Out of Mind

Robin Ballantyne #2

by Catherine Sampson

British documentary filmmaker Robin Ballantyne is filming a documentary in Cambodia about land mines. But her main goal is to get information about a friend of hers who disappeared mysteriously.

Working on documentaries for the Corporation, Robin's latest project is to research stories of people who have disappeared. But when she asks questions about missing Corporation camerawoman Melanie Trent, she gets the attention of one of her shadowy superiors, who attempts to warn her off. Why is the Corporation so desperate to keep this case under wraps? A murder, a kidnapping, and an accident with a land mine make Robin more determined than ever to find out the truth, risking her life in the process.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and actually fairly gritty. I'm not sure, however, whether having the MC be a single parent of twins was such a good idea. All I keep thinking is what a HORRIBLE parent she is. Honestly, I know focused career people but I don't know any good parents whose FIRST thought isn't always of the safety and wellbeing of their offspring and who aren't always trying to do what's best for them. Robin, on the other hand, is always trying to do what's best for her story and figuring out how to get her kids out of her hair to do it. She's actually treats the adults in her life the same way (uses them to get closer to the story and ignores them otherwise) but it's harder to read about a mother treating her babies as an afterthought....

[Jennifer Sigman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unlikable protagonist and scattershot first person writing.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sampson's second work, Out of Mind, has Robin Ballantyne researching a documentary series on missing persons, a quest that will include the disappearance of colleague Melanie Jacobs. The corporation expressly forbids Ballantyne from including Jacobs in the series, which of course, makes her even more certain to do so. Ballantyne's children are growing and are even more active than before and her relationship with Finney deepens.

Out of Mind is exceptional in its treatment of international news coverage, especially news coverage in war zones and of civil unrest and rebellion. The reporters and camera persons must have incredible courage and perseverance, and total disregard of personal safety. It's hard to imagine the horrors that never reach the sanitized sets here in the states.

Also of interest are the debates over the morality of journalism: how and to what extent news coverage sensationalizes the focus of its coverage, and is in some ways responsible for exacerbating and encouraging even more violence. The argument that news coverage is supposed to be objective, and intended to serve the public is suspect, given the insatiable pressure for ever more compelling content.

Fine writing here, and Sampson is not afraid to present difficult and complex issues. I love Sampson's juxtapositioning of BBC's social responsibility with corporate politics and intrigue, a natural part of any organization.

-- Ashland Mystery

[Korynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly, I wasn't a fan of our protagonist, a woman who is a single mother with twins and works as a special tv journalist for an international tv corporation. It seemed to me that as hard as our heroine raced around with her nose stuck in business that she truly had no right to know, and her getaways with her stand-offish frigid boyfriend, she couldn't escape her permanent role as mother to two children who undeniably need her. The mystery is that a fellow journalist disappears and her family asks our protagonist to take a closer look into the circumstances. This involves her going above and beyond to unravel the mystery of whether the disappearance is a journalist unraveling under the trauma of documenting horrific acts of war continually, or whether it's a murder. The whole tale involves a great deal of circumstance and opportunity to move forward, centering on one dysfunctional and unhappy group of people linked to the deceased by past events and gradually the whole mess exposes itself in an explosive fit of drama.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a woman who goes on a quest to find a colleague who is missing. She chases her first lead which lands her on the other side of the world. She faces threats from unexpected sources. When you think you may know they answer, you find that you really do not.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Main storyline was interesting and had good twists. Subplots were unnecessary and distracting. Characters may have been more believable if I'd read FALLING OFF AIR first.

[Chele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A war correspondent is missing and little seems to be done to find out why. Strong characters and interesting sub-plots.

[Smangele Belebesi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crime fiction. Too many characters in this book. Kinda becomes hard to remeber all of them

[Despoina Despoina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το δεύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς αστυνομικών με ηρωίδα την δημοσιογράφο Ρόμπιν Μπάλανταιν. Το ίδιο καλό με το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Falling Off Air, but still good. I really like Robin Ballantyne as a character, and I wish there were more books in this series.