Toxic Effects

The Memory Thieves Series, Book 2

By: Joel Shulkin MD

Narrated by: January LaVoy

Don’t forget to be afraid.

Neuropsychiatrist Cristina Silva cannot escape her past. The voice in her head of her former identity won’t let her. Cristina also can’t quite manage to force herself to forget the ex-boyfriend she dumped: handsome police detective Gary Wilson.

Soon after beginning her new job at the Longwood Memory Center, Cristina receives a startling phone call from her contact at the FBI: an assassin is crisscrossing the country, killing anyone connected to the now-defunct pharmaceutical company ReMind—people like Cristina. The shadowy criminal enterprise Zero Dark is back.

Indeed, an assassin is tracking Cristina, a literal femme fatale known as Dama Branca. Like Cristina, DB’s memory was robbed by Zero Dark. Transfixed by the brilliant doctor, DB’s unsure what’s preventing her from killing Cristina. DB has memory glitches and longs to interpret them. Whether or not these have to do with Cristina, she doesn’t know, but she senses their fates are entwined—with any luck, not fatally.

Danger lurks in the shadows. Cristina’s spurned lover, Wilson, is investigating the suspicious deaths of local teens, convinced they’re not accidents. Before their bewildering ends, all the victims exhibit bizarre behavior, and there are now terrified whispers among their friends of a hooded boogeyman called Sack Man. One exceptional young man, Reggie Horne, is clearly in the middle of this bedlam. Wilson vows to prevent Sack Man from claiming Reggie as his next casualty.

And when Cristina’s in danger, Wilson is never far away. Just as it becomes apparent their two stories are entangled, the peril shoots sky-high. With at least one killer in their wake, they must quickly determine what’s real and what’s not. Unlocking Cristina’s memories could save many lives—her own included.

©2022 Joel Shulkin, MD (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

absolutely magnetic

loved it, couldn't put it down. incredible story, well developed characters and very well written

Save your time …

I’m sorry to be negative but I stuck out the entire reading of the first two novels in this series, mainly because the amazing narrator January Lavoy delivered the second book. She is one of the best!

But these stories, both books one and two, are just painful. I could go on and on but I can’t believe this author has a series of books and I can’t believe the publisher let them out like this.

So many things that don’t fit, so many things that are just “dumb” (big things and little things) and so many glaring gaps.

Spoilers:

Just a couple spoilers to give you an idea. After two full novels based on a mysterious science that steals memories and implants other memories into people, such that the main character has two personalities inside of her, the original body owner, Sophia, and the implanted personality Christina.

Omission number one: after two full books not a single word about how these memories were implanted. Nothing. Memories so complete and distinct that Christina can function as an accomplished neuropsychologist, treat patients, etc. All based on fake memories of her education and expertise etc. etc. And completely unexplained. No treatment of this at all

Omission number two about Sabrina, her body was stolen, her memories were stolen and she is essentially a captive prisoner inside of Christina, the interloper. They can talk, but they don’t do it very much. Think how lonely angry and frustrated Sabrina would become. She’s trapped inside her own body, can’t live a life, can only be a passenger as Christina bumbles through these stupid stories. And then the author forgets to “let Sabrina out““ when there is a fight scene or a gun shoot out which should happen because Sabrina has all of those skills. It’s just dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.

Just consider what you could do with that tension and the psychology of the trapped Sabrina. But, no, she’s just a happy passenger stuffed in the trunk of her own body. She doesn’t even try to talk to her own sister! It’s so dumb!

I really really hope you publish this review and not tank it because it’s too critical.