interesting characters, lots of local flavor -- they're just long, juicy good reads, in every sense. At one point, this one was so tense I had to stop reading, and go do something else. An amazingly scary book -- I have little doubt that at that one critical juncture, every reader was standing up shouting "For crying out loud, don't get in that boat!" to Grace, when she goes blithly off with a man she supposes to be another psychiatrist who's been helping her in the case.

What fun!

The fact that Norman's books are not widely available in the US is even more curious, since Brit Norman sets many of them in US settings. This one takes place in Florida, in Miama and the Keys. I'm no judge of accuracy on the Florida details, but the local flavor is at least as intriguing as that of Edna Buchanan, James Grippando and other Florida greats.

If publisher Judy Piatkus in London had half as much sense as her star author, she'd get these books into the US market -- fast. In the meantime, find them where you can. But for a tense, fascinating, can't-put-it-down read, search out anything by Hilary Norman. It's worth the hunt.

5.0 out of 5 stars I second the notion, November 4, 2011

By 

Ace Consumer "Helene" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mind Games (Paperback)

Hilary Norman is a fabulous writer. As much as I fancy myself an amateur sleuth, this whodunnit really keeps you guessing. As the previous reviewer said, it is a genuine page turner. I am so happy that Amazon makes these printed in UK books available. Have yet to read a bad one. Ordering more than one to share across the country!