Second Sight: A Novel of Psychic Suspense

When I turned the last page of this book I said "WOW!" The last time I read a book that kept me reading non-stop like this one was "The Eye of the Needle" by Ken Follet. George Shuman paints us a portrait of Sherry Moore, a woman who is blind since childhood, but can see the last 18 seconds of a dead person's life. She helps in criminal cases. After an accidental exposure to radioactive material during one of her investigations, her neurologist is proceeds to test her brain waves when she touches the hand of an old Korean War veteran who has died of an aneurysm. This encounter restores her vision and takes her and her best friend and neighbor Garland Brigham on a wild exploration into the dark side of human experimentation. I could not stop reading this book. It gets better and better from the first page to the last page. With every turn of the page you wonder how they will get out of the situation that find themselves in. You start reading comfortable in your chair and are on the edge of your seat by the end. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I look forward to reading more of this author's books.

The publicity materials that I received with SECOND SIGHT, George D. Shuman's fourth book featuring Sherry Moore, helpfully describes it as "(A) novel of psychic suspense." While true, it is also a technological thriller, a character study, a romance of sorts, and, above all, a subtle page-turner that begs to be read in one sitting. If you don't have Shuman on your must-read list of authors, SECOND SIGHT will provide you with an excellent reason to do so. It would be easy to describe Moore as a "blind psychic," but she is much more than that. Her lack of physical vision is not congenital, but was visited upon her --- apparently from some unknown trauma --- while she was still a young child. It left her with an ability to tap into the final memories of a deceased person by touching them (to call it "channeling" would not be entirely accurate), an ability that has brought her fame, notoriety and tragedy. Indeed, SECOND SIGHT begins with Moore being accidentally exposed to a potentially lethal dose of radiation while assisting on a case in New Mexico. The exposure, and the resultant treatment and testing back home in Philadelphia, is one of the "ticking clocks," if you will, that resonates throughout the book. There is, however, another that is of arguably equal import. Moore, while on a hospital gurney, comes into contact with the body of Thomas J. Monahan, a long-term resident of a mental hospital in rural New York. In addition to experiencing a series of visions that are by turns horrific and enigmatic, Moore suddenly and inexplicably regains her sight. As one might imagine, this unleashes a whole series of questions and concerns, not the least of which is whether Moore still possesses the ability to visualize the last memories of the recently dead. That question is answered in a dramatic moment, but more are raised along the way. Moore understandably feels a link to Monahan and wants to find out more about him. She begins asking questions about the man, a Korean War-era serviceman whose official Army records don't coincide with his medical transcript. Garland Brigham, Moore's seasoned and extremely capable neighbor, is there to help (and to slowly entangle himself emotionally with someone as well), but his enigmatic and subtle efforts and Moore's own tenacity attract the attention of Edward Case, the wealthy and influential head of a major pharmaceutical company whose fortunes are tied to keeping the true story behind Monahan quiet. In order to maintain the status quo, Case unleashes Troy Weir on her. Weir, Case's stepson, is totally without scruples, and worse, he possesses a weapon prototype that is even more chilling in its execution than it is in theory. As a final confrontation is carried out against the backdrop of a dangerous and ironic tableau, Moore learns the answer to more than one question that has been troubling her, even as her own life is in mortal danger. Shuman is an amazing craftsman whose best stories have yet to be told.

SECOND SIGHT, by George D. Shuman, is his fourth novel in a series featuring Sherry Moore, a blind woman who can "see" the last moments of the recently dead, simply by holding their hand. I originally met Sherry in Shuman's third novel, LOST GIRLS, which I enjoyed very much, so I was thrilled for the opportunity to join Sherry again on another heart-pounding adventure. SECOND SIGHT really delivers. Full of suspense and intrigue, this time, the adventure is personal. In SECOND SIGHT, a series of random events miraculously restores Sherry's sight. Blind since she was 5 years old, Sherry is amazed and distracted by the visual world around her. Giddy as a toddler mastering a new skill, Sherry forsakes her instincts and common sense, responding to situations and people based on appearance and newness alone. But there is an expensive price for the "gift" of sight. Has Sherry lost her special abilities forever? Will she come to her senses in time to save herself and those around here? Or will Sherry's SECOND SIGHT be her downfall? Sherry Moore continues to be a wonderfully written, well-developed character. Her disabilities and her gifts have always made her three-dimensional, strong, likeable, and charming, but in SECOND SIGHT, Sherry's character becomes even more human, as full of foibles and mistakes as the rest of us. SECOND SIGHT is a fast-paced page turner - a quick read, finished in just a few sittings. The story itself is engrossing and a very personal look into Sherry's world. You need to keep reading to find out what happens next, to find out what will happen to Sherry. Sherry is a character about whom it is very easy to care. I still have not read the first two novels in the Sherry Moore series, but after reading SECOND SIGHT, I am very much resolved to do so. Sherry Moore is interesting and endearing, and I definitely want to get to know her better. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Sherry Moore is the type of characters that grabs you from the first book and stays with you through all the future installments. In this 4th outing, Sherry, who was found on the steps of a hospital at the age of 5 and suffers from cortical blindness, is called in to "see" the last 18 seconds of life of a person who has died from a possible virus outbreak in New Mexico; while undergoing this simple task she is exposed to radioactive cesium 137. While in the hospital for treatment for the radiation and the subsequent migraines, she once again touches the hand of a dead man, a man that has spent the last 50 years in an asylum in a comatose state. When the choppy visions appears to Sherry she is unsure of what exactly it is that she is seeing, until the final moments when she comes out of her trance, but this time it's different, this time she can see. Literally see, for the first time in over thirty years. Sherry has to get used to a whole new world. A world where bright shinny objects and bright shinny people can distract her from the world that she has always known. Not everyone is thrilled with Sherry's abilities and the world throws her a curve once again. The hand of the dead man, the one from the asylum, was not just any old guy. He held secrets, secrets that very important people don`t want the rest of the world to know; and if Sherry is in the way, well, that's just the cost of doing business. In this very enticing game of cat and mouse, Sherry must lean on her friend Admiral Garland Brigham and his breakfast club to bring a very powerful man and his organization down. Overall, I love the Sherry Moore books, the last one, Lost Girls, was a bit of a disappointment, but Shuman kicked it back up to his usual high standards with this one and I, for one, look forward to many more.

George Shuman is fast becoming one of my favorite writers and Sherry Moore is one of my favorite heroines. The latest book, Second Sight, begins over fifty years ago during the Korean conflict and involves a secret government base in the Catskills. The present day adventure begins when Sherry is exposed to a deadly dose of radiation and then meets a recently deceased soldier of the Korean conflict. The action is fast paced. The government involvement is spicy. The story is magnificent. I could not put the book down. I don't want to give away the particulars because that would water down the suspense for you, and the suspense is delightful. As always, Shuman creates and develops wonderful characters. These characters make me grab the next book as soon as it is available. I always want to know what is happening next to them. I highly recommend this book (and the whole darn series.)