Reviewed by Sid

TITLE: Memory’s Prisoner

AUTHOR: Jamie Lynn Miller

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 134 pages

BLURB: Detectives Mitchell Reid and Joseph Valentino of the Chicago Police Department have finally moved from friends to lovers, partners on the job and off. Then an escaped bank robber with a thirst for vengeance shatters their world. The police tactical raid to recapture the convict goes horribly wrong, leaving Mitch severely wounded and Joey with a devastating head injury. They both survive, but Joey’s long-term coma and memory loss will change their lives—and love—forever.

REVIEW:

I always try to interpret a book by its title. This one gave me the idea that one of the characters must be suffering from amnesia and that was kind of non-impressive considering how widely used that concept is among authors. It has been used to the extent of making it boring enough. But I read the blurb for Memory’s Prisoner and thought this was going to be different. I must say, I was neither fully right nor fully wrong. Jamie Lynn Miller makes an attempt to take Mitch and Joey’s story on a lane that feels refreshing and interesting, but somewhere in the middle heads back to the road of cliche.

Mitch and Joey are cops working for Chicago P.D. Their relationship has evolved from working as partners against crime to best friends to roommates and very recently into a blooming relationship of lovers! It is sweet and beautiful what they share but they have kept it a hush-hush affair.

Bad news knocks their door when a dangerous bank robber manages to escape from the police custody. Both Mitch and Joey had worked on that case and they were the ones who had put Doyle, the robber, behind bars. Now Doyle is seeking revenge against these men and he gets it when there is a lead in this case – or they think it is. The cops walk right into Doyle’s masterplan to get them there and before everyone knows it there are bombings happening everywhere. In order to save Mitch from one of them, Joey puts his own life in danger and that is when the time takes a still moment…

With Joey in coma, Mitch feels helpless, guilty and heartbroken. Would this be the end of it? Was this it of Mitch and Joey’s story? Will there ever be a happy ending?

There were moments I seriously doubted there was going to be either HEA or even HFN. At one point of time, you feel hopeless but miracles happen and that is beauty of this book. Feelings are captured spot on. It was sad to see Mitch breaking down piece by piece as days go on and Joey doesn’t wake up. It is more sad when they decide to finally set him free as per Joey’s living will. What Mitch goes through at that time is awful and the author excels in giving us the true picture of that scene.

Memory’s Prisoner begins with a very confusing first chapter which tells us something bad has happened but I couldn’t really connect to it as I didn’t know who the characters were at that point. It was only sympathy that I felt for Mitch. But then the story picks up taking us to read about their time in bed, their work as cops, the thrilling action scene and the hospital scenes. The first half was great.

It was the second half that suffers and dissappointed the reader in me. The return of Joey’s memories was something I couldn’t get myself to believe in. It was out of the blue and so sudden. Also, the mystery with Doyle remains untouched. I agree that they don’t really resume their duties as cops again, but it would have been nice to have some closure with that. Doyle needed to pay for what he does.

Still, it was a decent story that I enjoyed reading for most part. The author has got skills to captivate a reader, that’s for sure. So, I will say – give it a try, you might enjoy this more than I did.

Rating:

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press