An amnesiac and an emotionally-troubled actor meet in the most violent of circumstances in Crocker’s thriller-romance debut. Former soldier and current actor Daizon is out fishing when he stumbles upon “a pale blue, fallen-angel type figure” on the brink of death whom he later discovers is named Amia. Amia wakes up in the hospital not remembering anything, including her name and who beat her so viciously that Daizon found her naked, bloody, and barely breathing. Daizon’s agent asks him to research a future role in the same two-month mental health rehabilitation program, Whole Me, as Amia’s doctors send her to to heal. When Amia meets the man who saved her life, she has the distinct feeling of “familiarity like the fog that she couldn’t quite grasp.” Either because of or despite those feelings, Amia finds herself falling for Daizon and Daizon falls right back.

The mystery behind Daizon and Amia’s meeting looms large within the context of their budding romance, and their story contains all the elements of a compelling thriller. Memories come back to Amia piece by piece with the help of Daizon, their fellow Whole Me program members, and clinical psychologist Dr. Wolf. As each tantalizing puzzle piece clicks back into place for Amia, readers will find it increasingly hard to put the story down. Characterization is strong, dialogue is engaging, the clues are surprising, and the pace is swift.

What Crocker provides to readers is a classic story of a guy and girl falling in love made a few layers deeper by a sensitively handled—and often suspenseful—throughline of trauma and healing. Crocker makes it a point to discuss the hard but realistic journey that sufferers of PTSD must take through Amia’s assault and Daizon’s past in the military and rough parts of childhood. Crocker’s refusal to shy away from the truth of facing trauma humanizes the thriller elements, resulting in a storyline that will keep readers guessing … but also feeling.

Takeaway: Crocker spices a classic thriller with romance and sensitive treatment of trauma.

Great for fans of: Pamela Q. Fernandes’s Find Me in the Snow, Anastasia Zadeik’s Blurred Fates.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A