The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes

After being so enthralled by the  heroine in “Before I Go to Sleep” who suffered from amnesia that I was eager to read another fictional novel revolving around memory loss.  The book’s beginning reminded me of the Bourne novels, when the main character wakes up naked on a beach in Maine.  The BMW near the shore is unlocked, and equipped with clothes, money, a California driver’s license, and a gun, and although Daniel Hayes cannot recall how he got to the beach, or whether the car is actually his, the clothes fit him and the car seems familiar.

We learn that Daniel’s wife recently died and the police suspect him of murdering her.  And that is where is excitement of the book dissipates.  Daniel labors too long without knowledge of the events prior to waking on the beach and stumbles too effortlessly upon friends who clue him in on who he is.  The dialogue between the only mildly developed characters is flat and trite.  Overall, it did not hold my interest and I gave up before hitting 200 pages.   I could not recommend this book.