Mind Hostage

by Emily W. Skinner

Inspired by true events. The effects of anesthesia can linger post-op in a geriatric brain, as was the case with Suzy's mother, Ginny. But something has gone terribly wrong. As Ginny's thoughts are being erased, she exposes shocking repressed memories. Conspiracy. Revelations, that if true, could mean Suzy is in danger.

262 pages, Paperback

Published March 8, 2022

About the author

Emily had a goal when she was 15, she would have a daughter named Marquel and write a novel titled "Marquel." She accomplished both and more.

A member of The International Thriller Writers, Emily was a protege of the late master of the pulps or paperback originals, Harry Whittington. Emily interviewed Whittington during her days as a feature writer for the Clearwater Sun daily newspaper and its weekly division. They became friends and he taught her how to plot and gave her approval of the original outline and sample chapter for "Marquel" shortly before he died in 1989.

After Whittington passed away, Emily challenged herself to write as her mentor did and wrote a chapter a day and finished the novel "Marquel" in 52 days. For more details on the novel's history read: http://www.thefilmmom.blogspot.com/20...
Fast forward, a second daughter, Blair is born and Emily and husband Tom focus on raising their family. Both daughters are now grown and work in Hollywood. So this might be an example of art imitating life or the reverse?

A devoted Catholic, Emily is rekindling her love for writing and has just completed the movie script for "Marquel" and the pilot for her a young adult paranormal series appropriately named after her youngest child, "St. Blair: Children of the Night."

Her third book in the St. Blair: Children of the Night series: "The Diary of St. Blair" is set to release on All Saints Day, November 1st 2017.

Emily also writes under the name E.W. Skinner

When Emily isn't working as a marketing consultant or writing, she enjoys writing and producing short films. Emily is the proud Executive Producer of Blair Skinner's film "Relative Eternity," a 2012 LA Shorts Film Festival selection, Sunscreen Film Festival selection and Short Film Corner Festival de Cannes selection. Written, directed and edited by Blair Skinner, "Relative Eternity" is on snagfilms.com for your viewing pleasure. It is free to view.

Also, watch for Emily's short film "Dough Nuts and More," with daughter Marquel directing and the lead Jane Dough and daughter Blair, assistant director. The premise is based on Emily's experience as a sales rep.

Dough Nuts and More
Logline: Supermom and superstar sales rep Jane Dough has prepared for two years to close the biggest sale of her newspaper career when her presentation is disrupted by a call that her husband John is in the emergency room.

Follow Emily's Blog at: http://thefilmmom.blogspot.com/

Reviews

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing about postoperative cognitive dysfunction, but can say I saw a decline in a loved one after multiple surgeries over a year and half. While fiction, it is based upon the author’s research.

As Ginny’s memories are disappearing, repressed memories are surfacing and if true could mean danger to her daughter, Suzy. While the story unfolds a little chaotically at times, I think this is intentional to create the tone the author wanted.

It is not a book you will fly through due to its complexity, but is definitely worth the read. And definitely read the What’s True section at the end of the book to learn more about the authors’s research.

[Jeremiah Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired by true events.

The effects of anesthesia can linger post-op in a geriatric brain, as was the case with Suzy's mother, Ginny. But something has gone terribly wrong. As Ginny's thoughts are being erased, she exposes shocking repressed memories. Conspiracy. Revelations, that if true, could mean Suzy is in danger.

This is a complex book (in a good way) which I ended up enjoying very much. However, because of the complexity it is difficult to succinctly review. Skinner takes on a challenging task in this novel which left me thinking about the work in multiple layers.

Working from the inside out, the first layer of the book is a medical mystery. Skinner tackles the very real issue of post-operative cognitive disorder (POCD) which happens with many geriatric patients when they are placed under general anesthesia for a surgical procedure. This layer of the book is about raising awareness and to some degree advocacy. I highly encourage you to read the detailed section on this after the conclusion of the book. While this layer is insanely eye opening and incredibly important it is also well blended into the novel and not overwhelming in medical terms and explanations.

The second layer of the book is classic conspiracy/espionage mystery novel. Throughout the book there is suspicion lingering in the air, a sense of being watched, and honestly fear of who or what might happen next. I am a fairly experienced mystery novel reader and typically have the book worked out no less than 3/4 of the way through. However, this novel defied my ability to sort out the plot line and figure out who the mystery. Very impressed that it was unveiling itself to me as I read the final pages.

Third and final layer -- structure, composition, and extraneous details. The weaving in of different characters, the day-to-day activities, the presence of a natural disaster all added to the novel. However, you are looking as a reader for something formulaic and predictable that will not raise your anxiety this book is not that. Rather, the structure, composition, and little details of the book added to a sense of chaos and urgency the main character was experiencing.

Overall, while the complexity of the story through me for a loop at times, I really was impressed with this novel in the end. Excellent writing of a mystery but also very eye opening advocacy. Well worth the read.

[MTM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind Hostage was confusing and all over the place at times, but that worked for this book and I flew through it to find out what was going on. I could only imagine the confusion I was feeling was a fraction of what Ginny must have been experiencing. Suzy’s emotions were so strong that I could feel her frustration and helplessness with her mother’s condition and care. She was dealing with a lot of other stressful things in her life and blaming herself for not being a better advocate for Ginny. There was also an underlying mystery about Ginny’s past, but I can’t say much about it without giving spoilers, so I’ll just say that this story took a seriously interesting turn and I really enjoyed it!

I knew nothing about Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction prior to reading Mind Hostage, but POCD is a real condition and there is still so much research to be done on the aging brain. This book also showed the all too real experience of miscommunication and misinformation about a patient’s health care, medications, and side effects, which happens quite frequently with patients of any age. I highly suggest reading the What’s True section at the end of this book because it was extremely informative, interesting, and enlightening.

*I received a gifted digital copy of this book from Kate Rock Book Tours and Emily Skinner. All opinions are my own.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this on Wednesday night and can I tell you how much I enjoyed this read? It was interesting to say the least and kept me reading. Thank you to Emily and Kate Rock with Kate Rock Book Tours for allowing me a review copy!

Suzy’s Mom, Ginny, goes in for a basic knee surgery and comes out acting funny. She begins telling Suzy she wants her to write her story. Intrigued Suzy goes ti the rehab facility to do just that but, Ginny’s words become odd and puzzling.

Anesthesia is something that helps us feel no pain as they do surgery on our bodies but, the effects it has on our brains and older brains is something else altogether. Not always recognized, it’s deep and dark twists is to be studied and questioned. Don’t always accept the experts when they say there are no risks, there are risks to everything in life and this is just one of those that should be questioned before going under. Especially for the geriatric age, do your research and due diligence.

The history and stories in this read were good and entertaining. I really enjoyed this read and definitely recommend it to you all.

[Kerry Croucier · Rating 3 out of 5]

MIND HOSTAGE by Emily W. Skinner is based on true life events surrounding the ultimate diagnosis of postoperative cognitive dysfunction of someone close to Skinner. I had never heard of this, and it was interesting to learn more about it, and watch the confusion of both Ginny (who gets lost in it) and her daughter, Suzy, exhibit because of Ginny’s spiral. I like that Suzy advocated for her mother and did not give up on her, but I had a hard time with the rest of Suzy’s character. To me, she wasn’t a very likeable person, and the rest of the story was hard to follow. The concept sounded good, but the execution was lacking for me. I wanted the story to gel, I wanted to like the characters, but, to me, the twists were not believable, and the ending left me scratching my head. I felt like I missed something. The writing was not my style, either. Others liked this one, unfortunately, it ultimately wasn’t my cup of tea, but it may be yours!
Thanks to the publisher and Kate Rock Book Tours for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#MindHostage #emilywskinner #katerockbooktours

[Lesli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind Hostage is a shocking and mind-bending medical thriller. Suzy's mother Ginny goes into the hospital for a knee replacement, but something goes wrong and she doesn't seem to be recovering. At the same time as Ginny's current thoughts escape her, repressed memories come up that don't seem to make sense. Reading this story really makes you feel like the characters in the book, with a whirlwind of activity that leaves you not feeling like yourself and unsure what is going on. However it does come together in the end with a fascinating conclusion, and the What's True chapter at the end of the book is as interesting as the story itself. The story is fiction, but the medical effects of anesthesia on older patients are based on real-life experiences and the author wrote this story partly to make people more aware of what can happen to geriatric patients and advocate for them. I for one had no idea and really appreciate this information!

[Christy Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the ultimate reminder that it’s very important to have a health care advocate we can trust completely no matter what our age. Having someone speak up for us and advocate for us and ask tough questions when we aren’t able to ask them ourselves is imperative. My heart broke for Suzy (daughter) and Ginny (aging mother who had knee replacement surgery) as Ginny’s condition continued to decline. It was such a vicious cycle and it was almost impossible for Suzy to get answers. I wasn’t familiar at all with Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) until reading this book. In addition to the interesting medical info, this fast paced book had some really interesting twists and turns related to the family’s history. Overall I really enjoyed this story that was inspired by true events and found it enlightening.

[Anna J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suzy’s mom goes in for surgery and afterwards she is not the same person. She is paranoid and wants to be in the dark and keeps thinking people are watching her. Suzy is extremely frustrated with the doctors who keep prescribing more and more medicines. She absolutely nails how frustrating it is to get answers, and advocate for a parent.

What I liked about this book as it has so many different layers to it. I absolutely couldn’t figure out how it was all going to connect.

I read this for book club and it is going to be great to open the doorway and talk about so many different subjects.

[Catherine Poe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Mind Hostage by Emily Skinner, a hybrid medical thriller. Based on actual events, this book is shocking and shows a side of anesthesia and post operative care that can be very dangerous in certain populations of people- especially the elderly. I thought it was an interesting and intriguing story.

[Nicole McKelvey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF this book after the first character who was a person of color (specifically, a Black man) was introduced and, within the same paragraph, depicted as a bad omen compared to a “house of horrors”. I find this problematic and do not want to continue reading.

[Theresa Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book I ever read

[Sara James · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't get past the negative vibes this author gives out. Could not finish book was not enjoying it.

[Michelle Bibliovino]

DNF at 22%

From the other reviews I wish I could get past the writing issues to get a glimpse at the story, as it seems like an engaging tale. However, it was just too hard to wade through the pitfalls and I’m calling it.

To begin with, Suzy (and ergo the narrative) is incredibly histrionic. I suppose that could be a character flaw that will get exposed and dealt with later, but it was far too much.

The plot is a sporadic nightmare. Jumping between time periods is fine. But even the modern day sections were all over the place: event, memory, jumbled thought process, event, commentary, event, memory.

It has a very immature and sophomoric feel that again, I don’t think was down to Suzy’s character arc. It needed some major editing.

Thank you to the publisher and Kate Rock Book Tours for my free copy. These opinions are my own.