Yesteryear’s Echo: A Historical Psychological Thriller
Book 1 of the Case 47 Series
By Jane M. Bell (Indie author, 2024)
Genre: Fiction – thriller
Pages: 346
Bia: Author Request
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“Go to the oldest part (of the hospital archives). It is there where time stands still, but history continues to move forward.”
The Basics
Thomas Bauer, MD, PhD is an exhausted psychiatrist with a crumbling marriage and an estranged wife and young son. Thomas is also on the outs with the administration at Saint Elizabeths (sic) Hospital in D.C. And he’s trying to get out from under the shadow of his famous psychiatrist father, Dr. Harold Bauer. Thomas Bauer harbors nagging questions about his dad’s roll in some nefarious “research” at Saint E’s. Did Harold Bauer’s research partner, Dr. Matthias Levi, figure out a way to “send consciousness through time”? If so, at what cost? And what is “Case 47”?
“Secrecy always shrouded the tenure of Levi and his father. Mysteries that fueled a burning curiosity for years.”
Meanwhile, Thomas, age 45, has his hands full. His house has flooded. He’s having terrible nightmares. He starts wondering if his late dad’s coldness was really detachment and disinterest or something else? And is Thomas really starting to act like his father? Was his dad’s research with Dr. Levi “groundbreaking” or “earth-shattering”? Why and how did Dr. Levi suddenly disappear in the 1960s? Was there a cover-up? Of what? And why?
“I’m not sure how long I can continue this work. Nothing ius as it once was. My only hope is it’s not too late to save my family, my son, from the dangers we’ve unleashed.”
Thin Lines
There’s also the thin line between genius and madness. Hidden passages. Cobwebbed secrets. Faded journals and research. Cryptic messages and notes. Terrifying nightmares. “The media of neglect.” A federal agent who’s not who he claims to be (this is never explained, nor are we told how hospital janitor Sam Harris knows this). When Thomas discovers his father’s old journal, he pretty much freaks out. A high stakes game of intrigue, suspense, and cloak-and-dagger mystery of the dark doin’s in the dead of night variety ensues. Also lots of creepy weirdness.
Tip: You may want to put out a friendly PSA message in advance of opening this book. Maybe something along the lines of: Unless you want to be responsible for scraping me off the ceiling or grabbing the nearest defibrillator, kindly refrain from nudging, brushing, touching, or otherwise sneaking up on me while reading. Cuz there’s a lot of suspense and adrenaline in these pages.
“You don’t understand. Case 47 isn’t just some old files most have heard about in rumors. It’s the key to everything. And they’ll do anything to get their hands on it… Case 47 is… tied to you in ways that you can’t even begin to comprehend.”
One of the issues we had with this book is that so much is left unanswered. Dangling. Like the above.
A Ton
There’s a ton of emotion in this book. Think Atlantic Ocean. Or maybe the Himalayas. Included are fear, confusion, regret, guilt, misunderstanding, betrayal and isolation. Fine. But it gets repeated over and over and over like it’s stuck on auto-play. The result is a n over-the-top, manufactured feeling. Chapter 29’s frantic dash to the hospital to save the life of Sam Harris is a prime case in point.
Rolling
It takes about 100 pages to get rolling. Till then, Thomas is pretty much running around like a chicken with its head cut off and feeling sorry for himself. Oh, boo-hoo. Kimmi: I just wanted to smack him. Tell him to grow up. Put on his big boy pants and stop whining.
Characters
Also, the character of Thomas Bauer’s mom was disappointingly weak and one-dimensional. She’s June Cleaver come a-callin’. We about dropped our teeth on page 103 when Mom Edyth asks son Thomas, “How you’re your patients doing?” Are you kidding me? Doctor-patient confidentiality? Hello? And Thomas’s sweet elderly neighbor, Mrs. Clendin? Whatever happened to her? Another loose end left dangling.
Formatting Needs Work
The formatting also needs work. For example, the journal entries from Thomas’s father aren’t italicized, boxed, or even placed within quotation marks. They’re just part of the general text. Not set off or highlighted in any way. This makes it hard to see when the entry ends and when Thomas’s POV resumes.
Aaaarg!
“Case 47” remains a mystery. Nothing’s solved. Or revealed. Spoiler: After spending about half the book chasing after the elusive, ultra secret, super hush-hush Case 47 files, Thomas finally nabs ‘em and… stashes them in a lockbox under a floorboard? Seriously? Kimber: Gag me with catnip! Too many loose ends left dangling. We kinda hate that, series or not.
“The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.”
The Prologue is badly overwritten. Almost lost us right out of the gate. Way too much artificial emotion crammed into a coupla pages, without adequate backstory or context to justify same. About as subtle as a nuke.
On the other hand, we appreciated the emphasis on teamwork, healing, family, loyalty and responsibility. The writing is sturdy. For example, the scene of Sam Harris and Thomas Bauer traversing the old ward in an abandoned wing of St. Elizabeths (sic) Hospital is so eerie and creepy, it’ll have you reaching for Prozac.
Mixed Bag
So while we like Totally Loved another Bell book, Mystery at Sea Edge, Yesteryear’s Echo is a mixed bag. For one thing, it can’t seem to decide what it wants to be when it grows up. Action/suspense thriller or ode to the folly of prioritizing work over family, with a side trip into historical fiction and a stroll down memory lane? Throw in a coupla voyages aboard the Starship Enterprise where no one has gone before – the creepy, creaky world of “Temporal Displacement” research – and you’ve got Yesteryear’s Echo. Or… something.
It’s a good effort. Has potential. With some tweaks and adjustments, this could be a truly captivating suspense/thriller read.
Pages & Paws 