Customer Reviews

Split Image

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

 

 

Judy Mercer has done something that is very hard to do and that is make her third book in the Ariel Gold series even better than the previous two. Her characters are very well drawn with excellent dialogue. The ending will stay with you. I hope you know someone else that reads the book because you will want to discuss the ending with them! I hope we don't have to wait as long for the next in this series to come out. Well done Ms. Mercer.

Ariel Gold is a 33 year old widow, an amnesiac, a somewhat unwilling TV journalist, the grand-daughter of mega rich B.F., and the sometime girlfriend of wonderful Henry. When called upon to do a story about Jack Spurling, a notorious charmer, handsome and smooth talking.........and a guy a lot of folks think got away with the murder of his wife, Ariel is filled with a sense of dread as well a reporters compelling desire to uncover the truth and get the story.

As her investigation progresses Ariel finds herself torn between the logic of what her head is telling her and the long suppresses feelings that are suddenly surfacing. Is Jack a cold, calculating murderer or the victim of a woman bent on having him, no matter what the cost.

Bursting at the seams with atmosphere, twisted truths, missing memories, a plethora of page turning intrigues, and an ending that lets the reader draw their own conclusion, Split Image illustrates that Judy Mercer is the unparalleled queen of the suspense novel.

Split Image.. People Magazine (1/11/99) called it " page turner of the week ". Not an exaggeration. I couldn't put it down. It has a plausable plot full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. After reading Mercer's first two books, Fast Forward and Double Take, I feel like Ariel Gold is an old friend that I care about. I eagerly awaited this new book and it was everything I had hope for and more. This is not a book of the female detective genre popular only with woman readers, Ariel Gold speaks to everyone. My husband liked the book too. Mercer's dialog is fresh and smart A must for anyone who wants an enjoyable, fun and exciting read. What's next? And when?

Judy Mercer is a very talented author. I loved the way she was able to mix a little bit of romance with mystery. The plot line is interesting and easy to follow. From the beginning she captures the reader and it's very hard to put the book down. I highly recommend it.

This is a good book. It's not quite as good as others in this series, but still has a good plot and the characters are well defined and likeable. Not exactly a mystery, but is in that genre.

Ariel Gold is a strong protagonist. One I have grown to like after two books. I enjoyed "Fast Forward" more. This one was too heavy in the romance department for my taste. Would have prefered more suspense. Ariel finds trouble coming at her head on and obliquely as she works towards solving a two year old murder. Ms. Mercer makes it easy to like the good guys in Ariel's circle, and I hope to hear more from her grandfather (B.F.) and his pal Sarge. I had a hard time accepting Ariel's new love interest and hope that coworker Henry again will become the object of her affection.

...but after the first two novels (Fast Forward and Double Take), I was disappointed and bored with part 3 (Split Image) and part 4 (Blind Spot).
Judy Mercer must have felt the same as she never wrote a 5th part and obviously gave up on the series.
I recommend to read anything by Carlene Thompson, Mary Higgins Clark, Marjorie Dorner or Patricia MacDonald instead.

This book was terrible. I had no idea what was going on in the first 60+ pages. The main character has amnesia (hard to believe). The writing is choppy and hard to follow. Characters enter the story, and since Ariel , the main character doesn't "remember" them, I guess we are supposed to figure it out. The interactions and diaglogue are poorly written as well. I couldn't finish this book. Waste of time.

While the first two books (Double Take & Fast Forward) in the series left me a little cold- Split Image heats up!! And like a previous reviewer said, Mercer struck Gold!

Whenever we meet Ariel Gold (TV producer turned host) she is in the middle of solving a crime or two. This book is no different- only this time it seems she may have been taken in by the criminal- or not- was he wrongly accused? While friends & family can only sit by as Ariel seems to get more & more wrapped up at finding the killer. Only, it may not be who she thinks it is and her very life may be in danger.

I felt like Mercer really found her voice with this third book in the series and became a much better writer over-all. The story is very tight, easy to follow, characters developed and the suspense is enough to drive you crazy!! The only thing that disappointed me was that I'm still waiting to learn more about Ariel's amnesia & her life beforehand. I'm hoping the 4th book- Blind Spot- may deal with that.

"Split Image" is an apt title for a novel that sustains the hero-or-villain question throughout. As an investigative newswoman, one who's suffered more than her share of betrayal and violence, Ariel Gold seems a little quick to jump on the first emotional bandwagon that rolls by, even at the expense of one of her few stable relationships. Still it makes for a suspenseful story. Mercer is very good at sharp dialogue that propels the page-turning at a pace mystery lovers are bound to appreciate.