Blackout: A Thriller (Doug Brock)

When I came to do this review I first read the 1&2 reviews (1 each) and couldn't believe what they said, however to each their own in what they like in a book.

So, I've read all the Andy Carpenter series and found a couple that just weren't up to par, I've also read the stand alones and some of them are not up to par in what I like in a book, however, I thought this one was just right.

1. From the beginning it holds your interest
2. short chapters
3. easy to read and goes pretty fast
4. characters are likable, I don't know why anyone would say they aren't 'developed' because I thought it gave a good insight about each main character without going into a boring background of where and when they were born
5. one reviewer said 'you know the bad guys from the first few pages', well of course you know who they are because the story is about 'chasing or getting them' but you don't know all the twists in the story unless you read it
6. I also liked the fact it does not have pages and pages of sex and it isn't littered with foul language, some authors just go overboard with that kind of stuff and it doesn't add anything to a story in my opinion(to each their own)

So overall I'd say don't miss this one and you can read it in one day if you have the time.

I am a huge Rosenfelt fan and pretty much hated this book. In fact, I put it down to pick up two others and may not get back to it. I cared not at all for the main characters which is kind of important to me. I will only be buying the Andy Carpenter series in the future. That's Rosenfelt's forte.

At the Peter Pan Motel, Lieutenant Doug Brock is shot twice before falling over a balcony and landing on his head. The New Jersey state cop survives but is now suffering from retrograde amnesia. The past ten years of his life have been erased from his memory. Doug had been on the verge of revealing the participants of a deadly conspiracy. With the help of his overweight partner and former fiancée, Doug must retrace his steps that led to the motel shooting. Unless he can regain his memory, some powerful criminals will kill him along with thousands of innocent people working in Manhattan.

David Rosenfelt is the best-selling author of the beloved Andy Carpenter series. "Blackout" is one of his standalone novels and is his most unique one to date. It has an extremely unusual hero. Doug Brock must solve a crime with no memory of what he has done for the past ten years. He resembles a modern day Rip Van Winkle. His neurosurgeon, Dr. James Carmody, cannot guarantee he will ever regain his memory. It is extremely terrifying when you think about Doug's ailment. It is almost like being blind. Unable to remember and recognize his enemies, he won't be able to take proper action when they approach him.

"Blackout" has an extremely evil antagonist: Nicholas Bennett. He is one of New Jersey's last surviving mobsters. This is due to his ingenious business acumen and his ability to make witnesses recant their testimonies or die. If you work for Bennett and you are suspected of betraying him, you will die a horrible death. Before Doug was stricken with amnesia, he tried indicting Bennett but failed. Bennett retaliated in a drive by shooting that spared Doug but killed someone he loved. Thus the reader is given the reason for Doug's obsession with bringing the filthy mobster to justice.

Doug is a type of loose cannon who always resents authority. He butts heads with his superiors, purposely disobeying them in order to pursue Bennett. Ladies find him attractive. They appear to fawn after him. He has dated many. Too bad he can't remember them. He mentally kicks himself for having been a jerk towards his beautiful, charming ex-fiancée, Jessie "Jess" Allen, who is a type of cyber cop; she can hack into computers and websites. Jess is trying very hard to forgive Doug for terminating their engagement.

The author has a witty sense of humor, which is reflected in many of his characters. I laughed out loud on several occasions. Both Doug and his humongous partner, Nate Alvarez, can be smart alecks. I loved it when they are questioning a belligerent, uncooperative slumlord:

"I'm getting a little tired of your mouth," Nate said. "How many teeth did you have when the day started?"

A Muslim terrorist, Ahmat Gharsi, is in league with Nicholas Bennett. Together, they plot to murder thousands of innocent civilians in Manhattan. David Rosenfelt's fast-paced thriller, "Blackout," is rife with shocking violence, tender romance, witty humor, unique characters, dark secrets, and deadly betrayal. A short novel with many chapters (some of which have nail-biting cliffhangers), "Blackout" is a quick and easy read that is perfect for traveling. I highly recommend it for mystery lovers who don't have much spare time. Unless I suffer a debilitating blackout, I will be eagerly awaiting Rosenfelt's next novel.

Not as good as his dog-themed novels.

I have read virtually all of Mr. Rosenfelt’s book, including all of the excellent Andy Carpenter tales. This by far seems to be his best book yet! Doug Brock is a detective about to tell his partner about a possible terrorist plot when he is shot. He falls and hits his head causing him to have amnesia about the last ten years of his life. He does not know his current partner, Nate or his ex-girlfriend Jesse (a cop who does cyber work for the police) but he enlists their aid to help him try to figure out what he knew before he fell.

With very little to go on, Doug has to try to trace his steps using the GPS records from his cell phone to see try to visit the places he was at and see if anything jogs his memory. As Doug starts to learn things, the bad guys start to come after him and he must try to figure everything out fast if he has any hope of thwarting a big event that the bad guys have planned.

Doug is also highly attracted to Jessie, who is very aloof with him because of how their relationship had gone. He cannot fathom what he might have done to turn her away and he works really hard to have a relationship with her again.

The author seems to paint the old Doug as a “bull-headed” cop that does everything his old way and Jessie and Nate see the same Doug as the same personality. I did not see it that way at all. The new Doug is a very likable and determined guy who only bends the rules because if he waits, good people will get hurt.

This book is a real page turner and I was able to finish it in two days. The author has written several one off stories from his Andy Carpenter tales but I hope that he has more books planned for Doug Brock!

Doug Brock is a police officer who had been suspended from the force during an investigation of the death of a teenager Doug and Jessie, his fiancée and fellow police officer, were about to adopt. He focuses on finding the killer and breaks up with Jessie. Doug is found shot and it's discovered he can't remember anything from the last ten years ... getting suspended and shot, dating and breaking up with Jessie, who won the last Super Bowls, etc. He does remember his old friend and former partner, Nate.

To lure the people who tried to kill him out into the open, Doug is reinstated onto the police force, working with Nate and Jessie (she's not too happy about that) and stumble upon a suspected terrorist plot.

I've read many books by this author (I enjoy his Andy Carpenter series). This was the first non-Andy book I've read by him and I liked it. I like the writing style as it was funny, sarcastic and amusing at times. It was written in first person perspective in Doug's voice but switches over to third person perspective even when Doug is in the action (I found this a bit strange). I liked Doug, Nate and Jessie and their humorous interactions with each other.

It is the first in the Doug Brock series and I look forward to reading future ones.

Good read.

On time, as expected.

Always love his books!

Blackout is the story of New Jersey state police officer Doug Brock, who in the course of an unauthorized investigation into notorious criminal Nicholas Bennett, is shot, falls from a balcony hitting his head, and goes into a coma. When he awakens, he has amnesia, and so, he must relearn whatever made him such an irresistible target…while hopefully, saving the day before getting shot again.

Gun battles. Dangerous knowledge about notorious criminals. And yes, even some romance. Blackout has a lot going on, so you won’t be reading long without encountering another challenge to be met and conquered. And consequently, it seemed that the pages flew by; a couple of nights, and this one was back to the library. Blackout also has a nice touch of humor, with a series of ‘lost my memory’ quips: ‘This is the best sandwich I’ve ever had. Of course, I don’t remember having any sandwiches before yesterday.’ If there was any downfall in the humor, it was that Rosenfelt might have stuck with this basic formula a bit too long. It was somewhat stale by the end…at least as long as you don’t get amnesia half-way through the book and get to enjoy it anew.

But my more general concern about the story was that, despite the continuous flow of events and characters, it felt somewhat trite. The loose cannon detective with a death wish. The trusty partner, faithful to a fault. The jilted lover that our hero only wants after she is gone. And even the twists – one was foreshadowed, one was predictable, and a third seemed like the end of about 20% of every TV police show. I guess in bringing together so much well-worn territory, perhaps Rosenfelt created something unique. But the tension was never fully there for me, because in its parts, it seemed to move to an inevitable conclusion.

Overall, the predictability of the story was mostly overcome by the pace, making Blackout worth a couple of your reading nights. Just don’t expect to be laughing all the way through.