Black Out (Unger) - Book Reviews

Book Review
Lisa Unger delivers such a ride you don't want the whirligig to stop….Built into the story is Annie's grim reality as well as her even more terrifying imaginations. Until the very end, Unger leaves us twisting as to which is which, and what is actually happening….Black Out is…psychotic scary, all the way.
New York Daily News


Black Out is an outstanding example of the psychological thriller. It's also a white hot page-turner. However, this book is more than a thrill ride. Its feeling-tones and issues linger after the denouement, as is the case with significant literature. Its exploration of the human psyche brings insights both authentic and profound. Annie's plight will mean something to astute readers -they will take it personally. Lisa Unger is not—or not yet—the American Dostoevsky, but she may be on her way.
Naples Sun-Times


Unger's latest keeps the adrenaline pumping with a roller-coaster plot and harrowing psychological suspense...well worth the ride.
People


Annie Powers leads the perfect life in Florida with her husband, Gray, and their four-year-old daughter in this stellar character-driven stand-alone from bestseller Unger (A Sliver of Truth). Less than a decade earlier, however, Annie was Ophelia March, the teenage captive-or accomplice-of spree killer Marlowe Geary. Gray, a partner in his father's private security consultant firm, tracked Marlowe and rescued Ophelia after sending the killer's car over a cliff. Reinventing herself with Gray's help, Annie can't remember all that happened during her years with Marlowe, and she's prone to panic attacks and blackouts. When a strange man appears on her property, Annie's sure Marlowe is back. As a shady police detective digs into her past, Annie must try to recover the memories she buried if she's ever going to be free from Marlowe. Unger expertly turns what could have been a routine serial-killer story into a haunting odyssey for Annie, dropping red herrings and clues along the way until the reader feels as unsettled as Annie
Publishers Weekly


Annie Powers is the picture of respectability, with a devoted husband and darling baby daughter. She is hiding a terrible secret, though: in the past, she was a serial killer's companion and girlfriend. Her experiences have left her traumatized and emotionally fragile, and she lives in fear of discovery. In her first stand-alone novel (after Beautiful Lies and Sliver of Truth), Unger continues her tradition of page-turning action and intriguing plots. The story is engaging, but the heroine would be far more likable if she took some responsibility for her past actions. Unger seems to make excuses for her main character, presenting her as the poor, forlorn victim of a violent lover. Readers will wonder if the author is implying that a bad childhood and fear for her own life justify this woman's behavior. After all, she accompanied a murderer and stood by while he brutalized innocent victims. The ending is imaginative, if far-fetched, but the author's style makes this highly entertaining anyway. Recommended.
Linda Oliver - Library Journal