Overview
In Judy Mercer's acclaimed suspense novels one thing is certain: nothing is ever quite what it seems. This terrifying premise has entangled Mercer's memorable heroine, TV newsmagazine producer Ariel Gold, in two superb thrillers: Fast Forward, hailed as "one of the best suspense novels of the year" (Cleveland Plain Dealer), and Double Take. Now, Judy Mercer ingeniously twists a sensational unsolved murder into a uniquely personal crisis for the determined but vulnerable Ariel....First there was a phone call, then a chance encounter on a Brentwood street. He tells Ariel his name is Jack Spurling, and he seems astounded that she has forgotten him. But Ariel is a 33-year-old woman with only one year of memory, the rest of her life erased by amnesia. Why should she remember Spurling in particular? Then she learns that he was at the center of one of the most notorious stories she ever covered -- the story of a man who many believe got away with the murder of his wife.
With her own missing history aching like a lost limb, Ariel is compelled to reconstruct the events leading up to the trial, which ended in a hung jury. And the closer she gets to Jack Spurling, the more she wants to believe in his innocence. A man of confident, intimate charm, he stirs long-dormant feelings in Ariel -- and her own attraction brings on a powerful compulsion to unearth the truth.
But when Ariel digs deeper into Spurting's past, she uncovers a sordid tale -- a party years ago that degenerated into a whirpool of adultery, jealousy, and violence. And the events set in motion that evening, on a yacht far out at sea, are only now coming to a climax...giving Ariel just one chance to decide between what she feels in her heart and what she knows in her gut. A novel of electrifying suspense that snakes to a shocking conclusion, Split Image proves that Judy Mercer is a first-class writer at the pinnacle of her craft.