The Visionary (Mass Market Paperback)

by Don Passman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If you were Madonna's lawyer and were writing your first thriller, wouldn't you put in a part she would love to play when it became a movie? Don Passman must have had that in mind as he created the character of Lisa Cleary, a hard-working accountant who has visions of murders. As the visions become more persistent, they also become more sinister, and Lisa foresees real-life killings.

Her unwanted ability brings Lisa to the attention of two men. LAPD detective Danny Talon, who is investigating a series of killings, and UCLA law professor and psychiatrist Dr. Michael Rennick, who knew one of the victims.

All the characters are well developed, with many personal quirks and secret weaknesses, but Lisa is clearly the one Passman spent the most time on. Her reactions to the visions she sees are extremely interesting, especially as members of her own family become suspects in the murder investigation. It's the kind of part for which Academy Awards are handed out, and Madonna's name just might be attached someday soon. --Dick Adler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Entertainment attorney Passman concocts a predictable crime thriller set in L.A. about a self-proclaimed psychic who doesnt know the whereabouts of her own father yet professes to intuit detailed information about a series of increasingly grisly murders. Lisa Cleary presents herself to Professor Michael Rennick, a Harvard Law/Yale Medical grad who handles pro bono cases and writes bestsellers while teaching law at UCLA. Rennick agrees to make time to counsel Cleary about her visions around the same time LAPD detective Danny Talon asks Rennick to consult on a series of murders of young women. (Italicized sections meant to be the secret journal of the killer are inserted episodically in the text.) When Clearys visions lead to discovery of the murderers equipment, detective Talon wonders to Rennick if Cleary might be the killer, a suggestion the psychiatrist dismisses. A subplot concerns the romantic discord between Rennick and Julie, his lover of three months whos also a graduate student in his class. Julie must choose between staying with commitment-phobic Rennick or going to New York to study with a legendary Nobel laureate in DNA who now works in the humanities because the manipulation of genetic material is leading to a Hitleresque system of discrimination. Though the storys many threads produce a disorganized plot, many of Passmans characters are vividly detailed (Rennick is colorblind, the murder victims are mostly placid New Agers), and even if they haphazardly propel the story forward, readers may enjoy their chaotic drift toward a tidy finale. (June) FYI: Passman is the author of the nonfiction bestseller All You Need to Know About the Music Business (S&S, 1991).
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Vision; Reprint edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446608319
• ISBN-13: 978-0446608312
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,032,600 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I've read in years !, June 13, 2000

By	kim welch (MADISON HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN United States) - See all my reviews

This book was an afterthought in line at the store. Bought out of desperation for something even mildly interestering to read. WHAT A TREAT! I could'nt stop reading it. I can't wait for the next Don Passman book. Just a thought Don if you're out there reading this, How about writing a series of books with the characters of Talon and Rennick? I just finished the book this morning and I miss them already! This is the kind of book you tell every reader you know about. It's fantastic. Don Passman is now on my must read list right next to Cornwell, Deaver and Sanford.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good/very scary/very well written, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Visionary (Hardcover)

When I received a copy of THE VISIONARY I thought, oh no, not another thriller. But then when I couldn't put the book down, and could only read it during daylight hours because I was too scared to read it at night, I figured Don Passman was a pretty good writer. Congratulations to the author. And encouragement to all to pick up a copy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating!, July 12, 2000

By	phillip (california) - See all my reviews

Don Passman's "The Visionary" is a high suspense thriller somewhat similar to Thomas Harris' "The Silence of The Lambs" and "Hannibal." The story revolves around a psychiatrist/teacher, Dr. Michael Rennick, and his patient, Lisa Cleary. Rennick is assisting the LAPD in a serial killer investigation while helping Lisa deal with visions that he feels are related to these string of murders. Helping her figure out these visions, Rennick thinks, will help find the killer. "The Visonary" is fast. This pace kept me interested in a book that was often times very complex and intense. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next to the characters. After reading only a couple of chapters, you can clearly tell that Passman was very thorough in his research of psychology and serial killers. In addition to the accuracy in research, the characters are very easy to identify with and are very human, making the book that much more thrilling. All of these elements made this book a fascinating read. I can't wait for the next Passman book!