Abrahams, Peter – OBLIVION

[LJ Roberts]

OBLIVION (Private Investigator-Los Angeles-Cont) – Okay
Abrahams, Peter – Standalone
HarperTouch, 2006- Paperback

Private Investigator Nic Petrov is asked by Lisa Rummel to find her daughter Amanda. The missing person case leads to murder and presents Nic with more questions than answers. The case keeps cycling back to a Hollywood movie made about Nic and the capture of a serial killer. But putting the clue together keeps getting harder as Nic’s mental abilities degrade and when amnesia requires that he start back at the beginning.

Nic is presented as a somewhat larger-than-life character, even as his illness progresses. There is a romantic relationship which is completely implausible, if not bordering on silly. The writing style is choppy which, I am guessing, was meant to convey Nic’s mental processes but I found rather annoying. Without coincidences the story would have gone nowhere. The identity of the killer, which was a surprise, seemed absurd to me. There was some good tension, it did keep me reading and I liked another book written by Abrahams, which is why I rate it Okay rather than Poor. I’m willing to give Abrahams another try, but I’d recommend passing on this book.