[The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes] is one of those books where it's hard... actually maybe impossible...to say much about it without revealing a few key plot points so I will try to be very selective here. Much of the suspense generated by the narrative comes from Daniel believing that he has experienced a recent traumatic event that has caused him to block his memory of the past. You, the reader, quickly suspect there is much more to it. As Daniel begins his search for himself and the story behind his bizarre predicament you will always find yourself rooting for Daniel in spite of what the various law enforcement agencies believe. His journey makes for an entertaining...intriguing... fast-paced crime thriller. ( )

The topic of amnesia intrigues me, now add that it's a suspense genre. Furthermore, read the first few paragraphs. The absence of this man's memory creates a dire need within the reader. This man is naked and was washed up on the beach struggling to just kick in his survival skills. He somehow has the ability to deduct what part of the country he is in. The clothes he finds in a lone, near-by BMW fit him. Now he drives and pushes to recover something, anything that tells him who is Daniel Hayes. ( )

Interesting plot that grabs your attention right away. What happened to this poor guy? Who is he? Where is he? Why is he naked in the ocean freezing? All questions get answered only to have more asked. I think the plot was a bit predictable, but it was fun getting there. ( )

(at least 18 months since I read this. Might be a little vague)

"'Y cuidate lo que dices,' Daniel replied over his shoulder, then did a double take. Huh. I know Spanish. Cool."

Daniel wakes upon on an "apocalyptic beach, water frothing beneath a shivering sky, wind a steady howl over the shoals", naked and with no memory of how he got there, why he's there, or even who he is. In an attempt to resolve the mystery, he gets in the car and heads as far west as he can, piecing his life back together before it gets ripped apart again.

This sort of "forgotten identity" novel is pretty unusual and the whole plot construct was impressive. He gets back West and then ends up in a cat and mouse-with-no-memory game, no idea who he can trust, what is true, what is an illusion, what is a mis-memory. It gets very confusing as lots of people play multiple characters or there are only glimpses of them and Daniel isn't sure who they are.

As a result, the characters don't have to be particularly magnetic; Daniel is a dark sort of person who is driven to anger and violence by extreme circumstances. Bad guys are bad guys, the wife is a bit strange but in the end her motivations are straightforward enough. I particularly liked the older woman, Sophie, the guiding aunt figure - she's a useful plot device and a nice person into the mix.

The emptiness of the Hollywood life is laid out pretty starkly here - less humorously than in The Lawgiver. Daniel and Laney's relationship is sweetly captured in emails and notes - actually a funnier way to give credence to an unlikely romance. I did not see the enormous twist at the end coming at all - I couldn't figure out what was going on for ages and then it suddenly hits you. Not sure that's where I wanted it to end up, but it's all slick and throws the rest of the book into the right angle to make sense of.

Interesting, unusual, massive twist at the end. ( )

4.5 stars

My blog post about this book is at this link. ( )