The Rasner Effect

The Rasner Effect #1

by Mark Rosendorf

Rick Rasner escaped death in a New York City bridge explosion - but he couldn't escape becoming an unwitting participant in a top secret military experiment. When the Duke Organization, a group of ruthless killers, set off a violent explosion, they wiped out Rick Rasner's life as he knew it. Many years later, as he still struggled to remember any shred of his former existence, he put a new life together - as a therapist in the Brookhill Children's Psychiatric Residence, a facility for troubled urban teens. Brookhill's policies, set by head director Katherine Miller, seemed brutal and oppressive. She bullied the therapists too - Rick's meek personality left him incapable of handling her attacks. He developed an unexplainable bond with fifteen-year-old patient Clara Blue - something about her conflicted, volatile personality struck a cord deep inside his psyche. Rick wanted to help her and the other patients, yet met with non-stop opposition from the staff. The Duke Organization resurfaced, searching for Rick Rasner. When they found him at the Brookhill facility a bloody hostage situation ensued. The lives of both Rick and Clara were about to change - but for the better or worse? Disgraced mercenary Jake Scarberry was forced out of the witness protection program and back into action - after the Duke Organization. An unpredictable chain of events result between Jake, Rick, and the Duke Organization - and Clara Blue. This complex psychological suspense/thriller will leave you questioning exactly who to root for in a battle of good versus evil.

348 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2009

About the author

Mark Rosendorf is the author of the award-winning young adult fantasy novels that make up The Witches of Vegas series. So far this includes: The Witches of Vegas, Journey To New Salem, and Witch’s Gamble. He is also credited with other works such as The Rasner Effect.
When Mark is not writing about witches and vampires, he works as a high school guidance counselor for students with special needs in the New York City’s public school system. Mark holds a Master of Science in Education from Long Island University. He is also a former magician and once worked in the hotel industry.
You can learn more about Mark and The Witches of Vegas, or get in touch with him through his website: www.markrosendorf.com

Reviews

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Rasner wakes up and the only thing he remembers is his name. He is told that he is lucky to be alive, that the brutal explosion on the bridge that took several lives, almost took his as well. Still, Rick is unsure. He is not very trusting of the people around him or his surroundings. He's on constant alert trying to figure out who he was before the blowout stole his memory. Now a malicious group has set their sight on Rick. He soon finds out that he's caught in the middle of a high stakes military experiment.

Very intriguing. This book definitely held my interest. I love a good conspiracy theory story. I look forward to more of Mark's work.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two men, one connected to a terrorist group called the Duke Organization and the other hired to obliterate it, survive a bridge explosion while battling one another. Seven years later, Rick Rasner, an unwitting participant in a secret military experiment, has no memory of his life prior to the explosion. Jake Scarberry, living a mundane, unsatisfactory existence under the witness protection program, misses the excitement of his past life. Rick takes a job as a counselor at a children’s psychiatric residence where he connects with one of the patients, 15-year-old Clara Blue, whose volatile temperament keeps her in trouble with the sadistic director. Scarberry resides in a college town, working low-paying jobs and trying to stay out of trouble. Both men, feeling out of place and adrift, are unaware the Duke Organization is about to resurface, which will bring them full circle to their past adversarial positions, each intent on the destruction of the other.

Rosendorf delivers plenty of nail-biting suspense along with chillingly evil characters and a thrilling plot as two opposing forces clash and re-clash in a battle to the death. Is this good versus evil or evil versus evil? The reader will have to make that decision while enjoying a galvanizing psychological suspense.

[John Foxjohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rasner Effect is a thriller that encompasses many twists and turns. The writing along is enough to keep the reader engaged, but the plot and characterization adds to the effect. Rick Rasner is a believable character with strings and weaknesses, and has to struggle to overcome the roadblocks the author placed in his path.

This book is well-worth reading.

[Allan Azouz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those books that never stops. Rosendorf keeps you predicting what will happen, and often throws in twists to derail those predictions.

You'll want to devote time to finishing it in one or two sittings.

[Sean Randall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas psychologically, but somewhat poorly explored. There was an immaturity to the writing, not to mention a psychopathic streak running through every character, that was a little off-putting for me.

[Laurel-Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first page, I was drawn into a unique storyline that had me trying to put the pieces together immediately. Rick Rasner is the primary character, whom we meet briefly in hospital--and then seven years later in a reconstructed life as a therapist in the Brookhill Children's Psychiatric Residence. There he is a meek-mannered man under the tutelage of Dr. Obenchain, who was responsible for his rehabilitation and his placement there.

With no memory of what happened in the bridge explosion that upended his life, or of his life before, Rick struggles to begin anew. In the facility, he is quickly drawn into the traumas of his patients, especially Clara Blue, and seems set from Day One in conflict against the torturous reign of the administrator Katherine Miller.

What I enjoyed most about this thriller, aside from the unanswered questions that only came together near the end, was how I wanted to root for Rick and even Clara Blue, despite the hint that neither of these characters was who they seemed.

Both felt like underdogs, and naturally I wanted them to win out against the horrific Ms. Miller. There is also the matter of the large bump on Rick's head and the constant headaches and other symptoms that suggest that something is very much awry.

Almost in the background, we also follow the adventures of Jake Scarberry, who is in the Witness Protection Program. His backstory and connections to Rick will come to the fore much later.

What really happened to Rick Rasner? And is Dr. Obenchain a wonderful mentor or some kind of puppeteer? How will the lives of the players mesh, and what will ultimately cause everything to unravel? I could feel my emotions ratcheting up as events moved along, came apart, and then reached a violent and somewhat confusing finale.

"The Rasner Effect" is the first in a series, and naturally I cannot wait to read the next installment. Five stars.

[Jessica at Book Sake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this thriller about the tangled lives of the psychotic killer, Rick Rasner and the ex-mercenary, Jake Scarberry. At first it was a little difficult to understand the way their lives were intertwined, but as the story continued the connection was made. The simultaneous development of the two oppositional main characters, Rick Rasner and Jake Scarberry keeps the storyline moving quickly. The development of the young girl locked in the Brookhill Children’s Psychiatric Residence gives depth to the storyline that made one feel somewhat sympathetic for her predicament.

There is actually no hero in this book as every character has a personality disorder and personal agenda. The author’s detailed study into the delusional world of the criminally insane, as seen in the characters of Rick Rasner and his group of killers, the Duke Organization, fills the reader with a dread that there may actually be people with the same traits in the real world. This was a quick read that compelled me to read compulsively until finished.

Guest Reviewer: Pat

[Linda B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rasner Effect is one of the most unusual thrillers I’ve read. It is also difficult to review without giving away any of the surprising plot twists. The mysterious past of Rick Rasner and his current work at the psychiatric home creates an interesting story, and just when you are very comfortable with the plotlines, everything changes. I mean, really, everything changes. At first, I was not happy with the changes in the book. I was actually disappointed in the twists, but by the end of the book I was pleased to have read such an unusual thriller and I swear, I think the author winked at the reader by the end.

The characters are well-developed and vary in personality and nature. Be sure to read the About Author Mark Rosendorf at the end of the book. It made me laugh and put the book in perfect perspective. The Rasner Effect is a great story that captured my attention and didn’t let go. I am looking forward to reading more from Mark Rosendorf .

[Luigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read