Protagonist Julia Austrian is a brilliant concert pianist who is mysteriously stricken with a rare psychological condition known as "conversion disorder" (explained in detail in the author's note at the conclusion of the book). She has been blind for ten years, regains her sight suddenly before a performance, only to lose it again when she witnesses her mother's brutal murder. I know this plot sounds questionable but (1) this psychological condition is very real and (2) Lynds is very talented. She makes it work beautifully without putting all of us through the wringer.
This was a terrific read. My only pet peeves...
(1) It seemed slow at the beginning. I noticed the action picked up for me about 100 or so pages into it when Julia meets Sam Keeline, a maverick CIA analyst who saves her life (in more ways than one).
(2)The many confusing subplots that are introduced in the prologue did not give me a very good first impression of this book. I felt Lynds threw too much at me at once and I was ready to put this back on the shelf for another time (I don't handle overwhelm very well!).
(3) Creighton Redmond's character seemed a bit too one-dimensional to me. His corrupted arm had a very long (Inspector Gadget-like) reach. I found it hard to believe that someone, even a politician, would act so desperately and go to such grave lengths to win an election, but hey, I suppose anything is possible...and the very talented Lynds leaves the door open to those possibilities.
Despite these personal objections, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely pick it up again to recapture some of its many spectacular moments...especially those wonderful intimate interactions between Julia and Sam, and of course, the musings of my favorite character, Lyle Redmond (who you'll have to meet for yourself..he's a real kick!).
Cris