About the Author

Goodkind was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, where he also attended art school, one of his many interests on the way to becoming a writer. Besides a career in wildlife art, he has been a cabinet maker, violin maker, and he has done restoration work on rare and exotic artifacts from around the world. In 1983 Goodkind moved to the forested mountains he loves. There, in the woods near the ocean, he built the house where he and his wife, Jeri, live, and came at last to tell his own stories.

Reviews

Science fiction author Goodkind takes a new approach to the modern-day thriller in this fantastic tale featuring Alex, a down-and-out artist set to inherit a fortune on his 27th birthday. The catch is that Alex is set to inherit his mother's insanity as well, which overcame her when she reached the same age. Mark Deakins proves a master storyteller; his strong performance shines with excellent stage presence from start to finish. Deakins speaks in a strong, commanding tone and is a virtuoso at accents and dialects-and Goodkind gives him plenty of each to play with. A Putnam hardcover (Reviews, June 22). (Sept.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Goodkind follows his mega-successful fantasy series, "The Sword of Truth," with this spin on a contemporary thriller. On his 27th birthday, Alexander saves a woman from being hit by a truck and later in the day, receives a deed to a piece of land from his grandfather. Alexander's mother had also had a memorable 27th birthday-she was committed to a mental asylum for claiming people in the mirrors were after her. Now Alexander thinks he, too, is starting to see things. Is he about to lose his mind, or is something more sinister at work? Verdict Unfortunately, Goodkind's tense and exciting thriller serves to continue his fantasy series rather than break away from it; more stories are clearly coming. Still, newcomers will enjoy the blended fantasy/thriller elements, and his legion of fans won't complain either. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/09.]-Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.