A Secondhand Life (Killer Thriller)

Organ memory. I can't claim to know much about the subject matter. The first thought that jumped to mind was a 90s film in which the protagonist loses an arm and has it replaced with a limb that belonged to a serial killer (I believe it was called Body Parts); which in turn stirred up a concern that this story would be somewhat formulaic. I am happy to report that Ms. Crane has put her own fresh spin on it and avoided tropes and cliches during the process. The writing is engaging and the pacing is taut. The choice of using first person narrative for both the protagonist and the killer also worked quite well. The reader is left wondering as to the identity of the killer throughout. I enjoyed it.

This was a quick read but kept me guessing until the end. I couldn't wait to see how things played out. It was hard for me to put this book down.

I'm obviously the odd ball out here (but there are only 65 other reviews, so..), but this book did not deliver for me at all. Crane's choice to show alternating point of views and the killer's perspective were the only high points. The premise of the novel was great, but there were so many other things that just ruined this for me. The main character is supposed to be in her early 30's, but the majority of her dialogue and train of thought makes it seems as though she's 16. The character development in this was so weak you had to guess what kind of people they were and their backgrounds, especially with the secondary characters. She's supposedly in what we can assume to be a long-term relationship, but we have no idea how long really; years, months, weeks? Without going into too much detail to avoid spoilers, too many things happen that are only believable in that Lifetime movie/ soap opera way. In the first few chapters she's such a meek individual she's too embarrassed to discuss a scar and tattoo with her long term boyfriend or have a disagreement with her mother, then a few chapters later she's brave enough to face down a serial killer after he threatens her life? I don't think so. The way the majority of the books plays out is just so out there it feels like you're reading the script for some low budget daytime drama. I got this for free, but the second my Kindle needs more space I'll be deleting it without hesitation.

Pamela Crane’s A Second Hand Life was a page-turner from the first chapter. Two narrators take turns claiming point of view, Mia, a woman of thirty-odd who edits book manuscripts by day and plays sleuth at night, and an unnamed male killer who targets twelve year old girls in the Durham, North Carolina area. Having evaded capture these past twenty years, this serial killer is known to the Durham population as the Triangle Terror.Mia, who is grown up in the present day chapters, was traumatized as a child. A car wreck took the life of her father. She was the recipient of a heart transplant that saved her life, but the scar is something she has been uncomfortable about ever since. And though she doesn’t suffer the often catastrophic tissue rejection symptoms some trauma victims have, her body takes on a much stranger reaction -- “organ memory.”Mia’s new heart begins to replay moments of Alexis’s (its original owner’s) death. She hears and sees scenes from her heart’s point of view during the ten minutes before the killer strikes. The scenes are only partial, however, not with an omniscient CCTV view but something much closer to the victim. Each time Mia flashes back with her second hand heart, she experiences Alexis’ murder.As a result Mia becomes agitated, less and less able to manage her relationship with boyfriend Brad, and consumed with reviving the Triangle Terror’s case. She starts investigating her own leads, interviewing suspects like Alexis’s uncle and a hospital staffer who happens to be on the child predator watch list. The indignation of these suspects and the irritation she receives from local PD don’t make Mia’s investigation a success, neither do her efforts endear her to Brad. Before long they cease speaking and she becomes perilously close to unemployment.Breakthroughs happen with a dream therapist, however, in particular the guidance for Mia to follow her heart. Shortly after these visits begin, the real Triangle Killer reveals himself to Mia.I enjoyed the pacing of A Second Hand Heart, especially as it neared the climax. The characters of the dream therapist and the series of twelve -year-olds were particularly well drawn. The tender hearted though mentally disabled Landon is a sensitive soul, as well. I enjoyed his portrayal best among the men. Even bent cop Evan has his good qualities. What I’d recommend most about this thriller are the author’s careful use of flashback, the pluck of the main character who won’t take no for an answer and the attention to just the right number of suspects and red herrings. I like it that Mia doesn’t require her boyfriend to bail her out or her mom to pick her up at the city morgue. She has to fix everything herself and the hell with the consequences. It’s not often I read that kind of a do-it-yourself heroine.

I love a good psychological thrillers, especially when we get to see into the twisted mind of the killer.Pamela Crane’s book felt like an amazing episode of Criminal Minds, which I binge watch regularly. I really, really enjoyed, A Secondhand life. From page one I was addicting to finding out who the killer was how it was all connected.I absolutely loved the idea of using Organ Memory to lead the main character down a twist path of murder and secrets. Anything with a slight paranormal edge will always have me on the edge of my seat. The idea that an organ can store memories from its original host is an interesting concept and honestly made me want to explore the idea more.Mia is such an interesting character too. After everything she went through as a child and now hunting down a serial killer, she a strong woman and Crane really brings her to life on the page. How she deals with her own pain in conjunction with her Organ donors pain is simply beautiful. I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good Paranormal Thriller.

This novel asks some intriguing questions. Who has been killing teenage girls for nigh on twenty years? What links the killings? Why haven’t the cops identified the killer, and can the first victim help solve the crime?I found the answer to all of these questions within the pages of this well-written novel.When she was twelve years old, the book’s hero, Mia Germaine, was involved in an accident that caused the death of her father. The same accident led to Mia receiving the heart of the first victim of the above-mentioned serial killer, the twelve-year-old Alexis.Scroll forward twenty years and Mia starts having dreams, apparently from Alexis, in a vivid and terrifying case of the phenomenon known as, ‘organ memory’. The theory posits that the transplanted heart is trying to tell Mia who killed Alexis.Spooky, right?In this taut murder mystery, we have an evil swine who’s been killing young girls with impunity for years and the local police don’t have a clue who he is or how to catch him. We also have a plucky hero who’s determined to catch said serial killer despite the risk to her relationships and her life. On top of that, we have the occasional glimpse from inside the head of the killer and from this we learn his motivation. Add to that a growing list of suspects, each more plausible than the last, and Ms Crane gives the reader a great serial killer whodunit with a twist—organ memory.Do we also have a satisfying ending where everyone lives happily ever after? Heck now, that would be telling and as you know, I don’t do spoilersAdd in a few stellar and shocking scenes that had my pulse racing and others that had me pulling for Mia, and you have a book to recommend. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and cheered Mia along the whole way through the book. And given that I’m a cynical old soul, that’s a neat trick for Ms Crane to have managed.I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good crime thriller.

Pamela Crane A Secondhand LifeThis is a well-written story with good use of language and an easy to read prose style, just the way it should be. Overall, the plotting was good and showed careful planning and good execution. The narrative leading up to the final denouements was extremely well handled and had me on the edge of my seat, gripping my Kindle tightly. I guessed who the serial killer was, but this did not spoil my enjoyment. The subject matter was very intriguing. There is clear evidence to suggest that psychics have solved many a murder case by only the barest contact with inanimate objects.….so it does not require a great leap of faith to believe that someone with the organ of another person in their body could accomplish the very same task. Far from detracting from it, I thought that the casual way that the narrator handles the intimate details of violent death actually adds to the horror, and makes the book even more chilling.I look forward to reading another work by Pamela Crane.

Another excellent read from this author.

Nothing really riveting but on the whole a good story. Characters were a bit bland and predictable. I would recommend if you want an easy to read don’t have to think about story.

Loved this book, very exciting read. Couldn't put it down. Very talented author. I downloaded the second in the series also.