“I set off at a brisk pace, heading for my apartment three blocks away.” – opening lineAnd life for Jeff Resnick will never be the same again. You see, our hero is violently mugged and finds himself in a coma in the hospital the next morning. When he wakes up he finds that he has the beginnings of a psychic ability and he is haunted by visions and nightmares of a horrific murder. Jeff is taken in by his older half-brother and his wife and relocates from New York City to Buffalo. When he arrives in Buffalo he hears that a prominent banker has recently been murdered. As his mind and body start to heal he remembers an encounter he had as a teenager with the murdered man that significantly impacted his future. He also realizes that the nightmares he’s been having are about this man’s murder. Having previously been an insurance investigator he decides to put his skills to use and follow up on the clues his mind is giving him. With the help of his brother he starts tracking down the life of this man and what led someone to kill him. In the end, he solves the mystery but I’m not going to tell you anymore because, as usual, I want you to discover the story yourself.I was a little unsure when I first picked up this book if I would enjoy it because I think it can be hard to write about psychic abilities in a way that doesn’t sound far-fetched. By I think the author has done the job well here. I really liked the main characters and they were really well developed throughout the book. Jeff and his brother are very likeable and the second theme of the book is they development of their relationship to each other. I am giving this book 3.5 out of for stars, my only hesitation being that a few of the transitions seemed a little stiff. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and overall I really enjoyed the story. It was well paced and I liked how she incorporated elements of the city of Buffalo into the story. I would not hesitate to pick up another book by this author and hope you too will try and enjoy this book.
Der erste Fall für Jeff ResnickDer New Yorker Versicherungsermittler Jeff Resnick ist seit einiger Zeit arbeitslos. Endlich hat er einen neuen Job in Aussicht. Doch kurz bevor er die Stelle antreten kann, wird er auf offener Straße überfallen. Mit schwersten Kopfverletzungen wird er ins Krankenhaus gebracht, wo er zunächst im Koma liegt. Als er wieder erwacht, ist sein älterer Halbbruder Richard Alpert an seiner Seite. Als Jeff das Krankenhaus verlassen darf, lädt Richard ihn ein die Rekonvaleszenz in der alten gemeinsamen Heimat zu verbringen. Seit dem Überfall hat Jeff seltsame Anwandlungen und Albträume, die ihn in große Angst versetzen. Als verwirrend und schrecklich empfindet er es als tatsächlich ein Mann auf eine sehr ähnliche Art ermordet wird wie Jeff vorher erträumt hat.Sehr spannend und vielschichtig ist die Beschreibung der Veränderungen in Jeffs Leben. Durch den Überfall verändert, als kleiner Bruder wieder zurück daheim, tut er sich schwer die neue Wirklichkeit zu akzeptieren. Doch Jeff lässt sich nicht unterkriegen, trotz der schlimmen Träume, ist seine Neugier geweckt. Inwieweit werden seine Träume wahr, hat er eine Art zweites Gesicht. Auch Richard kann ihn nicht stoppen. Jeff will mit seinem Handicap oder seiner Fähigkeit umgehen lernen. Krimi, Parapsychologie, Fantasy - eine sehr gelungene Genremischung, die in eine Geschichte mündet, die man nicht verpassen sollte. Dazu die vorsichtige Annäherung der Brüder, eine kleine große Liebe, eine gewachsene Beziehung, die ein wenig auf der Kippe steht. Bei diesem Buch ist wirklich etwas dabei, ohne dass es zusammengestoppelt wirkt. Die Charaktere sind liebevoll und authentisch gezeichnet und auch der Fall ist packend und einfach gute Thrillerkost. Zwar ahnt Jeff schon früh, wer der Täter sein könnte, doch auch die Bestätigung seiner Vermutungen fesselt. Ein echter Überraschungsfund im Gratisregal des ebook-Stores, dem eine Empfehlung des BookBub zugrunde lag.
What do You think about Murder On The Mind (2008)?
We follow the adventures of Jeff, a man with family troubles, no wealth without a job who gets mugged on top of all this trouble. As a result of the mugging, he lands in the hospital and is offered to go to a quiet(er) state by his millionaire (surprise!) brother.Jeff discovers that he has psychic "insights" into a murder and begins investigating it.From the literary point of view, the book is weak. The family troubles of Jeff, as well as his romance and all the rest seemed undeveloped and bland to me. His psychic power appeared to me as a cheap instrument used by the writer to get the plot moving on. Perhaps, because the psychic power that Jeff has was so poorly described and wasn't really exciting. It allows Jeff to "cheat" through many parts of the investigation that are otherwise tense, exciting build-ups in a detective book.A positive note is that the book doesn't drag on for too long, it is relatively short and can be read on a plane trip in pretty much one go.
—Alex
Jeff Resnick is my favorite reluctant hero. He is mugged, badly beaten, on his way home one night and ends up moving to Buffalo with his successful half-brother. He he begins dreaming of violence and soon discovers that his dreams, and feelings, are in fact reality...an ability he doesn't want. Being the man that he is, Jeff uses his knowledge to investigate a brutal murder and works to solve the case before yet another murder occurs.He is such a strong character who brings a such a wealth of emotion that wanting to read the next book is inevitable. It's hard to describe the range of feelings that one experiences while following his uncomfortable relationship with his half-brother to the budding relationship with a woman he meets in the course of his investigation to his conversations with the old lady in the bakery Jeff becomes becomes a man that one should definitely have the opportunity to meet.I recommend this book for anyone who wants a good solid mystery with a very memorable protag.
—Mare
The brain’s ability to exceed its normal capacity via supernatural means is a very curious topic. Is it true or simply fantasy? People have presented facts to support or argue against this matter, but one thing remains clear: it’s a topic that’s ripe for the picking of authors.Murder on the Mind gives us Jeff Resnick, our main character/narrator who supposedly gained some psychic powers after getting horribly mugged one fateful night. For this particular installment, he deals with his vision about a man who was brutally murdered. The man happens to be his brother’s banker.The premise is definitely interesting despite the fact that it’s not unique. There’s just something about abilities beyond our normal reach that somehow engrosses us into finding out more, and Murder on the Mind capitalizes on that aspect. What I don’t like about the book is the underwhelming mystery. Having a psychic in a mystery book requires a precarious balance of keeping the readers in the dark to keep them turning the pages but still using the ability in a way that helps advance the story. Unfortunately, this was not achieved here. Jeff simply settles onto a conclusion and somehow the book just goes with it. The opportunity was ripe to make a twist, something that could throw Jeff on his toes, but it was never utilized. Bartlett decided to take the safe route and just let the psychic be correct, mixed in with some elementary deduction. In a way, you already knew who did it before it was even made official.Nevertheless, Murder on the Mind is still a mildly entertaining read. If you can get past the premature reveal and simply roll along, you should be alright.
—Hyouten
