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The Memory Man
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
4 people want to read
About the author
Derek Lambert
73 books8 followersDerek Lambert was educated at Epsom College and was both an author of thrillers in his own name, writing also as Richard Falkirk, and a journalist. As a foreign correspondent for the Daily Express, he spent time in many exotic locales that he later used as settings in his novels.
In addition to his steady stream of thrillers, Lambert also published (under the pseudonym Richard Falkirk) a series about a Bow Street Runner called Edmund Blackstone. These, the fruit of research in the London Library, were interspersed with detailed descriptions of early 19th century low life, as the hero undertook such tasks as saving Princess Victoria from being kidnapped, or penetrating skullduggery at the Bank of England.
Lambert made no claims for his books, which he often wrote in five weeks, simply dismissing them as pot-boilers; but in 1988 the veteran American journalist Martha Gellhorn paid tribute in The Daily Telegraph to his intricate plotting and skillful use of factual material. It appealed, she declared, to a universal hunger for "pure unadulterated storytelling", of the sort supplied by storytellers in a bazaar
Lambert was residing in Spain with his family at the time of his death at the age of seventy-one.
In addition to his steady stream of thrillers, Lambert also published (under the pseudonym Richard Falkirk) a series about a Bow Street Runner called Edmund Blackstone. These, the fruit of research in the London Library, were interspersed with detailed descriptions of early 19th century low life, as the hero undertook such tasks as saving Princess Victoria from being kidnapped, or penetrating skullduggery at the Bank of England.
Lambert made no claims for his books, which he often wrote in five weeks, simply dismissing them as pot-boilers; but in 1988 the veteran American journalist Martha Gellhorn paid tribute in The Daily Telegraph to his intricate plotting and skillful use of factual material. It appealed, she declared, to a universal hunger for "pure unadulterated storytelling", of the sort supplied by storytellers in a bazaar
Lambert was residing in Spain with his family at the time of his death at the age of seventy-one.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 19, 2025
1.5 stars
A disappointment. The book had an ambitious structure, blending crime mystery with speculative sci-fi about life after death, grief, and memory. But it's a short novel that does not have room to do justice to its many threads.
The result is a rushed, incoherent story. By the end, the resolution felt like something out of a flimsy 1950s B-movie. Police showing up en masse with no evidence, guided only by hunch. Characters remained thinly drawn throughout and none gained real depth.
The mystery itself collapses and, even though the crimes are a big part of the plot, somehow they also feel like window dressing. I don't know how that happens, but that's the feeling I had reading this. It left me asking what the point of the story was. The speculative element, the doctor’s experiment with life after death, is never proved or disproved, leaving that thread unresolved.
I had the impression part of this was attempting to be a homage to hard-boiled detective pulp fiction novels. In a way, that works. But all the other threads in the story make it more muddled and flimsy that it should be.
The only real positive is that it was a quick read. Otherwise, it’s not satisfying, and not one I’m glad to have spent time on.
A disappointment. The book had an ambitious structure, blending crime mystery with speculative sci-fi about life after death, grief, and memory. But it's a short novel that does not have room to do justice to its many threads.
The result is a rushed, incoherent story. By the end, the resolution felt like something out of a flimsy 1950s B-movie. Police showing up en masse with no evidence, guided only by hunch. Characters remained thinly drawn throughout and none gained real depth.
The mystery itself collapses and, even though the crimes are a big part of the plot, somehow they also feel like window dressing. I don't know how that happens, but that's the feeling I had reading this. It left me asking what the point of the story was. The speculative element, the doctor’s experiment with life after death, is never proved or disproved, leaving that thread unresolved.
I had the impression part of this was attempting to be a homage to hard-boiled detective pulp fiction novels. In a way, that works. But all the other threads in the story make it more muddled and flimsy that it should be.
The only real positive is that it was a quick read. Otherwise, it’s not satisfying, and not one I’m glad to have spent time on.
Displaying 1 of 1 review