Publisher's Weekly
Bloch, whose professional career is now in its 55th year, still manages to write with the same enthusiasm and in the same voice he used in the novels of his prime (c. 1954-1964). A master of pulp fiction, Bloch always sets up an intriguing premise. In this case, a recently orphaned young woman whose parents have died in a mysterious fire discovers a school yearbook older than she is--with her picture printed in it. Bloch piles mystery upon mystery, adds unsavory characters, false leads and several violent deaths, before resolving the whole thing in a typically complicated and unbelievable fashion. Despite, or because of, all this, it's great fun--the thrills and the puzzles keep the reader engaged all the way through, and the prose is befittingly purple.
Library Journal
Lori returns from college graduation to find her parents dead, her home burned. In the wreckage, a daffy psychic finds an old college yearbook containing a photo that looks just like Lori. The ''twin'' is Priscilla Fairmount, who disappeared in 1968--the year of Lori's birth. Lori begins having nightmares and becomes convinced that Priscilla is trying to possess her mind. Under police suspicion for the fire and for the murder of her family lawyer, she receives help from her psychiatrist to find out who the mysterious Priscilla is. Although the story is interesting, most of the characters are two-dimensional. Lori is particularly disappointing: dependent on everyone else to solve the mystery, she herself does nothing but indulge in stream-of-consciousness wordplay. Not bad, but one expects better from the author of American Gothic ( LJ 2/1/74) and the film classic Psycho (1959).-- A.M.B. Amantia, Population Crisis Committee Lib., Washington, D.C.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Bloch, whose professional career is now in its 55th year, still manages to write with the same enthusiasm and in the same voice he used in the novels of his prime (c. 1954-1964). A master of pulp fiction, Bloch always sets up an intriguing premise. In this case, a recently orphaned young woman whose parents have died in a mysterious fire discovers a school yearbook older than she is--with her picture printed in it. Bloch piles mystery upon mystery, adds unsavory characters, false leads and several violent deaths, before resolving the whole thing in a typically complicated and unbelievable fashion. Despite, or because of, all this, it's great fun--the thrills and the puzzles keep the reader engaged all the way through, and the prose is befittingly purple.
Library Journal
Lori returns from college graduation to find her parents dead, her home burned. In the wreckage, a daffy psychic finds an old college yearbook containing a photo that looks just like Lori. The ''twin'' is Priscilla Fairmount, who disappeared in 1968--the year of Lori's birth. Lori begins having nightmares and becomes convinced that Priscilla is trying to possess her mind. Under police suspicion for the fire and for the murder of her family lawyer, she receives help from her psychiatrist to find out who the mysterious Priscilla is. Although the story is interesting, most of the characters are two-dimensional. Lori is particularly disappointing: dependent on everyone else to solve the mystery, she herself does nothing but indulge in stream-of-consciousness wordplay. Not bad, but one expects better from the author of American Gothic ( LJ 2/1/74) and the film classic Psycho (1959).-- A.M.B. Amantia, Population Crisis Committee Lib., Washington, D.C.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
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