Amnesia

I've limited myself to Ridpath's Fire and Ice series thus far, which I've loved. He's a great writer but financial thrillers aren't really my thing so I haven't tried any of his yet. But Amnesia was plugged in a recent newsletter and the story sounded interesting as a stand alone and a bargain to boot, so I thought I'd indulge myself outside of my current genre 'criteria' - and boy! was I glad I did! I finished the book in a day, which is not a reflection on its length, more on my sloth and inability to put it down! I was drawn in immediately and you find yourself rooting for the characters and second guessing all the contenders. The writing, as ever, is excellent, the plot engaged and unfolded well, the locations are well described so you can see them perfectly in your mind's eye, a particular skill of Ridpath's that I admire so much in his Icelandic stories, his ability to describe a place so evocatively, but never lapsing into prosey page-filler waffle, so it never feels intrusive. All this, and a cunning finish that will make you smile...and possibly quirk an eyebrow as you wonder...! Great story from a great writer - try it, because whether it's on sale or full price, you won't regret it!

This book kept me thoroughly entertained during most of a transatlantic flight last week. It is very well written and the plot is extremely clever and ingenious, with some brilliant twists at the end. I do need to say that I did not find the 'novel within a novel' as interesting as the main narrative, and often found myself skipping the novel within a novel in order to get back to that main narrative. But that is only how I saw the book and I daresay many readers won't have this problem. Still, it seems to me a matter of commonsense that when a writer succeeds in producing a compelling and fascinating main narrative, as Michael Ridpath certainly does here, there is surely always the danger that readers may be a bit resistant to being presented with a second and very different narrative, even if it is vital to the story. Yet this book still to my mind unquestionably deserves five stars.I am privileged to know Mr Ridpath but that does not influence me in my comments here.Overall, despite this one matter I mention above, this is an extremely clever and entertaining novel and I very much recommend it.

This is not the first Michael Ridpath book I have read..not will it be the last. He ranks as one of the best authors I have come across..his talent for creating characters, plot and storyline is amazing. You cannot put his book down, you will begripped..carried along. Chapter to chapter fully engrossed in the plot as it twists and turns. Amnesia was set in the highlands in Scotland and the author clearly knows his area as his descriptions are so vivid.. His story was complex and spanned from the thirties to present day.. Every one of his characters were well drawn and as a reader you were swept along with his brilliant storytelling. He understands the human spirit and all of the worse traits of human nature, ambition, greed, deceit, all laced into his characters lives .A wonderful story which will fascinate and intrigue..his talent is undisputed. Brilliance, thank you

To me a good book is one you really don't want to put down. This book is exactly that. From the moment I started reading it I had to force myself to put it down to do something else. A good murder mystery always drops little clues every now & then to make you think you know all the answers, but you can never quite work out all the ins & outs till the end when the author reveals all. This is one of those. I thoroughly enjoyed this book & sometime in the future I will reread it, slower to savour it more. Thank you Michael Ridpath, looking forward to your next book.

A brilliant and wonderfully crafted story from this talented author. Loved all the twists and turns. Interesting characters and a touching in depth story spanning the years. Sit back, immerse yourself and enjoy!!!