weird twist at the end, but overall an enjoyable read ( )

From Amazon:

Between life and death, between the deepest dark of night and the first rays of dawn, in that moment where we begin to drift from sleep to wakefulness, is where anything is possible . Jack Keeler wakes up one bright June morning to the shock of his life. He gazes in the mirror and sees a half-healed gash over his right eye and a hastily stitched-together wound in his shoulder that looks suspiciously like the result of a bullet. He also notices an intricately designed tattoo—words written in a foreign script—covering the length of his forearm. He’s alone, his house eerily silent without the delightful chatter of his wife and two daughters. He has absolutely no memory of how, when, or why he ended up in such gruesome physical condition. Jack gropes his way down to the kitchen to call his wife, Mia—an FBI agent—and to find some answers. But before he can pick up the phone, his eyes are drawn to the front page of that morning’s paper. He takes in a large photo of a bridge, the guard rail missing, a skein of tire marks on the roadway. Above the photo, in large black type, a headline that simply reads NEW YORK CITY DISTRICT ATTORNEY JACK KEELER DEAD.

My Thoughts:

A few months ago I had the extreme pleasure of reading The 13th Hour by this author and found that it was one of, if not the best book I have read this year. Now comes Half Past Dawn to take it's place right along side of it. This book allows us to travel with Jack as he tries to bring together the pieces of what has happened, who is responsible and where this is all headed. Along the way we get to see him tackle his own demons, question the ability of good overcoming evil and even see how far he is willing to go to protect what is his. Unfortunately for him, there is someone else who is equally as determined to see that the truth and Keeler don't see the light of day. In true Richard Doetsch fashion we are drawn into the characters and the action that ensues. We are also allowed to see the lessons that are being learned by those we meet in the book and see how we can apply them as well. "Death is not always final," we learn," not always permanent; death is never the end."

What is true, though, is that the storyline weaved by the author will keep you tangled in the pages until the very end. Ready for a puzzle with life and death implications? Then get this one.
( )

This thriller reminded me of Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island, with a bit of Michael Koryta's Cypress House thrown in to add some paranormal flavor. It is hard to know who is telling the truth, which are the good guys and which are the bad, and even what is real and what is imagined. And for the most part it goes at breakneck speed.

Jack Keeler is the 39-year-old New York City District Attorney. His wife Mia is an FBI agent, and they have two daughters, aged 5 and 6. Their happy existence is brought to an abrupt end after Jack awakens one morning to discover that he has a bullet wound, a mysterious tattoo on his arm, and his wife is missing. Furthermore, when he sees the morning paper, it carries the stunning headline “NEW YORK CITY DISTRICT ATTORNEY JACK KEELER DEAD.” He has absolutely no memory of what happened or what is going on. He just knows he has to figure it out somehow, and find Mia, no matter what it takes.

Evaluation: I can’t tell you more about the plot than I did, but I would say this is a good choice for an airport or a treadmill when you want a fast-moving thriller that holds your interest. It is just full of mysteries and twists, and definitely keeps you guessing. I had some quibbles with the final twist, but I can’t deny it is thought-provoking (as in, what the heck actually happened?). The author has written four previous thrillers, two of which are being developed as movies. ( )

The story opens as a man comes downstairs for his morning paper and sees the headlines that both he and his wife are dead.

After attending an event in honor of former FBI director, Sam Norris, his step daughter, Mia Keeler, an FBI agent, and Mia's husband, Jack, a DA, head home. They are stopped on a bridge and ordered from their car. When Jack resists, he's shot in the shoulder, placed back in the car and pushed off the bridge into the water. Mia is kidnapped.

Jack survives but since his car is found at the bottom of the water, he and his wife are assumed dead.

With his old partner from homicide division, they are trying to figure what happened. Jack isn't sure he remembers what happened, he certainly doesn't remember getting a tattoo that his on his arm in a foreign languang, and he doesn't remember having his wound stitched up.
A man tries to sneak into Jack's home and they apprehend him but before they can question him, the man escapes.

What are the pieces to this puzzle? Who is responsible for kidnapping Mia and how could they ave staged her abduction so well?

Jack has the tattoo on his arm translated and makes an admission that changes the course of the novel.

The pacing is excellent, as if each thirlling moment was heartbeats in a drama of life.

The book is entertaining and I enjoyed the fast paced story and well described and sympathetic characters. ( )

I read Half-Past Dawn by Richard Doetsch in 1 sitting. It is a fabulous suspense thriller with many unusual twists and turns in the plot. While there were a few faults that bothered me somewhat I don't think they affected the readability of the book or the level of suspense. The plot summary is from the inside cover:

"Jack Keeler wakes up one bright June morning to the shock of his life. He gazes in the mirror and sees a half-healed gash over his right eye and a hastily stitched-together wound in his shoulder that looks suspiciously like the result of a bullet. He also notices an intricately designed tattoo—words written in a foreign script—covering the length of his forearm. He’s alone, his house eerily silent without the delightful chatter of his wife and two daughters. He has absolutely no memory of how, when, or why he ended up in such gruesome physical condition.

Jack gropes his way down to the kitchen to call his wife, Mia—an FBI agent—and to find some answers. But before he can pick up the phone, his eyes are drawn to the front page of that morning’s paper. He takes in a large photo of a bridge, the guard rail missing, a skein of tire marks on the roadway. Above the photo, in large black type, a headline that simply reads NEW YORK CITY DISTRICT ATTORNEY JACK KEELER DEAD.

From this mind-shattering opening scene, Richard Doetsch takes readers on a twisting, turning adventure as Jack struggles to find out not only what happened to him, but to his missing wife. As fragments of his memory return, and with the help of a loyal friend, he reconstructs the events of the previous night, which culminated in his being shot and Mia’s abduction. He has only until dawn of the following day to uncover an ancient mystery hidden in the depths of one of the country’s most heavily guarded prisons. Just when Jack thinks he has put all the pieces together and has saved Mia’s life, a final twist occurs that changes everything.

A thriller spanning time, an Asian people out of legend, an assassin who will stop at nothing to avenge his death sentence, and a diary whose contents foretell the future, Half-Past Dawn is a race through the borders of life and death, insanity and reason, and dreams and reality. In the dim light of half-past dawn, nothing is as it appears to be."

Half-Past Dawn is the first book of Doetsch's that I have read. I am impressed enough with it to want to read his earlier books. He has written 4 other books that have received high praise. Doetsch may become a favorite author of mine and I think that you will love him too. Check this one out. ( )