Title: PAGES IN THE WIND
Author: SALLY SAYLOR DE SMET
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Length: 386 pages
Release Date: September 2015
Publisher: Greenly Publishing
ISBN: 9780996527606
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ I received a free paperback copy of this book from the author through the Goodreads Giveaway program.
I have read many reviews where readers claim that a book grabbed their attention from the very first page, but I usually find that statement to be an exaggeration of the truth. While there are lots of books that draw the reader into the story within the first chapter, it is exceedingly rare to find a book that truly grabs a reader’s undivided attention right from page one. Even rarer are books that are able to sustain a reader’s interest with the same level of intensity throughout the entire novel. PAGES IN THE WIND is one of these rare gems and is truly deserving of the description of “Thriller”.
The year is 1966. The setting is San Francisco, California. Emily Quinn has been accused of murdering her father. She is now in the San Francisco County Jail awaiting trial. However, she can’t seem to remember anything. She knows she must be a horrible person if she was able and willing to stab her own father to death, but she has no idea why she would have done a such a thing. Emily has forgotten her entire past and is unable to access any of her life’s memories.
What happened the night of the murder? Did she really kill her own father? And, if so, why? What would drive a young woman who was engaged and had her whole life in front of her commit such a heinous act? And why can’t she remember anything?
Frustrated, confused and terrified, Emily agrees to work with the Prison Psychiatrist to undergo hypnosis to regain her lost memories.
It is through the sessions with the psychiatrist that the readers are pulled into Emily’s life.
He begins by regressing Emily to the age of eight in 1956 and in each later session he slowly moves her closer to her present.
Amnesia is generally an overused condition when it comes to fiction. Most books then focus on the victim relearning all the things they have forgotten such as what a computer is, how to use a cellphone, etc. Thank goodness that is NOT the way PAGES IN THE WIND is written. Instead, the reader is drawn inside Emily’s memories as she rediscovers her past. And what a fascinating past it is.
The brain is an amazing and fascinating organ. It is intriguing to me that who we are as individuals is actually all contained within a small amount of biological tissue located inside our skulls.
There are a myriad number of mental health issues that can effect a person’s behaviour and a minor flaw in the brain tissue or even a psychological trauma can have a profound affect on the rest of a person’s life.
If the idea of mental illness, psychological trauma, physical trauma and how one’s past can affect their present are intriguing subjects to you, then you need to read this book.
As Emily learns more about her past, readers begin to understand that her family and her upbringing have been miles away from normal. Add in the mysterious childhood death of her twin sister and the fact that no one ever mentions it as well as the realization that her mother was extremely emotionally distant and it is little wonder that Emily’s brain decided to shield her from her own past.
If I was not aware that this is her debut novel, I would never have believed that Sally Saylor is not an author with experience writing multiple books. The fact that this is her first novel leads me to believe that she has a long and lucrative writing career ahead of her.
There are numerous thrilling and unexpected twists in this book. I was captivated right from the first page. This book is not one that will fade from my memory for a very long time. It’s plot and it’s wonderfully vivid and believable characters will stay with me for a very long time.
If this book gets enough exposure I have very little doubt that it will be a Bestseller.
I rate this book as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I believe it should be added to everyone’s MUST READ list. I recommend that you buy this book a.s.a.p.
I’m not sure how long it will last, but currently potential readers have the opportunity to order and purchase a signed copy of this book with free shipping for $14.99 at http://www.sallysaylor.com
See the official trailer for PAGES IN THE WIND at http://youtu.be/vYwHoDh1FNY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sally Saylor De Smet worked as an editor and public relations specialist for dignitaries before writing “Pages in the Wind”. She has a love of poetry, the classics, and any story filled with psychological intrigue.
Sally was born in Nashville, Tennessee and lived in several states before finally settling in San Diego, California.
Sally is the mother of two wonderful daughters.
I discovered (by checking out the author’s blog) that she is already working on her next psychological thriller. Her current working title for the upcoming book is “Brooklyn Bitters”.
Visit the author’s blog at http://www.pagesinthewind.com
FAVOURITE QUOTE FROM THE BOOK:
“You grew up with secrets all around you. Secrets carry crushing guilt. I believe those unknowns tainted your identity. Once the secrets are revealed, you will have a clearer understanding of who you are, and how secrets led you here.”
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