REVIEW - THE LAZARUS EXPERIMENT BY MARK DEGASPERI

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DESCRIPTION:

In 2084, in Upstate New York, Dr. Jonathan Kelton, scientist and chemistry professor, returns home after spending a year in a coma. He has literally been put back together after a catastrophic explosion in his home lab, an event that remains mysterious to him. Under the care of the enigmatic Dr. Rose, he discovers strange gaps in his recent memory -- even as he tries desperately to re-bond with his wife, with whom he was in a faltering marriage, and his seven-year-old son. When the body of his one-time 28-year-old, female graduate student surfaces in the Hudson River after a storm -- having been mutilated and submerged a year earlier -- Jonathan is devastated to find himself accused of her murder. In fact, as he pieces together memories on his own -- with the aid of a remote psychiatric device he creates for himself -- he starts to recall details of a possessive and dangerous affair with her; in the face of a jealous boyfriend, a demanding, drug addict half-brother, a possibly sinister connection to a bomb plotter at their own university, and also, the girl’s own increasingly sadomasochistic tendencies. Even as he worries that the doctor’s radical, experimental surgery has left him subject to some form of mind control because of his memory lapses, Jonathan tries to race the police to find out who murdered this scared and wayward girl, to protect himself and his family. Did he ever really know the truth? Can he find out who does? Or could he himself really be the killer?

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

This book was a total mind trip for me.  I really really enjoy books that make me think.  

Dr. Johnathan Kelton wakes up after spending a year in a coma.  He has no real memory of what happened to him.  When he is released from the hospital and goes home to his wife Diana, and his son Henry.  Things never seem quite right with Johnathan.  He is not quite himself.  He has literally been put back together through scientific means after the fire his lab.

Johnathan, can't remember anything, and is searching for answers about what happened to him.  His wife Diana tries to keep everything as normal as possible at home.  He knows that things were not quite right with him and his wife before the fire, but cannot remember what happened.  When a girl washes up after being submerged under water for a year, the name seems a bit familiar to Johnathan but he cannot place it.  In his search to find out what exactly happened to him facts about the girl who washed a shore, and his life begin to intertwine.

This is when the book gets trippy.  Johnathan finds out he is the prime suspect in the murder of this girl, and is determined to clear himself and find out what happened to the girl.

The story takes you on a ride though Johnathan's past, and brings us up to speed on what really happened to Johnathan, his wife, and the dead girl.

Just when you think you have figured something out another plot twist comes into play.  I kept thinking I knew who the bad guy was and then bam....another twit.  It was awesome.

The ending totally surprised me.  It was hard for me to determine who the bad guy, and the killer were.  Were they the same or were they two or more people.    I enjoyed the ride this book took me on.  I love it when a book keeps me guessing about the outcome.

The thought of being able to be brought back to life and have your memories erased is a little crazy to me.  There are people in this book who experiment with things that just plain scare me.  I know it's just a book, but there is always that "WHAT IF" question.  :)

Content:  There is language in this book  and the "f" word is used a few times.  There is sexual content that is sometimes a bit too descriptive for my liking so just be aware if you are getting this book for a younger teenager.  BUT, in MY opinion it is an Adult book.

Source:  I was given this book by the author in return for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way for this review,  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

MY RATING:

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mark DeGasperi has been a freelance script doctor, lecturer and professional story analyst in New York, reading screenplays, stage plays and books for film and TV adaptation. Most recently, he has worked for Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Productions and Miramax Films. Previously, he has covered and scouted movie material for Universal Pictures, New Line Cinema, the former William Morris Agency (WME), International Creative Management, Jonathan Demme’s Clinica Estetico, Stanley Jaffe’s Jaffilms, Imagine Films and Polygram Films. He has taught the Master Class in Screenwriting, the thesis class for undergraduates, at the School of Visual Arts as well as Screenwriting III and Marketing Your Screenplay at NYU/SCPS. He has also lectured at Baruch College, the New York Institute of Technology, the Hudson Valley Writers Center and Learning Annex. He has received an NYU/SCPS Award for Service.