Black Out (2008)

This was the first time I have read one of Lisa`s books and I found that I enjoyed it. The first couple chapters were a little tough to get through but I found myself having a tough time putting the book down once I got into it. I`ll be looking for more of Lisa`s books to read just to see if they are as good. ( )

This psychological thriller is so twisty and turn-y I'm still not sure what actually happened. But, that doesn't matter because it was an awesome ride!
(Note: I usually try to put a plot summary in my reviews, but like I said, I don't actually know what happened.) ( )

This was the first book I returned to the library before the due date so it was indeed a page turner for me...I am now a fan of Lisa Unger and plan to read more of her books.. ( )

In Black Out by Lisa Unger Suburban housewife Annie Powers' life begins to unravel with the appearance of a dark figure from the past on the beach near her home. Annie has tried to put her former life behind her -- a dysfunctional family is to put it mildly. As a teen, Annie (then Ophelia) ran away from home and was controlled and manipulated by a psychopathical killer.

Annie/Ophelia has blacked out many of the details of what happened. In a complicated dance, we learn about her past and present, her search for the truth, and that things are not what they seem. This is truly a psychological thriller. The reader (and even Annie herself) is never sure what is true and what is not.

I was sucked into Annie's effort to find herself and take control of her life. I wish that her husband Gray's character was built up a bit more in the story so that the end of the story would be more believeable. But, all in all, a good read. ( )

As summer begins, we need those scary mysteries about the serial killer so we can shiver looking out in the dark of an isolated cabin or campsite and Blackout is a good book to pack along on such an outing. I read most of it over the course of one evening but I purchased Sliver of Truth at the same time so I can now read it.. I tend to prefer British and European thrillers but no one does the creepy serial killers better than American writers. That is probably because they actually have a lot of them and the books are more believable. There is a well developed history of how such individuals move through the US Justice system and no doubt lots of research material available.

Think of the quandry of the Scandinavian thriller writers like Norwegian Jo Nesbo. Norway has never had a serial killer and in fact this is discussed in some of Nesbo's novels with the police consulting with the FBI who have superior skills in profiling.

Black Out succeeds well in it's genre, not as gory as Chelsea Cain (thank god) but dark and horrifying. ( )