Memories of Midnight

• This novel continues the exciting story begun in Sheldon's "The Other Side of Midnight." In that novel, mega-rich Constantin Demiris manipulated the Greek court to have his mistress, Noelle, and her lover, Larry, executed for the murder of Larry's wife, Catherine. No body was ever found, and in fact, Catherine was alive and well, under the watchful eyes of Demiris.
  
  "Memories of Midnight" begins as amnesiac Catherine starts remembering things...like the fact that her husband was killed for her supposed "murder." This could prove dangerous to Demiris, who sends her to London to work for him. Meanwhile, back in Greece, all the people who know that Catherine is still alive are systematically killed, and, just as Catherine find happiness, someone is sent to kill her.
  
  This is that rare sequel that is actually better than the wonderful original novel. The plot twists will keep you turning the pages, and the ending is so unexpected and so shocking, you will be left breathless, and very glad you read "Memories of Midnight."

• Before you read Memories of Midnight, go get The Other Side of Midnight and read it first, otherwise Memories wont mean much. In either case, you wont be disappointed. I have been reading Sheldon (among a myriad of authors in his genre) for years, and have yet to encounter anyone else who spins a yarn quite as insightful or entertaining as Sheldon. The two novels I mention here are my all-time favorite Sheldon stories.

• The first Sidney Sheldon book I read was "Master of the Game". It is still my favorite, but I really love "The Other Side of Midnight", and its sequel, "Memories of Midnight". You don't HAVE to read "The Other Side..." first in order to enjoy this book, "Memories..", but it would help to read both to get the full effect! "Memories of Midnight" will keep you reading way into the wee hours, so forget about starting this book if you have a paper to write or a job deadline you must pull off! This is a wonderfully fast paced, suspenseful read. Like I said, to get the full effect, you should read "The Other Side of Midnight" first and then this one! Enjoy!

• A psychiatrist and an eclectic mix of patients are thrown into this story; just how they are directly tied into the main plot has never been addressed. One character who is clearly written as an autistic savant displays some of the more prominent autistic behaviors. He is echolalic; he recites long chains of information and he knows the number and type of vehicles he passes in route to the doctor's office. His activities are solitary and few; he does not voluntarily interact with others. I am really tired of stories like this that portray characters with autism as automaton-like savants with isolated abilities that are far removed from the social world. I think stories like this do a grave disservice to those with autism and for others who come across autistic characters because it is just perpetuating a stereotype.