Customer Reviews

Second Sight

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

 

 

....In the case of Beth Amos' "Second Sight," the psychic gift is that of seeing auras. What makes this book unique, however, is that the woman 'blessed' with this ability was a journalist blinded in an explosion, who gains this ability with a medical proceedure, but still remains legally blind (though with some sight).

Combining the suspence of an almost-blind character trying to survive a murderer who may strike again, and the hair-raising psychic thriller of a woman who can see evil, this is a great read for anyone looking to stay awake at night.

Marlie Kaplan is a wonderfully written heroine, with enough wit and style to make her interesting, and watching her navigate through the web of police and political corruption is a nail-biting experience.

If you liked Joseph Glass' "Eyes," or "Blood," or have read and enjoyed any of Kay Hoopers "Shadows" series, this book is for you!

'Nathan

I have been a fan of Beth Amos since her book Cold White Fury (see my review). Now Ms Amos has done it again. From the 1st page to the last it kept my attention. I spent the afternoon reading this book from start to finish and not being able to put it down. Story of Marlie, a report for the news. She gets a tip of police corruption and goes out to investigate but instead finds herself in a trap that leaves her blind and her coworker dead. One year later, Marlie undergoes an experimental surgery to recover some of her sight. With part of her sight back, she wants to go back to work. A colleague is murdered right next to Marlie's house. She witnesses the murder but can't see clear enough identify the murderer. With the murder behind her she goes back to work with gusto to find out what really happened. An up and coming Senator agrees to an interview that may save Marlie's career, a police detective that fears for her life after witnessing a murder, and an ex-husband who is a domineering jerk who is keeping Marlie away from her daughter all are ingrediants for an excellent murder mystery, enjoy

This is a moderately enjoyable novel of suspense that is more plot driven than character driven. The central character, Marlie Kaplan, is a hotshot investigative broadcast journalist who is working clandestinely on a story about police corruption that she believes will put her in the catbird seat. She is also not opposed to taking risks to get the story that she wants. At the last minute, however, events take a deadly twist, and, as a result, she is left blind.

Having divorced her husband and having lost custody of her child, Marlie is desperate to regain her sight and her life. She undergoes experimental eye surgery in hopes of having her vision and her former life restored. While the surgery restores some of her sight, it adds a new dimension to her vision: the capacity to see people's auras. With the partial return of her vision, Marlie hopes to return to work but finds that her former employer is not interested. When Senator Richard Waring, a handsome and charismatic politician offers to give her an exclusive interview, Marlie decides to parlay that interview into the key that unlocks the door to her former job.

When a rival and colleague is murdered, Marlie, however, is the only witness. Due to her visual issues, she cannot identify the killer in the customary way. There is, however, something that she saw, something to which no one, except the killer, can lay claim. Detective Carvelle, the detective investigating the incident that left Marlie blind, is worried for her safety, but Marlie suspects the Detective's interest in her may be connected to the police corruption story she was originally following. Meanwhile, to complicate matters, it appears that the Senator's interest in Marlie may be more than just professional.

The reader will probably not need second sight to be able to unravel the mysteries contained within the pages of this book. One can decipher its secrets fairly easily, leaving the reader to wonder why Marlie is seemingly unable to do so, until it is almost too late. There are also some issues that are ridiculous, such as the fact that Marlie, who formerly had custody of her teenage daughter, can now only have supervised visits, because of the supposed reckless behavior that brought about her blindness. Still, the book makes for an moderately entertaining read, if one's expectations are not unduly high.

This is the first Beth Amos novel I have ever read. Second Sight weaves a hold your breath spell of suspense as you read and delivers the reality of blindness as the story develops. It is a gripping page turner!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading others by this author. The evolution of the main character was very well done and the whole thing with the auras was fascinating! Plus, the ending came as a total surprise. I highly recommend it.

If you like Mary Higgens Clark-style suspense novels and the strong characters and fresh plot twists of Dean Koontz, you'll love this author's work . I also particularly liked her first book, COLD WHITE FURY. She has a special knack for putting very real characters into extraordinary, life-threatening situations -- making it all quite believable, and taking us along for the ride. She draws mother and child relationships particularly poignantly, especially in CWF. And her little boy in EYES OF NIGHT really grabbed my heart. A very talented writer.

This was actually a lot better in the end than I thought it would be. When I picked it up off the shelf and glanced at the preview, I didn't read it thoroughly, and when I got into two or three chapters I was pretty skeptical. It turned out to be very good, excellent in its outcome, and worth reading.

I put the book down feeling as if I had wasted my time. The story was not well developed and did not live up to the expectation of the title.