Resuscitation [Kindle Edition]

D.M. Annechino (Author)

Book Description

Two years ago, Detective Sami Rizzo narrowly escaped a brush with death at the hands of a serial killer. After apprehending the killer and bringing him to justice, this life-changing event compels her to resign from the police force. In her heart of hearts, however, she struggles with the decision. But a second serial killer—a well-respected doctor gone astray—uses his charm to seduce his victims and then performs horrific surgical experiments on them. In a final act of depravity, he scatters their mutilated bodies throughout San Diego County.

Feeling a sense of duty and obligation, Sami Rizzo appeals to the police chief and mayor, and they reinstate her as a homicide investigator. As the body count grows and the killer’s experiments become more and more brutal, Sami follows one dead-end lead after another, while trying to deal with a sickly mother and a turbulent relationship with her lover. But then the killer makes a crucial mistake: one of his victims survives. Sami does everything to protect the barely alive victim, but the killer has a different plan…

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A Q&A with D.M. Annechino

Question: Where did the inspiration for this story come from?

D.M. Annechino: I thought it would be intriguing to create a villain who struggles between being a healer and being a killer. Most villains are pure evil with few--if any--redeeming qualities. In Resuscitation, we find a well-respected cardiologist gone astray, a doctor who has saved hundreds of lives with his surgical skills. But now, driven by an uncontrollable desire for fame and recognition, he uses his skills selfishly and unmercifully for his own advancement.

Q: Julian, the doctor in Resuscitation, spirals from a desire to help people to an all-out killer pretty quickly. Were you surprised by his brutality and the way his character developed?

DMA: Throughout his development, Julian wrestles between good and evil. He's dealing with a troubled marriage, haunting memories from his childhood, and repressed sexual obsession--and once he steps over the line, he enters into a world he didn't know existed. Then those sweet uncharted waters take control of his every decision.

Q: Sami Rizzo, your detective from They Never Die Quietly, is back in this book. But I've heard that you're now working on a political thriller. Is this the last we'll see of Detective Rizzo?

DMA: I did decide to switch gears somewhat, if for no other reason than to take a break from the serial-killer format. I wanted to challenge myself and craft a complex novel with global consequences. But depending on the feedback I get from my readers, Detective Rizzo may indeed return.

Q: Resuscitation has a ton of medical references. Can you tell us about the research involved in this type of book?

DMA: Ten years ago, I might have spent the best part of six months in my local library with my nose buried in medical reference books. But with the depth of the Internet, research has taken on a whole new light. It also helps that my wife and daughter work in healthcare, so I consulted them many times. If they were unable to address a particular issue, they could turn to their professional networks for answers.

Q: I've read that you didn't always picture yourself as a writer. What made you finally decide to start writing?

DMA: I did very poorly in English in high school and could never imagine myself as a writer. But in 1992, when I was a general manager in the retail automobile business, I decided on a whim to write a guide on how to buy a car without losing your shirt. The book did so well that it motivated me to pen a novel. Once I finished my first novel, that was it--the writer's bug bit me hard, and the rest is history. Here I am many years later, and my third novel is about a month from completion. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it's all real.

Q: What are you reading now?

DMA: A collection of short stories by Stephen King, Nightmares & Dreamscapes.

Q: Which books do you read over and over again?

DMA: Of course, I read thrillers to see how other writers craft their stories and develop characters. But there's only one book I've read a number of times: The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. His prose reads like poetry.

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From Booklist

In an effort to keep the funding for his study on surgical treatments for atrial fibrillation, a rogue San Diego cardiologist trolls for live subjects. When they die as a result of his procedures, he rationalizes that “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Assigned to the case, Detective Al Diaz is called away for a family emergency, leaving his live-in lover, former detective Sami Rizzo, pondering her future after an earlier traumatic encounter with a serial killer (They Never Die Quietly, 2010). When Sami decides that social work isn’t for her, it seems inevitable that she’ll team up with Al to catch the man labeled “the Resuscitator,” despite her past issues on the job and current issues with Al. Annechino throws in a red herring involving Sami’s mother’s bypass surgery and raises the level of suspense nicely at the close. A medical thriller with an ending that suggests a promising future for the duo of Rizzo and Diaz. --Michele Leber

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Product Details

• File Size: 807 KB
• Print Length: 456 pages
• Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (October 11, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0050KIREQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,368 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 85 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Too real for comfort! October 18, 2011

By John

Format:Paperback

RESUSCITATION is one of those thrillers that grips you from the beginning as it describes Genevieve's predicament and doesn't let go. Ex-detective Sami Rizzo returns in a devilish plot twists and writhes in a python-like manner, made even more terrifying as it is all believable. The deeply troubled villain is not lacking in conscience and struggles with his own motivation in a manner that reflects the plot as he is pursued by the equally well drawn Rizzo. The violence is as vividly described as the characters and settings, so people with weak stomachs should either avoid reading this, or better yet have a sick-bag at hand!

The writing is fantastic with a perfect balance of description, action and character development that brings this tense and moody tale to life. With a few good twists thrown in to keep you on your toes and an ending that doesn't let you down, this is one I highly recommend and certainly hope that Annechino does carry on the Rizzo series with another instalment.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars An easy read, but not as thrilling as it could be November 13, 2011

By Anne M. Hunter VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

The second in a series, after the first Sami Rizzo book, "They Never Die Quietly", "Resuscitation" starts very well and flows along but never grabbed me. Part of the problem may be the cliched language the author uses: would a top medical doctor
really think "I had sore muscles where I didn't even know I had
muscles"? Then there's the whole problem of having two detectives
assigned to work together on catching an active serial killer who are living together in a romantic relationship, and everybody knows it and talks about it, but nobody ever mentions any possible problem with that. Maybe in some dinky small town where there only are two homicide detective, but this is San Diego! There are various other obvious plot defects that I won't mention to avoid spoilers.

It's tough to build a lot of suspense when we know right from the
beginning who the killer is and why he's doing it. It makes the book very straightforward, without a lot of twists and turns, as it just isn't the kind of book where the killer's going to escape in an ambiguous ending. All of the characters are quite simple, and explained clearly although I didn't find the killer all that realistic and believable.

I didn't hate the book -- it was a pretty good read, and I liked Sami and her romance. I had the feeling that the author was writing about people he knows well. But it just wasn't as good as it could have been if it had been better written and more subtle. Those of us who enjoyed the first book will want to check in again on Sami. But I wouldn't start with this one.

64 of 75 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Clumsy Attempt at Misdirection November 12, 2011

By K. McCarthy

Format:Kindle Edition

This book had the potential to be good, but that was crushed by the revelation of the killer's true identity.

That revelation was a cop-out. Any dramatic/emotional tension that had been established early throughout the first 9/10 of the book (and there is a good bit of it) is completely and utterly destroyed in the end. I finished this book and said "Huh???... that makes no sense at all."

Sorry if this is a bit obtuse, but if I said more I'd give the story away (which I'm tempted to do just so you don't read it).

More About the Author

DM Annechino's passion has always been fiction, particularly thrillers. He wrote several novels early in his writing career, but it wasn't until he authored "They Never Die Quietly" that he fulfilled his goal as a novelist. A native of New York, Annechino now lives in San Diego with his wife, Jennifer. He loves to cook, enjoys a glass of vintage wine, and spends his leisure time on the warm beaches of Southern California.