Head Case

Rating:
Summary: Totally mesmerizing-A keeper
Review: After suffering a severe head trauma, a John Doe awakens at Reinhardt Rehabilitation Center in Joliet, Illinois. Its very apparent that John is suffering from amnesia. Soon John Doe becomes a national media celebrity. This leads to John receiving a visit from his alleged brother Robert, who tells him he is John McNalley. However, Robert is actually a cop who threatens to kill John, but the amnesiac manages to escape.

Soon, the cops and a serial killer artifact collector want to capture John and neither care whether he is breathing when they do. Desperate, John turns to private investigator Jessie Bales for help in uncovering John's true identity. However, the trail leads to a series of mutilated photos of women, a maniac's diary, and a slew of corpses. Jessie, who is falling in love with John, wonders if he is actually a serial killer.

At first glance, HEAD CASE seems like a standard psychological thriller with all the right buttons being pushed. However, in the talented hands of Jay Bonansinga, the book turns into a taut chiller. The story line, built around John's troubles (both mentally and life threatening), is action-packed and extremely exciting. Fans of the sub-genre will want Jessie and John to star in future novels.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Pretty darn good writer.
Review: As far as amnesia books go, this doesn't belong in the usual "who am I? what am I doing here?" trash heap. This book's got some substance--very descriptive without being overly noticeable. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Truly surprised by this improvement
Review: Bonansinga's plots are culled from old movies, pulp thrillers and comic book style adventures then given a 90s spin. This wild action-filled story is a vast improvement over The Killer's Game and far more deserving of being turned into a film than his previous book. I found myself gasping at points and trying to outguess the characters as they attempt to piece together the true identity of John McNally. Once again, he leads the reader through a rapid, breathlessly paced story ending with an outrageous, nerve-shattering and preposterous climax. This pulp thriller has it all: amnesia, serial killers, train chases, car chases, and a very modern twist on the mad scientist and his creepy lab experiments.

Rating:
Summary: By rights should be a best-seller and a movie
Review: Head Case is a well written roller coaster of a page turner. Sort of like the Dean Koontz genre with its well liked characters and plot but definitely the author's own. The characters are well fleshed out, the amnesiac with an uncertain past and the strong female character who helps him make you care what happens to them. The plot kept me guessing and was rewarding and made complete sense with all its twists and turns and plot developments. I was never bored with it and the short sharp chapters worked with the fast-paced feel of the book. I highly recommend it! I would like to read the authors other books if they are as good as this one.

Rating:
Summary: Bonansinga blows away the other thriller writers....
Review: The Kirkus reviewer must have lost a high-school love to Bonansinga -- there's no other explanation for such an off-the-wall review. Bonansinga's premise is a different twist, it engages straight into high-gear, and his dexterity with the word and the mind are like a master jazz musician's fingers working two lines, in counterpoint, into one perfect climax. Get this book. Get every one of them, in fact.