Nameless Night

Ford, G.M. Nameless Night. Another ARC, I found this mystery to have some flaws, but still a fast read and a bit of a page turner. Paul Hardy (real name unknown) lives in a home for the disabled as a ward of the state. He has terrible facial injuries and is unable to speak until, following a car accident, he is given a new face. The plastic surgery that repairs the horrific injuries to his face also removes some of the pressure on Paul's brain, and he regains his ability to function normally.

As Helen Willis, director of the facility where Paul lives, tries to discover more about the man he was before losing his memory, her inquiries catch the attention of someone in government, and things begin to go haywire. Paul is forced to flee for his life and to try to discover on his own what happened seven years ago.

The novel starts out pretty strong (maybe a bit far-fetched, but certainly interesting), then wanders a bit and begins to feel repetitive. I liked Helen and Ken best; they were minor characters, but had a stronger sense of reality than many of the other characters. "Paul" never seemed to move much beyond two-dimensional, but I certainly wanted to know what had happened to him and how he was going to survive.

From what I've read, most fans of G.M. Ford recommend his Frank Corso series and his Leo Waterman series as better examples of his work.

Fiction. Mystery/thriller. 2008. 338 pages.