The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes

Hmmmm… An interesting mystery/drama, not sure how I feel about it.  The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey begins with a man who is drowning waking up on a beach in Maine only to realize he has no idea who he is….  take that for a start of a well-written murder mystery.  When the man learns who he is, by happenstance, he then finds out he is wanted for murder…. the murder of his wife, a gorgeous “knock-em-dead” successful television actress who was killed when her car plummeted off a cliff in California.  Police are looking for Daniel, as is a mystery man who believes that Daniel has something of his.  All of this mystery produces the “sleuth-solving” Tom (that’s me) to figure things out.  My father used to solve all of the Perry Mason cases on TV when I was a kid (repeats, believe me I’m not that old), so solving these stories aren’t as difficult as you might think.  I guessed right a number of times on this one – to include the person initially killed wasn’t!!!  OK, I won’t give it all away.  This book has lots of suspense and intrigue, as amnesia cases usually do.  There were some subplots in this one that got carried away a little bit, including the “mystery man’s” history with Daniel’s wife, but in the end woven together nicely.  I wasn’t a big fan of the rather ambiguous ending.  Give us the ending concretely, Mr. Sakey, it’s ok to do so.  I listened to this one on tape, and I stayed on the edge of my seat throughout.  A pretty short book, so was able to listen to it all in a day and a half.  Sakey is known for his mystery novels.  You can add this one to your list, not bad.