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Shattered
Eight months after being horribly disfigured in a car accident, Dan Marriott has his face rebuilt by plastic surgery, but he must still struggle with an amnesia that could mean his death as he is stalked by an unknown killer.
245 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
5 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Richard Neely
57 books4 followersLike a lot of American pulp authors, Richard Neely started out a newspaperman. He then embarked on a successful career in advertising before turning to crime writing in his 50s. In 14 years he produced 15 novels.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 23 reviews
March 17, 2021
Shattered by Richard Neely, which was originally published in 1969 as The Plastic Nightmare is a terrific noir psychological thriller of a novel that takes place in a fog-shrouded Marin County where ala Postman Always Rings Twice married couple is pitted against each other in a world of distrust and suspicion. At its heart is an oft-used pulp plot involving amnesia such as Donald Hamilton used in 1954’s Night Walker. Amnesia is a classic pulp novel device and Neely uses it well here.
Dan Marriott had a New Years’ Eve accident on a foggy highway, with his wife thrown from the car, and he barely escaping death and ending up in a Santa Barbara hospital for plastic surgery and months of trying to recover from amnesia, not even recognizing people or anything. As he recovers and is brought back to his old life, he begins to get clues that things might not have been as accidental as he was led to believe. The couple has separate rooms with locks on the doors. There are hints of extramarital affairs, of possible threats of divorce, of private detectives, and more. Was it an accident or did Judith plot something more sinister with a secretive man who seems to be lurking in the background?
What is great about the novel is how Neely takes us into Dan Marriott’s mind as he tries to put the pieces together without anyone finding out how much he is putting together. As the reader, you feel his puzzlement and his suspicions. You also feel the growing tension an distrust between Dan and Judith as they spar with Dan always in the dark about what really happened or has he just lost his mind. Although there have been several movies made based on this novel, none of them manage to capture the tension between all of the major players or the mysterious, winding, fog-shrouded world of Marin County where dreams and reality all seem to merge together in the foggy mist.
This is a terrific novel and fits well into the world of pulp that Black Lizard republished in the 1980’s.
Dan Marriott had a New Years’ Eve accident on a foggy highway, with his wife thrown from the car, and he barely escaping death and ending up in a Santa Barbara hospital for plastic surgery and months of trying to recover from amnesia, not even recognizing people or anything. As he recovers and is brought back to his old life, he begins to get clues that things might not have been as accidental as he was led to believe. The couple has separate rooms with locks on the doors. There are hints of extramarital affairs, of possible threats of divorce, of private detectives, and more. Was it an accident or did Judith plot something more sinister with a secretive man who seems to be lurking in the background?
What is great about the novel is how Neely takes us into Dan Marriott’s mind as he tries to put the pieces together without anyone finding out how much he is putting together. As the reader, you feel his puzzlement and his suspicions. You also feel the growing tension an distrust between Dan and Judith as they spar with Dan always in the dark about what really happened or has he just lost his mind. Although there have been several movies made based on this novel, none of them manage to capture the tension between all of the major players or the mysterious, winding, fog-shrouded world of Marin County where dreams and reality all seem to merge together in the foggy mist.
This is a terrific novel and fits well into the world of pulp that Black Lizard republished in the 1980’s.
January 31, 2019
I remember seeing the Tom Berenger movie based on this book many many years ago and thinking, “Wow, what a terrible movie—but such a great twist! I bet the book is good.” Well the book is not good. To be fair, I don’t know if it’s possible to write a book that pulls off this particular twist. It might just be too unnatural to ever work. But. Still. A guy can dream.
September 12, 2013
(read in 2010; catching up on getting my shelves, reviews, etc. in order)
Shattered is a work of noir fiction that begins when Dan Marriott awakes in a hospital. His wife, Judith, is by his side, and he learns that he and Judith had been in a catastrophic car accident. Judith was thrown clear, but Dan wasn't so lucky. Most of the bones in his body were broken, his face was totally disfigured, and worse yet, he has no memory of who he is. After a series of plastic surgeries, he is ready to leave the hospital and to try to piece together his life. Judith takes him home and begins filling him in on their past life together, but little things Dan finds and remarks people make cause him to realize that something is just not right -- and after a few very strange occurrences, he finds it even more imperative to get to the truth. To say more would wreck the story.
Let's just say that this isn't the best piece of noir I've ever read, nor is it the worst. The plot is a good one, and I never guessed the ending (definitely a nice twist) but everything seems to happen so quickly. There's not a lot of time to really get into the characters, and while the story keeps you reading, it would have been better if it had been a bit more in depth. However, I liked it well enough to pick up another book by this author -- The Walter Syndrome, highly recommended by several Neely fans.
I'd recommend it to readers of noir fiction.
Shattered is a work of noir fiction that begins when Dan Marriott awakes in a hospital. His wife, Judith, is by his side, and he learns that he and Judith had been in a catastrophic car accident. Judith was thrown clear, but Dan wasn't so lucky. Most of the bones in his body were broken, his face was totally disfigured, and worse yet, he has no memory of who he is. After a series of plastic surgeries, he is ready to leave the hospital and to try to piece together his life. Judith takes him home and begins filling him in on their past life together, but little things Dan finds and remarks people make cause him to realize that something is just not right -- and after a few very strange occurrences, he finds it even more imperative to get to the truth. To say more would wreck the story.
Let's just say that this isn't the best piece of noir I've ever read, nor is it the worst. The plot is a good one, and I never guessed the ending (definitely a nice twist) but everything seems to happen so quickly. There's not a lot of time to really get into the characters, and while the story keeps you reading, it would have been better if it had been a bit more in depth. However, I liked it well enough to pick up another book by this author -- The Walter Syndrome, highly recommended by several Neely fans.
I'd recommend it to readers of noir fiction.
March 27, 2021
I decided to watch the movie (entitled Shattered with Tom Berenger) based on the book, while reading it. Watch a bit, read a chapter, and so on. It was quite interesting to see where the plot diverged and where it was almost verbatim from the novel. The book itself is a fast read, typical of noir in the fifties, in cheap dime paperbacks with lurid covers. The movie and the book have very different endings.
Fun read, good for a flight and airport.
Fun read, good for a flight and airport.
December 10, 2025
Good, twisty crime novel from the post-pulp era. Because it was written after the Golden Age of pulp fiction, Shattered, originally titled The Plastic Nightmare, contained hippies and more sex than earlier crime fiction. I was able to spot the twist ending pretty early on in the book but it was still a fun ride.
February 18, 2013
This novel is not likely to be mistaken for literature. But as a pulpy, noirish, Saturday-afternoon page-turner, I couldn't put it down. On the other hand, the 1991 film version, starring Tom Berenger and Bob Hoskins, is not recommended.
December 11, 2023
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Shattered by Richard Neely is a classic Noir mystery.
Intriguing, complex, and with a dynamite twist that had me literally sit up and drop the book. Even after I had already read this when it was first published by Black Lizard/Vintage Crime back in 1991.
I forgot! and what a pleasure to revisit it with the haze of failed recollection 30 years later.
Dan Marriott wakes up in a hospital room with complete amnesia. His bandaged face a mass of stitches and plastic surgery after a horrific car accident, he has been in critical condition for months. His wife Judith was in the car as well, but was luckily thrown free. She is caring and attentive as he returns home, oddly so after he learns they had separate rooms and were on the verge of divorce - perhaps this is a chance for them to begin again. He is supported by his business partner Jeb (they are stockbrokers) and Jeb's wife Ginnie, who shows a hidden desire under her mousy exterior. Slowly he learns adultery is the cause for the divorce, and that maybe Judith is still in contact with her lover Ridge Standish... His suspicions become clearer with the help of a private detective and photographic evidence. Dan begins to realize he had no accident - that Judith and Ridge planned it to kill him off for the insurance money - a plan still in effect unless he can expose them in time!
This was published in 1969 under the title The Plastic Nightmare, and it is, a classic noir nightmare. Dan's memory is slow to return and it's through the help of the police and the private eye that he can discern his past. Dan was also an adulterer, cold to his wife. Why do they both display such fire for each other now? And why did Jeb's wife seduce him into sex on the kitchen floor? Ridge has been sending telegrams from Mexico, but it seems he is returning to San Francisco. Will Dan unravel his past in time to prevent the couple from attempting to kill him again?
Twisted and mysterious, it doesn't get better than this psychological thriller. Neely keeps us in the dark until a finale that is so shocking and so satisfying.
If you love a good pulp mystery - this is the one you want.
This was made into a film in 1991 by Wolfgang Peterson, starring Tom Berenger and Grata Scacci.
Shattered by Richard Neely is a classic Noir mystery.
Intriguing, complex, and with a dynamite twist that had me literally sit up and drop the book. Even after I had already read this when it was first published by Black Lizard/Vintage Crime back in 1991.
I forgot! and what a pleasure to revisit it with the haze of failed recollection 30 years later.
Dan Marriott wakes up in a hospital room with complete amnesia. His bandaged face a mass of stitches and plastic surgery after a horrific car accident, he has been in critical condition for months. His wife Judith was in the car as well, but was luckily thrown free. She is caring and attentive as he returns home, oddly so after he learns they had separate rooms and were on the verge of divorce - perhaps this is a chance for them to begin again. He is supported by his business partner Jeb (they are stockbrokers) and Jeb's wife Ginnie, who shows a hidden desire under her mousy exterior. Slowly he learns adultery is the cause for the divorce, and that maybe Judith is still in contact with her lover Ridge Standish... His suspicions become clearer with the help of a private detective and photographic evidence. Dan begins to realize he had no accident - that Judith and Ridge planned it to kill him off for the insurance money - a plan still in effect unless he can expose them in time!
This was published in 1969 under the title The Plastic Nightmare, and it is, a classic noir nightmare. Dan's memory is slow to return and it's through the help of the police and the private eye that he can discern his past. Dan was also an adulterer, cold to his wife. Why do they both display such fire for each other now? And why did Jeb's wife seduce him into sex on the kitchen floor? Ridge has been sending telegrams from Mexico, but it seems he is returning to San Francisco. Will Dan unravel his past in time to prevent the couple from attempting to kill him again?
Twisted and mysterious, it doesn't get better than this psychological thriller. Neely keeps us in the dark until a finale that is so shocking and so satisfying.
If you love a good pulp mystery - this is the one you want.
This was made into a film in 1991 by Wolfgang Peterson, starring Tom Berenger and Grata Scacci.
April 22, 2024
This is my second Richard Neely novel. The first one was full of heavy plot twists - too full, actually - but was entertaining enough that I wanted to try another. As you can see from the book cover shown here, the 1978 novel was made into a 1991 movie called "Shattered" and spawned a movie tie-in cover. I read the original paperback with the classic cover art.
Where do I begin with this novel? Maybe just with the simple statement that it's great. But I must add that it teetered precariously between great and terrible for a bit.
It's an amnesia story. A guy is in an accident, spends some time in a coma, and remembers nothing when he comes to. Not his job, his wife, his friends...nothing. He is completely dependent on what other people are telling him was true before the accident. Why, then, does he keep finding little indicators that these people are lying to him?
This time Neely doesn't drop too many big plot twists, but the one he does drop toward the end is as big and unexpected as any I've ever read. I mean it is a whopper. My first reaction was, "No no no! That's too much. It doesn't work." But I read on, and by gum the author does a pretty good job of selling it. By the time I reached the end, I was okay with it. Some readers may not be, but I was.
I think that, even if the monster plot twist didn't work for me, I would still have given the book four stars just because of the gumption it took to even try a twist like this. I can only tip my cap to the author.
Neely was an excellent writer. He could really propel a story. And I'll give the guy credit for having no conscience when it comes to plot twists. I've only read two of his books, but he has gone for broke both times. I've got to respect that. And I will definitely be reading more of his work.
Where do I begin with this novel? Maybe just with the simple statement that it's great. But I must add that it teetered precariously between great and terrible for a bit.
It's an amnesia story. A guy is in an accident, spends some time in a coma, and remembers nothing when he comes to. Not his job, his wife, his friends...nothing. He is completely dependent on what other people are telling him was true before the accident. Why, then, does he keep finding little indicators that these people are lying to him?
This time Neely doesn't drop too many big plot twists, but the one he does drop toward the end is as big and unexpected as any I've ever read. I mean it is a whopper. My first reaction was, "No no no! That's too much. It doesn't work." But I read on, and by gum the author does a pretty good job of selling it. By the time I reached the end, I was okay with it. Some readers may not be, but I was.
I think that, even if the monster plot twist didn't work for me, I would still have given the book four stars just because of the gumption it took to even try a twist like this. I can only tip my cap to the author.
Neely was an excellent writer. He could really propel a story. And I'll give the guy credit for having no conscience when it comes to plot twists. I've only read two of his books, but he has gone for broke both times. I've got to respect that. And I will definitely be reading more of his work.
March 3, 2025
Dan Marriott wakes up in a hospital bed, eight months after being involved in a horrific car accident in the hills above San Francisco. His wife, Judith, escapted the accident mostly unharmed and helps her husband recover, though he’s suffering from amnesia and had to undergo extensive plastic surgery. But then Dan discovers something was wrong in their past and has to find out what it is.
Picked up from a charity shop (it was the “Shattered” edition, to tie-in with a film I saw in 1992 and remembered enjoying, though I’d forgotten the story), this was originally published in 1969 and I was concerned that it might feel a little dated (too many “dig it, man” and “hey, baby”) but that wasn’t the case at all. Dan and Judith are solidly written (it’s all told from his POV) and the supporting characters, especially Gus Klein, a private detective have real presence. When Klein discovers Judith was seeing a man called Ridge Standish, it sets the plot into motion and the twist ending is very cleverly done. With great use of San Francisco locations, an airtight plot and a brisk pace, this is a cracking, noir novel and I’d highly recommend it.
Picked up from a charity shop (it was the “Shattered” edition, to tie-in with a film I saw in 1992 and remembered enjoying, though I’d forgotten the story), this was originally published in 1969 and I was concerned that it might feel a little dated (too many “dig it, man” and “hey, baby”) but that wasn’t the case at all. Dan and Judith are solidly written (it’s all told from his POV) and the supporting characters, especially Gus Klein, a private detective have real presence. When Klein discovers Judith was seeing a man called Ridge Standish, it sets the plot into motion and the twist ending is very cleverly done. With great use of San Francisco locations, an airtight plot and a brisk pace, this is a cracking, noir novel and I’d highly recommend it.
September 15, 2025
4.5 stars rounded down.
WOW WOW WOW WOW!!! Do NOT let any negative reviews sway you- this book is FANTASTIC! It is so gripping I finished it in a single sitting. The main reason I feel such a positive reaction towards this book is the major twist. I have genuinely never been as shocked as I was. I had to close the book and put it down to properly process. I am so glad I picked this book up. The only reason it lost 0.5 stars for me were the graphic sex scenes throughout—I just don’t know how necessary they were. All in all totally would recommend!!!
WOW WOW WOW WOW!!! Do NOT let any negative reviews sway you- this book is FANTASTIC! It is so gripping I finished it in a single sitting. The main reason I feel such a positive reaction towards this book is the major twist. I have genuinely never been as shocked as I was. I had to close the book and put it down to properly process. I am so glad I picked this book up. The only reason it lost 0.5 stars for me were the graphic sex scenes throughout—I just don’t know how necessary they were. All in all totally would recommend!!!
September 6, 2024
At first I found Shattered enjoyably campy and suspenseful... the novelistic equivalent of watching an old Perry Mason episode. Alas, after a fine start it slowly but steadily became ever more repetitious, clichéd, over-complicated, and implausible. It was just barely suspenseful enough to keep me reading, but the second half was a real slog. The wild and surprising plot twist at the end was pretty good, but not good enough to make me wish I'd never started the damn thing.
June 5, 2023
First half is excellent and you get the sense there’s much more to this than meets the eye… second half it lags a little until the end. He’s not as atmospheric a writer as Hammett and doesn’t have the flair of Chandler’s language but a hell of a plot and a super brisk, fun read.
August 6, 2025
A good amnesia story! I really enjoyed it and loved ending on the line of hope
October 2, 2012
Dan Marriott awakens in a Santa Barbara hospital covered in bandages knowing only that he's been in a horrible car accident that required extensive plastic surgery to put his life back together. Oh yeah, he's got serious amnesia, too. Neely's noir is like the main character in that it starts out tightly bound, almost stifling, but soon begins to unravel with a quick anticipation, not unlike a victim slowly at first, then frantically removing the bandages from their once disfigured face, awaiting anxiously to see what lies underneath. I felt a certain link with Marriott in that I vaguely recalled having seen the 1991 film based upon the book starring Greta Sacchi, Tom Beringer, and Bob Hoskins, but like Marriott I couldn't recall all the details, bits and pieces of the film unfolding in washes of memory as I got sucked into Neely's prose. The book is a bit slow until the peak of the first 60 pages, then the middle steamrolls along with intensity. The ending is a bit trite (you should be able to figure it out pretty easily) and feels rushed and a tad anticlimactic. But the middle of the book is intense and gripping as you stumble along with Marriott as he tries to remember his murky past.
March 14, 2016
Although I saw the movie many years ago, I'm not sure how shocking this book was when it came out in 1969. Neely's writing is very lucid, his story is convoluted and fun, and his sense of noir is well-placed.
July 18, 2009
Man with amnesia tries to figure out if the accident that hurt him was actually no accident. Fascinating psychological study.......I was caught completely off guard....
July 29, 2011
A classic of 50s - 60s noir, pulp elevated to high art.
May 27, 2012
I generally dislike twist endings but this one worked. A well-crafted noir mystery set in sleepy upstate California.
December 21, 2015
The reveal: wait for it; wait for it; ah, glorious.
October 3, 2018
The film is much better. Not worth while reading
February 29, 2020
Well-written, if a trifle predictable. Its aesthetic is trapped firmly in the late 1960s, when it was written, but it remains a perfectly serviceable piece of California Noir from a bygone era.
Want to read
October 4, 2018Synopsis: eight months after being disfigured in a car accident, Dan Marriott struggles with amnesia and an unknown killer.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 23 reviews