NAMELESS NIGHT is my second G.M. Ford novel to read, but his 13th book overall. We earlier reviewed his BLOWN AWAY, featuring series character Frank Corso; Ford has another series character, Leo Waterman, that also has developed a fan following. But this one is a non-series book – a one-off that features … well, his name is one of the things that is so fleeting, hence the title.
We meet our protagonist as he is living in a state-controlled home for physically and developmentally disabled adults. Paul Harvey – not the radio host – was found with his head half caved-in seven years ago, and he has no memory of what occurred. Fairly early on, the poor schmuck is run over by a car, and after that, things begin to change.
The man who hit him pays for plastic surgery, and somehow, some way, Paul Harvey’s memory slowly begins to return to him. Telling you any more of the plot would ruin the point of the book. In fact, we don’t figure out any part of what is going on until page 214, and that’s part of this tale’s charm.
So, in the vaguest possible terms, our protagonist has lost his memory. Parts of it are restored due to a traumatic incident. When he begins investigating elements from his past that he can start to remember, federal agencies all of a sudden become very interested in what he’s doing. The story of his journey from complete incomprehension to partial understanding is really quite interesting, even though the overall storyline is over-the-top outrageous.
But Ford is good at finding stories in the real world, and adapting them into mysteries that are equally as intriguing as the real stories. This particular effort is a mixed bag. Its conspiratorial background seems a little harsh compared to the realities of the story used as its base. But what’s well done is the fact that he can take an outrageous premise – such as a man who has lost his memory and his life story and is living in a state-run home, but regains part of his memory and skills after being hit by a car – and he can make this premise shine in a story worth reading.
Ford has managed to craft a totally different feel in this book from his Frank Corso series, but it’s a good departure, and one that’s definitely worth a look. –Mark Rose
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• BLOWN AWAY by G.M. Ford
Related posts:
