Review: Double Blind by Brandilyn Collins

In the last three years, Lisa Newberry has suffered three miscarriages, lost her husband and been the victim of a mugging. She is suffering depression from all the losses, but her acceptance into a medical trial might be the answer. Cognoscenti's new Empowerment Chip is implanted directly into the brain, and claims to remove the trauma associated with emotional issues such as depression.

When she wakes from the surgery, Lisa is convinced she has received the real chip, not a placebo, because for the first time in months she can think of her husband without crying. But when she falls asleep after the operation, she has a horrible nightmare. She then starts seeing dark visions of death and murder even while she is awake and in the middle of a conversation… Is the chip malfunctioning, is Lisa crazy, or is there something more sinister behind the visions?

Brandilyn Collins knows how to get straight into the action, and Double Blind was a thriller from start to finish. The story is told in the first person by Lisa, and she is a strong narrator who immediately grabbed my attention. She is assisted by her mother, with whom she has always had a difficult relationship, and by her best friend, Sherry. The characters are all strong women, intelligent and likeable.

Behind the race to find out what the visions are and how she might be rid of them is a deeper theme of forgiveness, trusting God and understanding that he is there for us even in the midst of grief and depression. I thought the author brought this out very well, and the Christian aspects of the novel were well integrated into the overall story. Recommended.

Thanks to B&H books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can read more about Brandilyn Collins at her website.