Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fiction Subjects

Fast Forward

Name: Fast Forward
Author: Judy Mercer
ISBN: 9780671899615

by Judy Mercer

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Overview

The dream jolts her awake. In the hazy, gray glint of dawn, it leaves her feeling anxious, disconnected.... Her memory has vanished. She doesn't know if Ariel Gold - the name on a Los Angeles driver's license - is hers. All she knows in her panic is that she is badly cut and bruised; she is in a house that has been viciously ransacked; and, on a crumpled heap of clothes, there is a blood-caked shirt, and a gun. In these gripping, nightmare moments, Judy Mercer's FAST FORWARD propels us onto a surefire track of nonstop, page-turning suspense. Alone, completely disoriented, "Ariel" begins her search through a strange house and a stranger's life, trying to find out who may be trying to harm her, and whom she can trust. She discovers that Ariel Gold has a vintage home, a classic car, a pedigreed dog, and a successful career as a producer for a television newsmagazine. She remembers none of them. Concealing her amnesia, she starts to improvise her life - moment by unpredictable moment. Back at work, Ariel uses all her ingenuity to grapple with a job she knows nothing about, aware that the friends, colleagues, and strangers she encounters may be sources of danger. Gradually, she uncovers a turbulent, painful past, and a present linked to the worlds of high-fashion modeling, the New York theater - and to murder. Those who knew the old Ariel are intrigued by her new persona, by subtle changes in the way she looks and acts - and the mystery around her deepens. With only her own wits to rely on, Ariel plunges from hope to despair and back again, as much an enigma to herself as she is to others. But someone is secretly watching her every move. The life she has inherited is no safe place to be...and her stubborn quest is leading her right into the sights of a killer.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

An amnesiac is stalked by the killer of a fashion model in a thriller PW called "an entertaining debut." (June)

Library Journal

Mercer's first novel should find favor with fans of suspense. A woman wakes to a scene of violence and recognizes nothing, not even herself. She must discover her name (Ariel Gold), piece together her life, and figure out why someone wants her dead-all this while keeping her amnesia a secret. In Gold's favor are her job with a television show dealing with unsolved crimes, a small group of loyal friends, and her intelligence and good humor. Plot twists multiply as she begins to discover connections between herself and the woman she suspects was accidentally murdered in her place. Gold is confident in her own abilities, comfortable financially, and secure enough to have several men as friends (though some readers may lament the lack of sex in the novel). The author keeps the door open for a sequel. For popular collections.-Rebecca S. Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Emily Melton

Imagine waking one morning in a strange bed, in a body you don't know, your unfamiliar face bruised and battered, with a bloody sweatshirt lying next to you. You'd probably react as Ariel Gold does--with panic and horror. The suspense doesn't let up until the final page as Ariel tries to reconstruct her past, all the while being pursued by a dangerous killer. Ariel soon learns that she's an investigative reporter for a television show, that her boss is named Henry, that she has a dog named Jessie, that she is or was (she's not sure yet) married to a lawyer named Michael, and that someone, for some unknown reason, is out to harm her. In a style reminiscent of Jonathan Kellerman at his best, first-novelist Mercer takes readers on an action-packed thrill ride that's full of unexpected twists and turns. A promising debut from a talented new writer.