...and Never Coming Back

by Robert Evans Wilson Jr.

Frank Stacy is a motion picture maker with a secret problem - a psychological flaw so subtle only his wife, famous actress Myra Mason, can even suspect it, yet this very defect makes him the hottest director to hit Hollywood in decades. Directing his films with a compulsion to detail, and personally training his actors with a style approaching hypnotism are the keys to Frank's success, but not the reason. Suddenly an accident causes Frank to lose his memory for three days. During that time he takes on the memories of someone else. But memories from where? It is proposed and accepted that the trauma to his brain caused Frank Stacy, the master acting teacher, to live for three days in the role of a character he once compulsively studied. However it does not end; the character keeps coming back and the story twists into a plausible modern day RIP VAN WINKLE as Frank's lost identity awakens after twenty years. The only clue to regaining his memory is contained in a movie he made ten years earlier. A movie exploring the philosophical implications of violating a strict societal taboo; it was Frank's only box office flop. Set in 1987 Hollywood, this literary novel is a psychological suspense that explores the extremes of one man's loss of innocence and search for identity while taking the reader on a roller-coaster ride through the inner workings of the movie business. It is an intricate story-within-a-story, where the actions and relationships of characters are tied mysteriously to the past, and the reader is asked to consider allegory as well as the intrigue of interconnecting accounts.

404 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2015

Reviews

[Yvette Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book needs so much editing! One example is a paragraph that has the same character's named spelled two different ways! This really slowed down my reading. The story's not that great either. Dont waste your time on this one!

[C.S. Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty well written, and it was pretty cool it had a screenplay within the novel (Gen Z is moving that way, where movies and books are blended together - you heard it here first!) and the characters were developed. The MC Frank had a multiple personality disorder, and I thought it was realistic and interesting, especially how his job and the death of his best friend from when he was younger played a role in splintering him. It was a good example of a psychological mystery, and it was very fun with all the film elements and Hollywood situations rolled in.

[Jeanne Lorance]

Loved this first effort. I was invested in the characters and had trouble putting the book down. In this book the flash-backs are an integral part of the story and fives insight into what drives the main character. I recommend this as a good read!

[Story Blogger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an entertaining read! The psychological thriller genre is perfect for this book. Frank/Jack was a pretty cool character. Anyone who would like to work in the film industry or anyone who wants a good Hollywood mystery would enjoy this tale.