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Mesmerized
● "Magnificent fiction.... Impossible to put down." –BookPage ● "A high-concept, hard-charging thriller. Mesmerized will keep you just that." –Wall Street Journal Mesmerized explodes into action in the first few pages with the near death of a rising star in the Washington legal profession, Beth Convey, who is given back her life with an emergency heart transplant. To her dismay, she’s the recipient of more than just a second chance at life when her new heart becomes a source of frightening dreams and inexplicable behaviors. Pursuing the discovery that her donor was a former KGB agent who took asylum in the United States, she stumbles into the cross hairs of an ex-KGB general plotting a terrorist attack to restore Russia to its former Cold War status. The broad scope of his plan and the depth of infiltration reaches into the highest levels of both American and Russian political and financial institutions. Simultaneously, Jeff Hammond, a reporter for the Washington Post, has been coming closer to uncovering the true activities of General Alexei Berianov and his compatriots — a belief he’s followed doggedly for the past 10 years — and inevitably he finds his own investigation entangled with that of Beth Convey. Terminated from the ranks of the FBI, Hammond is under suspicion as a mole by the very people he once considered his friends and cohorts. As the evidence piles up against him, and the overlapping circles of undercover operations begin to erupt in a series of murders, Beth finds herself trapped in the dangerous complexities of international espionage. With both their lives in jeopardy from Russian and American conspirators, Beth and Jeff form an uneasy alliance while trying to sort out just whom they can trust. An interesting twist to the usual espionage suspense is the intriguing true-life medical theory that Lynds introduces through her character Beth Convey. Following the heart transplant, Beth finds she’s experiencing what appear to be memories and emotions transferred from her unwitting KGB donor, which engage her in a struggle for control of her thoughts and actions. Detailed descriptions of the theoretical capabilities of the human heart to embody characteristics that were once believed to be the sole domain of the brain are fluidly integrated with the other elements of the plot. Lynds follows up on this very real phenomenon in her in her Author’s Note at the end of the book, with references to publications that can offer readers even more insight. Whether readers accept the premise as having substance in reality, there’s no question that it provides a fascinating substory. Gayle Lynds’s diverse credentials and uncanny sense of the undercurrents in the counterintelligence community lend a heightened reality to a storyline that already paralleled recent events at its publication. American content to believe the Cold War has become ancient history will find her fictional account of the rumors that persist regarding the KGB and the FBI a chilling reminder that the average citizen rarely knows what’s currently transpiring in the shadowy recesses of our government agencies. MESMERIZED is definitely this summer’s hottest espionage thriller, one that’s going to result in a couple of long, suspense-filled nights for Lynds’s readers. — Reviewed by Ann Bruns © 2001, Bookreporter.com
576 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
62 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
Gayle Lynds
74 books236 followersNew York Times bestseller Gayle Lynds is the award-winning author of ten international espionage novels. Library Journal calls her “the reigning queen of espionage fiction.” The London Observer says she’s a “kick-ass thriller writer.” Lee Child calls her “today’s best espionage writer.”
Born in Omaha, NE, and raised in Council Bluffs, IA, Gayle graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in journalism. While there, she often sneaked into classes and readings at the renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She was blessed by remarkable teachers — among them were John Irving in rhetoric and Kurt Vonnegut in a literature class. For her, the university was a lively petri dish of books, writing, and adventure.
Gayle officially began her writing career as a reporter for The Arizona Republic, where a series of her investigative pieces made such an impact that they led to changes in state legislation. Later she took a job as an editor with rare Top Secret security clearance at a private think tank that did government work. Assorted shadowy figures passed through, and not only ideas but engineers and artists seemed to bounce off the walls. She was inspired. She wanted to write about what she was seeing and experiencing.
Expressing her love of mainstream literature, she wrote short stories that were published in literary journals. Simultaneously, she wrote male pulp novels in the Nick Carter series. Soon the two forms began to jell in her mind. The first novel under her own name, Gayle Lynds, was Masquerade, a New York Times bestseller that Publishers Weekly later listed as one of the top ten spy novels of all time.
Others of her novels have been prize winners. The Last Spymaster won Best Novel from both the American Authors Association and the Military Writers Society of America. The Book of Spies was a finalist for both the Nero and Audie awards. The Coil won Best Contemporary Novel from Affaire de Coeur. Mosaic was RT Thriller of the Year. Mesmerized was a Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. With Robert Ludlum, she created the Covert-One series, one of which, The Hades Factor, was a CBS miniseries.
Gayle’s previous husband was Dennis Lynds, an award-winning detective novelist who died in 2005. They had lived several decades in Santa Barbara, CA, where they raised their children. In 2011, a new stage of her life began when she married John C. Sheldon, a long-time resident of Maine. A retired judge, John is a former prosecutor and defense attorney and Visiting Scholar to Harvard Law School. Today they live on fourteen acres of oaks, maples, hemlocks, and white pine outside Portland. A voracious reader, John had never written fiction when they met. Now they have collaborated on three short stories.
Gayle is a member of the Association for Intelligence Operatives and cofounder (with David Morrell) and former copresident of International Thriller Writers, Inc. ITW’s annual celebration is ThrillerFest, held every July in New York City.
Born in Omaha, NE, and raised in Council Bluffs, IA, Gayle graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in journalism. While there, she often sneaked into classes and readings at the renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She was blessed by remarkable teachers — among them were John Irving in rhetoric and Kurt Vonnegut in a literature class. For her, the university was a lively petri dish of books, writing, and adventure.
Gayle officially began her writing career as a reporter for The Arizona Republic, where a series of her investigative pieces made such an impact that they led to changes in state legislation. Later she took a job as an editor with rare Top Secret security clearance at a private think tank that did government work. Assorted shadowy figures passed through, and not only ideas but engineers and artists seemed to bounce off the walls. She was inspired. She wanted to write about what she was seeing and experiencing.
Expressing her love of mainstream literature, she wrote short stories that were published in literary journals. Simultaneously, she wrote male pulp novels in the Nick Carter series. Soon the two forms began to jell in her mind. The first novel under her own name, Gayle Lynds, was Masquerade, a New York Times bestseller that Publishers Weekly later listed as one of the top ten spy novels of all time.
Others of her novels have been prize winners. The Last Spymaster won Best Novel from both the American Authors Association and the Military Writers Society of America. The Book of Spies was a finalist for both the Nero and Audie awards. The Coil won Best Contemporary Novel from Affaire de Coeur. Mosaic was RT Thriller of the Year. Mesmerized was a Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. With Robert Ludlum, she created the Covert-One series, one of which, The Hades Factor, was a CBS miniseries.
Gayle’s previous husband was Dennis Lynds, an award-winning detective novelist who died in 2005. They had lived several decades in Santa Barbara, CA, where they raised their children. In 2011, a new stage of her life began when she married John C. Sheldon, a long-time resident of Maine. A retired judge, John is a former prosecutor and defense attorney and Visiting Scholar to Harvard Law School. Today they live on fourteen acres of oaks, maples, hemlocks, and white pine outside Portland. A voracious reader, John had never written fiction when they met. Now they have collaborated on three short stories.
Gayle is a member of the Association for Intelligence Operatives and cofounder (with David Morrell) and former copresident of International Thriller Writers, Inc. ITW’s annual celebration is ThrillerFest, held every July in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 15, 2022
4,25 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Als je liefhebt, bemin dan zonder reden
Als je dreigt, dreig dan niet in spel
Als je stormt, geef dan uiting aan volle razernij
Als je straft, wees dan streng
Als je eet, geniet er dan van
Aleksej Konstantinovitsj Tolstoj 1817-1875
Het Tolstoj gevoel.
Het begint allemaal als succesvol advocate Beth Convey tijdens een ondervraging in de rechtszaal dood neervalt. Gelukkig wordt zij gered en tijdig van een donorhart voorzien. Na de transplantatie echter krijgt ze vreemde nachtmerries en voelt ze zich bij tijd en wijle een heel ander mens. Door een eigenaardige samenloop van omstandigheden maakt ze kennis met Jeffrey Hammond, journalist en Rusland-kenner. Samen en soms tegen wil en dank, ontrafelen ze een web van politieke intriges, dat gevoed wordt door machtswellust en ordinaire hebzucht.
Met Poetin in het midden van het we . Hoe actueel nu!
De verwikkelingen volgen elkaar in hoog tempo op en toch is er tijd voor het uitdiepen van de karakters. Gelukkig zijn niet alle Amerikanen honderd procent 'goed' en alle Russen honderd procent 'slecht', en dat geeft het verhaal een hoger gehalte.
Het verhaal is dus, hoewel tamelijk 'standaard', met Amerikanen en Russen die elkaar naar het leven staan, bij vlagen erg spannend.
Maar zeer zeker de moeite waard.
Als je liefhebt, bemin dan zonder reden
Als je dreigt, dreig dan niet in spel
Als je stormt, geef dan uiting aan volle razernij
Als je straft, wees dan streng
Als je eet, geniet er dan van
Aleksej Konstantinovitsj Tolstoj 1817-1875
Het Tolstoj gevoel.
Het begint allemaal als succesvol advocate Beth Convey tijdens een ondervraging in de rechtszaal dood neervalt. Gelukkig wordt zij gered en tijdig van een donorhart voorzien. Na de transplantatie echter krijgt ze vreemde nachtmerries en voelt ze zich bij tijd en wijle een heel ander mens. Door een eigenaardige samenloop van omstandigheden maakt ze kennis met Jeffrey Hammond, journalist en Rusland-kenner. Samen en soms tegen wil en dank, ontrafelen ze een web van politieke intriges, dat gevoed wordt door machtswellust en ordinaire hebzucht.
Met Poetin in het midden van het we . Hoe actueel nu!
De verwikkelingen volgen elkaar in hoog tempo op en toch is er tijd voor het uitdiepen van de karakters. Gelukkig zijn niet alle Amerikanen honderd procent 'goed' en alle Russen honderd procent 'slecht', en dat geeft het verhaal een hoger gehalte.
Het verhaal is dus, hoewel tamelijk 'standaard', met Amerikanen en Russen die elkaar naar het leven staan, bij vlagen erg spannend.
Maar zeer zeker de moeite waard.
May 21, 2013
If you love cutthroat thrillers in the middle of political action, this espionage thriller is for you. This takes place in post-Cold War Era America between Russia and the USA, while another kind of war is going on. Beth Convey is an international lawyer, who's also a heart transplant patient, is caught up into a mess, when she came across and witnessed a murder. Jeff Hammond is a former spy turned journalist, when it's after a possible mole in the FBI, and a potential person of interest. Beth and Jeff join forces to stop a worldwide calamity between two countries in an international conspiracy. With Russian killers breathing down their necks, it's up to them to stop them before it's too late. There's also a hint of romance to his fast-paced thriller.
July 16, 2020
Eroina cărții este o avocată stralucita, aflată pe punctul de a câștiga un proces de mare anvergură pentru o clienta foarte importantă. Dar destinul imprevizibil o pune la grea încercare. Ea ajunge în pragul mortii, făcând un stop cardiac chiar în timpul dezbaterilor. Este salvată datorită unui transplant de inima care, însă, aduce stranii schimbări în existența si comportamentul lui Beth Convey.
Un incitant roman, pornind de la ideea că există o memorie a celulelor, ca prin transplant se pot transmite amintiri si informatii de la donator.
Cu o acțiune desfășurată în ritm trepidant, o intriga complicată și o mare bogăție de dezvaluiri despre căderea Uniunii Sovietice si soarta KGB-ului, romanul este un thriller de spionaj de prima mana.
Am avut impresia că urmăream un film excelent de acțiune, aventura, thriller la superlativ. Totul se petrece rapid, faptele si explicatiile vin le parcurs, pe măsură ce evenimentele se petrec... Nu ai sentimentul că rămâi pe afara. Te atasezi de Jeff si de Beth si ajungi sa vrei sa nu ii scapi din priviri. Un roman atat de bine structurat care nu m-a plictisit deloc... multe referiri la spioni, KGB si PDS, FBI si alte organizatii guvernamentale. Antrenant, mereu în alerta si atat de vizual. 😁
Daca iubești- iubește fără motiv,
Daca ameninti - nu ameninta în joaca,
Dacă esti manios - lasa-ti furia sa se dezlantuie,
Dacă pedepsesti - fa ca pedespsa sa-si atinga scopul,
Dacă petreci - ai grija sa te ospatezi asa cum se cuvine.
Tolstoi
Un incitant roman, pornind de la ideea că există o memorie a celulelor, ca prin transplant se pot transmite amintiri si informatii de la donator.
Cu o acțiune desfășurată în ritm trepidant, o intriga complicată și o mare bogăție de dezvaluiri despre căderea Uniunii Sovietice si soarta KGB-ului, romanul este un thriller de spionaj de prima mana.
Am avut impresia că urmăream un film excelent de acțiune, aventura, thriller la superlativ. Totul se petrece rapid, faptele si explicatiile vin le parcurs, pe măsură ce evenimentele se petrec... Nu ai sentimentul că rămâi pe afara. Te atasezi de Jeff si de Beth si ajungi sa vrei sa nu ii scapi din priviri. Un roman atat de bine structurat care nu m-a plictisit deloc... multe referiri la spioni, KGB si PDS, FBI si alte organizatii guvernamentale. Antrenant, mereu în alerta si atat de vizual. 😁
Daca iubești- iubește fără motiv,
Daca ameninti - nu ameninta în joaca,
Dacă esti manios - lasa-ti furia sa se dezlantuie,
Dacă pedepsesti - fa ca pedespsa sa-si atinga scopul,
Dacă petreci - ai grija sa te ospatezi asa cum se cuvine.
Tolstoi
October 1, 2022
eponymous sentence:
p47: "...Does that make it clear, or are you so completely mesmerized by your obsession that you can't think straight?..."
cement:
p88: He dropped to his haunches and pounded his fist against the cement floor, disgusted he had been so careless as to be "killed" and, for this day, out of action.
p257: But the information had little relevance now, because Hammond was the man in the middle, trapped between an armed man at the top of the cement steps and another at the bottom.
p261: He heard her leave, small shoe-sounds on the cement steps.
p401: There were small cuts on his cheeks and chin, probably from splinters and cement chips that had exploded from bullets that had landed near.
space:
p226: He prized its adjustability, itsbig 6X42 telescope with illuminated graticule, and its outstanding accuracy.
spelling:
p406: "...I've been kidnaped...."
p485: "...And I've got cajones instead of boobs, and you're the first baseman for the Red Sox...."
hyphen:
p430: Four FBI men raced after them, finally cornering the pair in a cul-desac against the high wall of a railroad embankment.
I thought Gayle wouldn't be mixed up with that cement-for-concrete business. And that cajones mistake just cracked me up; cojones are balls, cajones are little boxes.
It's so intriguing but somehow I just can't get into it better. There's something that puts me off and I can't put my finger on it. I suspect it's how the chapters are presented.
p47: "...Does that make it clear, or are you so completely mesmerized by your obsession that you can't think straight?..."
cement:
p88: He dropped to his haunches and pounded his fist against the cement floor, disgusted he had been so careless as to be "killed" and, for this day, out of action.
p257: But the information had little relevance now, because Hammond was the man in the middle, trapped between an armed man at the top of the cement steps and another at the bottom.
p261: He heard her leave, small shoe-sounds on the cement steps.
p401: There were small cuts on his cheeks and chin, probably from splinters and cement chips that had exploded from bullets that had landed near.
space:
p226: He prized its adjustability, itsbig 6X42 telescope with illuminated graticule, and its outstanding accuracy.
spelling:
p406: "...I've been kidnaped...."
p485: "...And I've got cajones instead of boobs, and you're the first baseman for the Red Sox...."
hyphen:
p430: Four FBI men raced after them, finally cornering the pair in a cul-desac against the high wall of a railroad embankment.
I thought Gayle wouldn't be mixed up with that cement-for-concrete business. And that cajones mistake just cracked me up; cojones are balls, cajones are little boxes.
It's so intriguing but somehow I just can't get into it better. There's something that puts me off and I can't put my finger on it. I suspect it's how the chapters are presented.
January 22, 2018
I just finished reading Mesmerized bi Gayle Lynds, and was pleasantly surprised. The blurb on the back cover made me think this was going to be a supernatural thriller, and I suppose it was, in an oblique way. This is more a novel of political intrigue.
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When Beth Convey receives a heart transplant after a heart attack, she gets drawn into a plot to restart the Cold War.. I won't post a spoiler, but this was a very riveting read. One of the best compliments I can give is that I would like to see more novels starring Beth and Jeff; they make a great team.
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.
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When Beth Convey receives a heart transplant after a heart attack, she gets drawn into a plot to restart the Cold War.. I won't post a spoiler, but this was a very riveting read. One of the best compliments I can give is that I would like to see more novels starring Beth and Jeff; they make a great team.
January 10, 2019
Gayle Lynds takes you on an adventure of a lawyer who received a heart transplant. The book
includes the world of spies, Russia, the FBI, and a journalist. She has for the reader's information listed the books she reviewed for her story on transplant recipients. This was a very exciting and different type of reading.
includes the world of spies, Russia, the FBI, and a journalist. She has for the reader's information listed the books she reviewed for her story on transplant recipients. This was a very exciting and different type of reading.
August 12, 2017
Russian spies in DC - even though this book was published in 2002, for *some* reason this book doesn't seem 15 years old.
October 9, 2017
Detailed and well-developed spy thriller from 2001. The author's prescient comments about Putin during his first Russian presidency are eerie in 2017! Recommended for political spy fi readers.
August 28, 2018
Too formula. Characters too one dimensional. Romance totally tradition al. The parts where the main characters eye each other are embarrassing juvenile
March 16, 2021
+++
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2022
Odlična knjiga. Napeta od početka do kraja i ona vrsta knjige gdje ju jednostavno ne mozes ispustiti iz ruke jer te cijelo vrijeme zanima što će biti dalje.
February 28, 2024
A fast paced, espionage thriller with plenty of action.
June 29, 2011
This is a quick read for a book that's over 500 pages long but I just couldn't get into it. Jeffrey Hammond reminds me of the inept detective from Lupin III and Beth, the main character waffles between being too perfect to being Pauline (as in "The Perils of Pauline"). By the half way point, the book seemed stuck in a rut of having Jeff and Beth meet under bizarre circumstances only to have the bad guys suddenly appear. A better book in this genre is Day After Tomorrow. If I come across a copy I'll register it and release it.
December 14, 2007
Makes you think about organ transplants.
July 18, 2008
Good fiction. For a slow reader it kept me interested enough that I finished in 2 weeks...that's good for me for a approx 450pg book!
Read
April 23, 2009mystery
July 11, 2020
Exciting spy thriller. Fast-paced and engaging.
Read
July 19, 2011Great!
July 9, 2013
Probably a 3.5. New author and I liked her a lot. Very intriguing.
February 10, 2016
Really good book.
Read
June 8, 2011Okay - like the first one I read, The Book of Spies
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews