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Losing all but one year of her memory to amnesia, television producer Ariel Gold finds herself falling in love with a man from her past whom she does not remember, until she learns he had been at the center of one of her most notorious stories. 20,000 first printing.

TV producer Ariel Gold steps in as on-air investigative reporter in her somewhat disappointing third outing, a slapdash follow-up to Double Take, which left Gold suffering traumatic amnesia after the murder of her twin sister. The first few chapters recap the events of the previous novel: on a pleasure cruise, Eve Spurling goes overboard after an argument with her husband, Jack; only a hung jury has kept him from a murder conviction. Now Gold looks again into the Spurling case for her television show Open File. Additional tension is supplied by the fact that Gold interviewed Spurling during his trial two years ago. She suspects he knows things about her she can't remember about herself. Mercer uses this suspicion to manipulate the reader's interest but never delivers any clear answers for all the teasing?even after Gold and Spurling begin an affair. Because Gold does not have a past, Mercer might have made her a new character, but does not, with the exception of Gold's weight loss, new wardrobe and appropriation of her dead twin's quirky sense of humor. Although the novel's first half makes smooth reading, extraneous characters clutter the stage in the second, and readers are likely to lose interest before the extremely untidy denouement. (Oct.) FYI: Double Take will be released simultaneously in paperback by Pocket.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

First introduced in Fast Forward (1995), TV producer Ariel Gold returns, more in control of her life even though her memory hasn't returned. After appearing in front of the TV camera for a change, she is contacted by Jack Spurling, a charming but secretive man claiming to know her. Does he hold clues to her missing past, or is he a sick murderer who escaped punishment thanks to a hung jury? Ariel decides to investigate, hoping to clear Jack's name. Unfortunately, it seems that his story has some holes in it, leaving her with an uncomfortable split image of the man she suddenly discovers she loves. Ariel's new job opens the way for a host of new adventures, though readers of previous episodes may regret Mercer's decision to ease nice-guy Henry Heller out of the running for Ariel's affection. Perfect for those who like their mysteries on the light side, especially if they don't mind a bit of romance in the bargain. Stephanie Zvirin