18 Seconds

"18 Seconds," a first novel by twenty-year police veteran George Shuman, features an irresistible premise. Sherry Moore, a stunningly attractive blind woman with martial arts skills, has come to realize she has the ability, through physical contact, to tap into the short-term memory of the dead. By mastering the art of sifting through the often-enigmatic images comprising these last eighteen-seconds of life, Sherry becomes a national sensation, inundated by requests for her unusual services from victims' families who have no other hope of explaining the cause of death.

Around this fascinating concept, Shuman has constructed a solid police procedural, populated by interesting and believable characters. Earl Sykes, a psychopath with show more terminal cancer, is determined to cram as much mayhem as possible into his remaining days. Kelly O'Shaughnessy, a newbie lieutenant struggling to come to terms with her recent marital separation and the sexism of her co-workers, works desperately to decipher the brutal crimes Sykes commits under and around the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey. And, Detective John Payne, Sherry's best friend and protector, endeavors to maintain his failing marriage and squelch his intense, unrequited love for Sherry.

Shuman employs numerous, though sometimes indistinct, points of view and a large cast of supporting characters, building the suspense as he ties together the multiple strands of his plot. I would have liked this book even more if the author had used fewer point-of-view characters and had given Sherry a larger role in the main plot. I also thought that the story line relied a little too heavily and unnecessarily on coincidence, such as the connection between Sherry and Earl Sykes. Even so, this thriller made a round-trip cross-country flight pass by as quickly as a jaunt to the corner store. And I'm eager to experience Sherry's next adventure.

-Kevin Joseph, author of "The Champion Maker" show less

Thirty years ago Earl Sykes landed in prison after a traffic accident that turned deadly. Now he has cancer and only a short time to live and he's planning to get his revenge. He returns to his previous MO, kidnapping young women and killing them.

Kelly O'Shaughnessy, a police lieutenant needs help. They can't find the bodies of missing women, Sherry Moore is blind but she can see the deceased last eighteen seconds. This helps her find whats going on and can help the police.

However Earl has nothing to lose.

It's okay, not great, shows some potential but it's trying very hard to be a lot of things and failing to be many of them. The personification of Earl was compelling and quite realistic but the other characters were quite paper thin.

Very interesting concept for a book. It seemed fresh. The characters were interesting enough that I began to care about what happened to them. The premise being that a blind woman, when touching the body of a deceased person can see the last 18 seconds of their lives. Needless to say she is much in demand by loved ones left behind as well as police agencies. No one seems to understand the toll it takes on her personally. A good read.

I found the blind psychic's ability to "see" a dead person's last memories before dying to be a great twist! I hope to see Sherry in other Shuman books.

Blind orphan Sherry Moore helps the police catch killers by being able to "view" the last 18 seconds of a person's life stored in their short-term memory.

A fantastic thriller with strong characters and lots of plot twists. Highly recommend.

Blind orphan Sherry Moore helps the police catch killers by being able to "view" the last 18 seconds of a person's life stored in their short-term memory. A fantastic thriller with strong characters and lots of plot twists. Highly recommend.

Fast paced thriller about a search for a serial killer in a small coastal town on the eastern coast of the US. The killer is tracked down by a blind woman who can read the last 18 seconds of peoples lives. It was a novel way of using a psychic in a thriller.