Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Review - The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey

 
 
Book Summary
 
A man wakes up naked and cold, half-drowned on an abandoned beach. The only sign of life for miles is an empty BMW. Inside the expensive car he finds clothes that fit perfectly, shoes for his tattered feet, a Rolex, and a bank envelope stuffed with cash and an auto registration in the name of Daniel Hayes, resident of Malibu, California.

None of it is familiar.

What is he doing here? How did he get into the ocean? Is he Daniel Hayes, and if so, why doesn't he remember?

 
My Review - 4 Great to the Last Drop
 
Very intriguing mystery indeed, this one will keep you entertained while stimulating your mind.  I am still left with a 'What', what did I just read, what happened, what the hell, yup just a big 'What', but all in a good way.
 
Every character, including Daniel Hayes had me thinking, are they who the author wants us to think they are?  I really found this unique and thought provoking.  Our intro into meeting Daniel Hayes is when he awakes on the beach and then finds a wallet with the license of Daniel but he doesn't remember anything including who he is, so he accepts that he is Daniel Hayes.  This was a huge unanswered question, how did he end up at the beach, did he have amnesia and really not remember who he was.  Great quote about this "Really, all of the questions come down to one.  Who are you when you don't remember who you are?"
 
I loved the flow of the story, always getting more information and action action action.  
 
Daniel is a writer and at times there were scripted scenes, I was confused with these as I couldn't figure out if they were real, a figure of imagination or what is to come.  Another quote which explains this..... "The only real thing, the only true thing, is the present.  That's it."
 
This was a fast paced story and Daniel was living in hell throughout it all, who do you trust when you don't remember anything.  Again, this story is intriguing, I must go and read other reviews again because I feel like I was left out of the secret.  This sounds like a negative but honestly it is a huge positive for this psychological mystery.
 
I definitely want to try another by Marcus Sakey, Amateurs has been recommended to me.
 
 
I read this one after the review of Rebecca from The Book Frog
 
Another review from Dixie at Reader of the Pack
 
 
 
 
 

12 comments:

  1. This sounds like my kind of book! I'm making a note of it.

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  2. I haven't heard of this author before but it sounds like one I'd enjoy so adding him to my list.

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  3. After I finished the book, I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for a couple of days. The characters were not really likable and the scripted thing was definitely weird and confusing. Also, the scripted parts were extremely hard to read on my nook because I couldn't re-size the size of the text for those parts.

    I decided on 4 because it was fast-paced and made me think about the plot and the characters for a while afterwards. I really could envision it as a movie.

    Great review!

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  4. Okay - this is definitely going to be my next target at the library or used bookstore. Looks like my kind of read.

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  5. This sounds like an intriguing read, I like these kinds of books

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  6. Well, this has pulled me in! I want to know how he ended up on that beach with no memory!

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  7. Great Review! Sounds like just the book for me.
    The premise is intriguing!

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  8. I am making a note of this one. Sounds intriguing.

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  9. I was excited when I got this one. I'm so glad you liked it and will continue to seek his books out. Amatuers and Good People, I suggest.

    :)

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  10. Sigh. Another book go onto the VERY LONG TBR list! :0

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  11. This sounds like a really good thriller that I am looking forward to reading. Great review!

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  12. I am trying to figure out what the ending means. a little too much ambiguity for me. but he is a marvellous writer.

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