The Memory Collector

by: Meg Gardiner

Published by: Dutton

Reviewed by Yuka Mizushima

What would you do if you could remember your first kiss but couldn’t remember if you ate breakfast? Would you be calm or in a constant state of panic? Would life be worth living if you knew that your memories were continuing to disintegrate?

Dr. Jo Beckett is summoned to the airport to deal with an agitated passenger. She’s puzzled by Ian Kanan as he seems lucid, but a few minutes later he appears to be in a high state of panic and paranoia. He doesn’t know who wrote mysterious messages and a list of names on his arms. When other passengers on the flight begin to exhibit the same symptoms, Jo has to race against time to prevent a killer with a vendetta and the possible outbreak of a biological agent. How do you reason with a killer that can’t remember events that happened in the last five minutes?

The Memory Collector had me hooked from the first chapter. Dr. Jo Beckett is smart, sassy and a lot of fun to spend time with. She’s a forensic psychiatrist who assists the police by performing psychological autopsies. She investigates to determine if cause of death was natural, accident, suicide or homicide. Jo usually works with the deceased but takes this case as a favor to Lieutenant Amy Tang.

Other wonderful characters are Ferd, Jo’s weird, highly paranoid neighbor. It’s easy to dismiss half of what he says but at the same time there’s also elements of truth. Mr. Peebles is his mischievous pet. Ferd and Mr. Peebles are a riot and provide some great laugh-out-loud moments. Gabriel Quintana is a wonderful love interest. Jo and Gabe have plenty of chemistry but never enough time, I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops. Gardiner does a great job of combining romance, humor, and tension/suspense in her writing.

Intriguing story, great characters and escalating events equals an excellent roller coaster ride and a must read! Meg Gardiner will be joining Nora Roberts, Dean Koontz and Tess Gerritsen on my list of favorite authors. If you haven’t read any of Gardiner’s previous novels, this is a wonderful book to start with.

Armchair Interviews says: The Memory Collector is a must read for adrenaline junkies!

Author’s Web site: http://www.MegGardiner.com