Black Out: A Novel

by Lisa Unger (Goodreads author)
Black Out: A Novel
book data
295 ratings, 3.64 average rating, 95 reviews (more data...)
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published
May 27th 2008 by Shaye Areheart Books

binding
Hardcover, 368 pages

isbn
0307338487    (isbn13: 9780307338488)

description
Annie lived an idyllic life; demons from her past are closing in fast - a killer she thought was dead. Clues have been left..is he really dead or will...more




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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 552)

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Peter
04/07/08
Peter rated it: 2 of 5 stars

bookshelves: didn-t-finish
I wanted to like this, I really did. But I put it down about 150 pages in and just had no desire to pick it up again, even after renewing it at the library. There was so much potential for a good psychological suspense novel, but I never felt much suspense in the chapters that I read, and when I did, it turned out to be a dream or was written off in some other way.

I do admit that the author is a good writer, and there were some well-crafted passages. And as hesitant I was about th...more
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Jeffrey
08/08/08
Jeffrey rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: read-in-2008, thriller
Read in August, 2008
recommends it for: Suspense fans of psychologic thrillers.
A long time ago I read early Mary Higgens Clark novels in which a woman has to fight off an attacker. Black Out is very reminiscent of those books but its also extemely convoluted. The action takes place both in the past and the present as the author Unger presents both parts of her main character's life. When Ophelia was a teenager, her mother married a convict who was in prison for murder and rape. At the same time, the convict's son -- Marlowe Geary comes to live with Ophelia and her moth...more
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Barb
03/04/08
Barb rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: read-in-2008, suspense
Read in August, 2008
I can't read Lisa Unger's books fast enough...

Annie Powers is a wealthy homemaker, happily married to Gray and mother to a beautiful four year old daughter, Victory. But all is not what it seems and there are ghosts and demons from her past haunting her apparently perfect and beautiful life.

A lifetime and not very long ago Annie was Ophelia March a young girl living a trouble life on the run with a man she thought she loved.

Now the past has intruded on the ...more
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Merilee
06/13/09
Merilee rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in June, 2009
Great read! I picked the book up for about $8 at my local Wal-Mart; and devoured it in a weekend. It was interesting to read, great character development, good plot line that moved at a great pace.

I loved how the novel would jump between the far past, the near past, and the present... all creating a cohesive story that was intriguing. This writing technique allowed us to relate to the struggles of Annie as she tried to piece together what she had forgotten long ago; it also was an...more
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Melanie
06/01/09
Melanie rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: suspense
Read in May, 2009
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Laren
12/06/08
Laren rated it: 2 of 5 stars

bookshelves: mysteries
Read in November, 2008
Our protagonist was born Ophelia March. But some tragedy struck, and as a mental defense, she no longer remembers exactly what happened. She starts a new life with a new name and the help of a man who later becomes her husband. Unfortunately, she sees a dark figure on the beach and this triggers many confusing memories and the disturbing feeling that someone is after her, or worse, her daughter, and wants to kill them.

This is one of those psychological thrillers that is interestin...more
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Courtney
05/18/09
Courtney rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: borrowed, crime, fiction, mystery
Read in May, 2009
recommends it for: Karen
I enjoyed this novel, but not as much as I enjoyed the author's other two books about Ridley Jones. What I liked about Black Out was that Unger kept me guessing the entire time. The novel was full of suspense and much grittier than her previous two novels. It was definitely more intricate, with a twisting back story. I had a difficult time with two things: 1) The narration moves all around in time: you're in the past, then the future, then the present, then back to the past again. It was crucial...more
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Kathy
07/13/08
Kathy added it

Read in July, 2008
recommended to Kathy by: I had read other books by this author.
recommends it for: Absolutely NO ONE!!!!
What was real? What was imaginary? I feel like I need to check into a mental hospital after reading this book. Black Out really messes with your mind and not in a good way. It is very doubtful that I will read any other Lisa Unger books. I was left to wonder....what happened?
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April
06/17/09
April rated it: 1 of 5 stars

Read in June, 2009
I picked this book up before a short trip at Wallymart. I was really tempted to ditch it about the 6th chapter and spend some of my trip money on a better book. But everyone knows that buying a book in an airport is crazy talk unless you are desperate. I guess my sensible side won out and I just bought a coffee. (which is crazily priced in it's own right)

I had high hopes for this book, and it turned out to be a jumpy story with endless references to psychological terms that made it ...more
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Sarah
07/18/08
Sarah rated it: 2 of 5 stars

Read in August, 2008
There is the possibility I will go back and finish this but I needed to start the Pillars of the earth for a book club and I was just not into this book enough to keep going as I was only half done.
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Tracy
09/04/08
Tracy rated it: 2 of 5 stars

Read in September, 2008
I thought it was so/so. Sometimes a convoluted plot is a good thing with a thriller, but here - not so much. Plot twists were predictable, and overall I found it underwhelming.
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Kevin
08/05/08
Kevin rated it: 1 of 5 stars

Read in August, 2008
A complete waste of time.
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Mcspud47
06/02/08
Mcspud47 rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in June, 2008
recommended to Mcspud47 by: Me
recommends it for: anyone who would like to read a perfect example of a psychological thrillerl l
With the novel "Black Out" Ms Unger has taken the phrase "can't put down " to an entirely new level { in actual fact you have to put it down occasionally just to catch your breath }.
Lisa Unger has the unique talent that makes it unable to compare her books, which to me is the hallmark of a great writer.
No familiar format, no comfort zones for either the characters or the reader. Impeccable research, as always, by Ms Unger leads the reader to understand that the u...more
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Barbara
02/19/09
Barbara rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: 2009, mystery-fbi-pi-cops
Read in March, 2009
This is a wild and confused tale of a woman (Ophelia) who escapes her serial killer boyfriend, Marlowe by killing him and faking her own death. Of course, she has help with this. She has made a new life for herself and has a family of her own now. She is messed up pyschologically and she lasts roughly 5 years before she believes that Marlowe has returned for her. In order to save her daughter, she runs. The second half of the book is her flight and fight to survive.

This book sli...more
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Tattered Cover Book Store
03/20/08
Tattered Cover Book Store added it

Yowza! This is a fast paced, tight, intense tilt-a-whirl ride of a book! A psychological thriller wrapped seamlessly in a many faceted mystery that will keep you up late into the night turning pages and trying to figure it all out (you won't--it's THAT well written, but it's fun and a tiny bit maddening trying). Annie is a loving wife and mother. Ophelia is the traumatized captive of a sociopathic serial killer--or maybe his accomplice. The thing is, Annie and Ophelia are the same person. T...more
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Lauren
05/11/09
Lauren rated it: 5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: mystery-thriller
Read in May, 2009
Told in alternating chapters of the past and the present, we slowly begin to realize that all is not well with Annie/Ophelia. Given her mental status, the reader begins to wonder how much of what she says is the truth and how much of it is just in her head. The truth is made harder to see given that everyone around her seems to be lying, all for various reasons. Although certain parts of the ending begin to be easily predicted about half-way through, this is an entertaining psychological thrill...more
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Michelle
12/22/08
Michelle rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in December, 2008
I applaud the writer of this book for a very well-planned out plot and all the thought she must have put into this. It is good as a psychological thriller. For pure entertainment, it is pretty disturbing, and possibly could have stopped with like 5 less plot twists but still a good book.
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Dorothy Caimano
07/04/09
Dorothy Caimano rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in July, 2009
Complicated, engaging, intriguing. The main character has breaks with reality so the reader isn't always sure what is present/past, real/imaginary. Comes together nicely in the end with enough loose ends to be consistent with the established psychological state.
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Janet
05/21/09
Janet rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: fiction
Read in May, 2009
An OK thriller. Ophelia has changed identities to escape her past. As a teenager she was in love with a dangerous murderer. There are twists and turns along the way--some believable and some not. Pretty good writing and nicely paced.
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Kt
01/16/09
Kt rated it: 3 of 5 stars

Read in December, 2008
Actually listened to it on mp3 from my library. Took a long time to listen too, kept my attention but wasnt a "need to hear some more" type of book. Wasnt sure I liked the ending, but it was a good read.
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