After suffering a severe head trauma, a John Doe awakens at Reinhardt Rehabilitation Center in Joliet, Illinois. Its very apparent that John is suffering from amnesia. Soon John Doe becomes a national media celebrity. This leads to John receiving a visit from his alleged brother Robert, who tells him he is John McNalley. However, Robert is actually a cop who threatens to kill John, but the amnesiac manages to escape.

Soon, the cops and a serial killer artifact collector want to capture John and neither care whether he is breathing when they do. Desperate, John turns to private investigator Jessie Bales for help in uncovering JohnÆs true identity. However, the trail leads to a series of mutilated photos of women, a maniacÆs diary, and a slew of corpses. Jessie, who is falling in love with John, wonders if he is actually a serial killer.

At first glance, HEAD CASE seems like a standard psychological thriller with all the right buttons being pushed. However, in the talented hands of Jay Bonansinga, the book turns into a taut chiller. The story line, built around JohnÆs troubles (both mentally and life threatening), is action-packed and extremely exciting. Fans of the sub-genre will want Jessie and John to star in future novels.

Harriet Klausner