SECOND SIGHT: A Novel of Psychic Suspense
George D. Shuman
Simon & Schuster
Thriller
ISBN: 9781416599791
The publicity materials that I received with SECOND SIGHT, George D. Shuman’s fourth book featuring Sherry Moore, helpfully describes it as “(A) novel of psychic suspense.” While true, it is also a technological thriller, a character study, a romance of sorts, and, above all, a subtle page-turner that begs to be read in one sitting.
If you don’t have Shuman on your must-read list of authors, SECOND SIGHT will provide you with an excellent reason to do so. It would be easy to describe Moore as a “blind psychic,” but she is much more than that. Her lack of physical vision is not congenital, but was visited upon her --- apparently from some unknown trauma --- while she was still a young child. It left her with an ability to tap into the final memories of a deceased person by touching them (to call it “channeling” would not be entirely accurate), an ability that has brought her fame, notoriety and tragedy.
Indeed, SECOND SIGHT begins with Moore being accidentally exposed to a potentially lethal dose of radiation while assisting on a case in New Mexico. The exposure, and the resultant treatment and testing back home in Philadelphia, is one of the “ticking clocks,” if you will, that resonates throughout the book. There is, however, another that is of arguably equal import. Moore, while on a hospital gurney, comes into contact with the body of Thomas J. Monahan, a long-term resident of a mental hospital in rural New York. In addition to experiencing a series of visions that are by turns horrific and enigmatic, Moore suddenly and inexplicably regains her sight. As one might imagine, this unleashes a whole series of questions and concerns, not the least of which is whether Moore still possesses the ability to visualize the last memories of the recently dead. That question is answered in a dramatic moment, but more are raised along the way.
Moore understandably feels a link to Monahan and wants to find out more about him. She begins asking questions about the man, a Korean War-era serviceman whose official Army records don’t coincide with his medical transcript. Garland Brigham, Moore’s seasoned and extremely capable neighbor, is there to help (and to slowly entangle himself emotionally with someone as well), but his enigmatic and subtle efforts and Moore’s own tenacity attract the attention of Edward Case, the wealthy and influential head of a major pharmaceutical company whose fortunes are tied to keeping the true story behind Monahan quiet. In order to maintain the status quo, Case unleashes Troy Weir on her. Weir, Case’s stepson, is totally without scruples, and worse, he possesses a weapon prototype that is even more chilling in its execution than it is in theory. As a final confrontation is carried out against the backdrop of a dangerous and ironic tableau, Moore learns the answer to more than one question that has been troubling her, even as her own life is in mortal danger.
Shuman is an amazing craftsman whose best stories have yet to be told. While SECOND SIGHT is complete in and of itself, one can see potential plot lines radiating out from it for future volumes. Brigham, a retired Admiral with friends in the highest of places, is a fascinating character in his own right. Additionally, the cases on which Moore consults are interesting enough that they each could provide fodder for an entire novel on their own. Primarily, however, the greatest mystery revolves around Moore’s background: who she is, where she comes from, and how she came to be what she is. There is a lot to love about SECOND SIGHT, Shuman and Moore, and much more that has yet to be unveiled.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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