Fast Forward (ISBN 0671899619)

A Quick Read- Ariel's Best.:
I would give this 5 stars but it's not like it's Shakespeare or Poe...it's a very good novel, though. I won't recount the story; I'm sure many, many reviewers already have. However, I must say that this is an exceptionally entertaining book. You will have a hard time putting it down, such is the story and it's wonderfully likable characters. This book is the best of the Ariel Gold series of the three that I've read so far; "Double Take" was a too-long letdown and now that I'm reading "Split Image' I'm finding that I don't even care what happens in the story anymore...I get the feeling this was not intended to be a series.

Fast forward me to book #2!:
Ariel Gold wakes up in a body that she swears isn't her's and not a clue as to who she is. Even though Ariel doesn't know who she is or who is trying to kill her, I liked her from the start. Obviously a smart, independent woman used to fending for and taking care of herself, she makes a great character for the first in a series of books. By the end of the book Ariel has made herself into a better person that she was before the amnesia and along the way we get to enjoy a great mystery story. Thanks Amazon for introducing me to this author. I eagerly look forward to the other books in the series.

Since when is 142 fat???:
I can only rate this book an okay. I read a lot and was put off immediately when I learned it was about memory loss. Such and old premise for a mystery. As a woman who weighs 156 and wears glasses (but usually contacts) I was highly offended about her reference of weight as 142 being fat and glasses meaning plain at best, if not ugly. And the child abuse angle of the father's discipline only added to the sterotype. Fortunately, she was called Ariel and not Jane. Plain Jane. For someone described as so dumpy and boring she seemed to have good male friends and allies. An inconsistency at best. I wanted to know more bout the men in her life. Why bother to introduce them if they were not to be developed? One more thing. Ariel killed the intruder and seemed to feel no remorse. That was really strange to me. No way could I sleep in that house, especially with a loss of memory and a fractured wrist. And why didn't that make the local news or come to the attention of her colleagues at "Open File"? They specialized in unsolved mysteries! This book may have worked better as a supernatural story. I love sci-fi and could see some kind of mind/body switch between Ariel and Jane. Or even better, both souls captured in Ariel that were in partnership to solve the crime and improve Ariel's life. This story had just too many coincidences that the "Open File" investigative reporters failed to explore. The same restaurant, the same car, the same night, the physical similarities. Rework the story a bit with the supernatural angle and it would be a lot better. I am reading Double Take now. I hope it pulls all the loose ends from Fast Foward together. Maybe it will explain the title at least. No sex, no daydreaming about sex, no violence, no bad language. Rated PG-13.

REWIND INSTEAD:
Mercer's debut novel certainly has a unique and interesting plot. The problem: the book is way too long and the plot gets so intricate it stops making sense. By the time the novel ends, I'm not sure exactly who Ariel Gold is....Mercer makes Ariel a strong presence, which is to her credit, but how come Ariel is so disappointed in her body weight? Even with amnesia, past references indicate she was always chunky. I don't know whether I'll continue with this one or not; reviews of her follow-ups indicate they aren't as involving.

Engaging Plot:
While the plot is engaging and the suspense keeps you hanging onto the edge of your seat, Fast Forward is a worthy first book from an author & to a series. Ariel Gold wakes up with no memory. We watch as she tries to piece together her life, and figure out what happened that put her in this position to begin with. At just over 330 pages it seems we wait forever through mysterious discoveries, budding friendships, interesting personal revelations until the end. Just when I was starting to get antsy for the end, the story really pulled me in & finished strong. I am looking forward to reading the next novel in this series, and I'm betting I will even enjoy it a bit more than this one- as some of this book got tedius with character development that might not boggle down the next book.