Book Review: After Me by Deborah Coonts

“So disconcerting, losing oneself – like being lost in the fog, no landmarks, nothing familiar, no map back to me.”

What an excellent thriller – this one hides more twists and turns than a nest of snakes. And that’s an especially apt description, which you’ll find out once you start reading…

I was contacted about this one by the publicist (thank you Penny!), who is a fantastic resource for me as a reviewer and for authors (learn why by clicking here). She described it to me as “an exhilarating ride with a dash of cutting-edge science”, and believe me, she did not oversell… There’s more than a dash of science here, and it’s handled brilliantly and woven impeccably into a whip-smart tale of secrets, betrayal, and the mysteries of memory.

I know I don’t normally give a blurb, but this was my introduction to the book and it sets the stage for my review nicely, so here goes… “Kate Sawyer, a former NYPD undercover cop, injured badly in a takedown gone terribly wrong, is living in Portland, Oregon, safe in the Witness Protection Program, while she undergoes experimental stem-cell treatment for a genetic case of early-onset Alzheimer’s. Safe, that is, until she returns home to find a dead man in her bathtub with a note reading: I know what you’ve done. Her cover blown, the clock is ticking, people are dying, and no one is who they seem to be. Everyone seems to think Kate knows where $20 million in diamonds is stashed. If she could only remember.”

And if that doesn’t catch your eye, how about this first sentence (I’m a fanatic for great first sentences, remember): “The body dumped in my bathtub was a warning; that much I got.” How’s THAT for a set-up?? Believe me, it only gets better from there…

From the opening lines, there is clearly more going on than we (both the reader AND our protagonist, Kate) can comprehend. That feeling of foreboding, of being one step behind and trying desperately to catch up, lasts throughout the book and is one of its most stellar elements. As Kate struggles to figure out who she is, who is after her, and – most importantly – why it’s all happening, the reader is immersed in a dangerous, dark, lonely world where no one is what they seem. Not even Kate.

“…in the wrong hands, all science is terrifying. But, the flip side, as with everything in the Universe, is brilliant.”

There is fascinating science here. I worked in pharmaceuticals once upon a time, and worked on Alzheimer’s disease as a specific project for a number of years, so I’m more than familiar with the tangles of Kate’s brain and the mess they leave in their wake. It was marvelous to read about the scientific future Coonts envisions, and the hope and promise it offers for those who suffer from the devastation of losing themselves. I can only hope she is on track with her optimistic take on what future scientists will be able to do in this arena – stem cells do, after all, seem to hold great promise in many fields…

But more than that, there is a fascinating story. How did Kate wind up in Portland? What did she leave behind? What kind of person is she and – perhaps more importantly, as far as the mystery is concerned – was she? Every page contains a new question, and few contain answers – at least not satisfying ones. And as the treatments for Kate’s Alzheimer’s progress, and more memories are freed from hiding places within her brain, it often seems that more questions are being revealed than answers. The denouement is perfectly managed, an exquisite blend of suspense, revelation, and lingering doubt that satisfies without spoon-feeding.

“Why can’t people be who you want them to be?”
“Not their job…”

I was nervous in the beginning, a little afraid that this would feel too redolent of Memento or Before I Go To Sleep – both of which were marvelous examinations of the power of memory to shape our lives and the tap-dancing-among-land-mines life lived by those who can’t trust their minds (or memories) to help them navigate the world… There were a few moments that felt reminiscent, but never any that felt derivative. This is an utter original, building on the suspense and scare-factor of other works on similar themes, without ever relying on them. It’s a marvelous book and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

My review copy was graciously provided by the author.