Publication Date: 04/07/2015
Publisher: Penguin
Imprint: Berkley
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 368
ISBN-10: 042527652X
ISBN-13: 978-0425276525
(Received for an honest review from Berkley)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, itunes
Colby Marshall on the WEB: website, blog, facebook, goodreads
Books in the Series:
Dr. Jenna Ramey
1. Color Blind
2. Double Vision
Coverart:
Synopsis:
New from the author of Color Blind...FBI profiler Jenna Ramey has synesthesia, a neurological condition that causes perceptions of color to flash through her mind, triggered by seemingly unrelated stimuli. But she has learned to understand and interpret these associations. They help her do her job. They can help save lives…
A little girl has witnessed a mass shooting. What she knows may be the key to finding the man responsible. Jenna has been tasked with drawing her out, figuring out what she saw, what she remembers, what it means.
But Molly is an unusual child. She is sweet and bright, and eager to help, but she has a quirk of her own: an intense preoccupation with numbers. It helps her notice things that others don’t. It also leads Jenna into a maze of speculation that could turn into a wild goose chase while the body count continues to rise.
Jenna and Molly view the world through their own filters. In some ways, they speak different languages. Now Jenna must learn to communicate, to break Molly’s code, to understand the mind of a murderer…
Thoughts:
Double Vision is the second book in Colby Marshall's Dr. Jenna Ramey series, featuring a heroine with a unique trait for helping solve her cases. Marshall uses the ideas of color and numbers in a very unusual way in this mainstream mystery. Readers who are looking for an uncommon plot and strong characters will love this one. A massive shooting sets the stage for Jenna's latest case involving a six year old gifted child who witnesses a heinous crime. But Molly isn't your average little girl and it's up to Jenna to use Molly's gifts and her own to catch a killer. A very rare book with a fantastic premise!
What I liked:
Okay, so there were parts of this book that were very well written and parts that came across as a little too logical or too easy. But the overall theme of the series is quite unparalleled in most of the main stream mysteries I have read. Marshall gives her heroine Jenna a very rare neurological condition known as synesthesia, in which the patient's neurological pathways are so closely related that they are almost connected. Put simply, this heroine sees in color. Not like you and I do, but in a way that correlates her experiences and can be used to help in her job as an FBI profiler. This was fascinating and it's a real condition. Marshall does't bombard the reader with too much information about it, but she uses it in a way that makes this story something completely different than anything I've read before. Well done!
I don't review too many main stream mysteries because I like a book that is a little less graphic. I don't necessarily like to read about all the guts and gore and thrillers tend to be quite dark in some cases. This book had that type of edge, but it didn't get too messy. Yes, there was a massive shooting in which seven people die, and it is related to another case where more people died, but it didn't give me any cringe worthy moments. I admit to wondering what possesses people to do this kind of thing more than once, but it was the kind of book that was worth reading even if it did deal with some really maniacal minds.
Jenna and her boyfriend Yancy were both great characters that Marshall did a great job writing. Jenna has had to learn to see the world in a different way literally. In this book she has to take her way with colors and try to understand Molly's way with numbers. It was almost like they were speaking two different languages, but were able to find a way to fuse the two to find a killer. I like characters who are unusual in some way and Marshall certainly stimulated that avenue with Jenna's ability. Marshall was also about to show how it affected Jenna's personal life, as well as, her professional life. She was a great heroine and the addition of Yancy as her love interest gave readers a new way of seeing Jenna.
What I Didn't Like:
I seriously wanted to like Molly. And on some levels I did, but I couldn't get away from the idea that she was just too perfect. I know she was written as a gifted child, but she was still supposed to be a child. Even in children who have great intelligence you still have that essence that is still innocent. Molly wasn't like that. She didn't have that quality that made her still seem innocent and childlike. I wanted her to act like a kid, at least a little bit and I didn't get that with her. It seemed like something was missing. She didn't come across as legit, so to speak. Too poised, too adult like and too controlled.
Bottom Line:
There was a lot of potential here. The mystery itself was captivating. Jenna was an amazing heroine and the premise for the series was top notch. I think the author missed the mark a little bit with Molly's character but that didn't take too much away from my overall enjoyment of this book. Main stream mysteries are a little dark sometimes, but they make up for that with sheer realism and gut wrenching action. This was definitely a good one. If you like a good mystery, this one might be right up your alley.
Double Vision is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
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