Detective Fiction, Family & Friendship - Fiction

Death Trance

Name: Death Trance
Author: R. D. Zimmerman
ISBN: 9780440213260

by R. D. Zimmerman

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Overview

Introducing Maddy and Alex Phillips, a detective team in the grand tradition of Holmes and Watson, Nero and Archie. Both bring special talents to their casework, but they are unique in one vital aspect: Maddy - the brains of the operation, so to speak - is severely handicapped. A forensic psychiatrist of great talent, she is also blind and paraplegic, confined to a wheelchair on a remote island in Lake Michigan. In this, their first case, a tragedy from the past has outsmarted the law, leaving Maddy and Alex on their own to find a vicious killer. When Alex arrives at his sister's isolated home in desperation, grieving over the murder of his lover, Toni, Maddy vows to help him where the police have given up. As it happens, she possesses the only means of detection that can solve the case: the power to re-create the past through forensic hypnosis. Channeling her investigative prowess into the depths of the mind, Maddy takes Alex back to the events leading up to Toni's death. Once there, Alex is actually able to relive the horrible events as they search for the murderer. Meanwhile, Maddy uses the vantage point of the present to piece together the shocking clues as they come together to create a montage of the killer's persona. But as she approaches the horrible truth behind the murders, the events of the past catch up with Maddy herself, bringing her into very real and present danger. A stunning debut of a unique detective team, Death Trance interlocks a fascinating chain between the past and the present, and the power each holds to reveal - or repress - the reality of the other.

About the Author, R. D. Zimmerman

Robert Alexander

While he's already made a name for himself with his series of bestselling mysteries (written as R. D. Zimmerman), Robert Alexander has also written a trilogy of Russian historical novels (The Kitchen Boy, Rasputin's Daughter, The Romanov Bride) about the last days of Empire.

Biography

A devoted Russophile, Robert Alexander has studied at Leningrad State University, worked for the U.S. government, and traveled extensively throughout Russia. While he's already made a name for himself with his series of bestselling mysteries (written as R. D. Zimmerman), he has also written a well-received trilogy of Russian historical novels (The Kitchen Boy, Rasputin's Daughter, The Romanov Bride) about the last days of Empire.

Good To Know

In our interview, Alexander shared some fun and fascinating facts about himself with us:

"Most of my friends know: I'm much too outgoing to be living in quarantine, as I do (as any writer does). Most of my friends don't know: I can ride a unicycle, I can't balance my checkbook, I broke my back going over a ski jump, and I was once enrolled in Meats 104 and Beverage 111 at a prominent School of Hotel and Restaurants, which prompted me to drop out and start my first novel."

"What I would like to know about me from someone is, why do I keep going to Russia? I've been going there for 28 years, and it's definitely not a place to unwind. But it certainly is always interesting. And that's where I met my domestic partner, Lars, and we've now been together 25 years. And it's also where I met my business partner, Meri, and we've been in business now almost 14 years -- we have a customs clearance business and Barabu, a small chain of espresso/wine bars. And I always come up with some weird story idea over there. So maybe I just answered my own question.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this oddly compelling and suspenseful novel, Edgar nominee Zimmerman ( Dead Fall in Berlin ) steps to the very edge of credulity but avoids falling off. Technical writer Alex Phillips agrees to be hypnotized by his sister Maddy, a blind paraplegic clinical psychologist, to see if his subconscious holds any clues to the murder of his former lover Toni, a still-unsolved crime that he witnessed. Enigmatic Maddy takes Alex back a few months to the moment when Toni asks for his help, appearing in Minneapolis following the drowning of her sister Liz. Although the police label it suicide, Toni believes Liz was killed and convinces Alex to help her delve into her sister's affairs, which turn out to include a former boyfriend involved in a weird cult that may be responsible for the ritual killings of four young women. Slowly Alex's retelling arrives at Toni's murder, and although he didn't see the killer's face, his account provides Maddy with an invaluable clue. The author nicely integrates his frequent flashbacks into the narrative, which disappoints only with its contrived ending. ( Oct. )