The Double Life

by Lee Goldberg

Book Overview

Dr. Mark Sloan wakes up in his own hospital's I.C.U. with no memory of the past two years of his life. He learns he was run down while investigating a series of mysterious deaths, and as he resumes... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451219856
• ISBN13: 9780451219855
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.3" x 6.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Diagnosis Murder #7 The Double Life

This is an excellent book! It grabs you at the very beginning and keeps you spellbound throughout the book! I recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries!

Not just an excellent continuation -- but also an excellent mystery

Novelist and TV writer Lee Goldberg turns in another winner with the latest original "Diagnosis Murder" novel, THE DOUBLE LIFE (Signet). From 1993-1999, the popular mystery TV series starred Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloane, veteran doctor and amateur sleuth, aided in his investigations by his son, LAPD Lt. Steve Sloan (Barry Van Dyke), and his circle of friends at the hospital. As one of the architects for the TV show -- Goldberg served as writer and then producer for several seasons -- he is in a unique position to continue the adventures of Dr. Sloan and company. His original novels tread a fine line between keeping up the warm characterizations and engaging mysteries that were a hallmark of the series, all the while expanding and exploring the world of "Diagnosis Murder." In THE DOUBLE LIFE, Dr. Sloan ends up in his own hospital's ICU after an attempt on his life. When he wakes up, he discovers he can't remember anything from the last two years of his life -- including a wife he doesn't recognize. Struggling to come to terms with his current state, he learns that before the attempt on his life, he was investigating a series of mysterious deaths. Without his memory, Mark has to start his entire investigation from scratch. But as the clues point in two distinctly different directions, Mark and his son find themselves at odds, as the mystery begins to drive them apart. And all the while, Dr. Sloan is still a target for the real killer ... With his "Diagnosis Murder" novels (as well as his "Monk" novels), Goldberg does an excellent job of building on the characters we know and love. He also displays a knack of creating mysteries within mysteries, much like a puzzle box: no sooner do you have one thing figured out than you discover it's actually hiding something even more sinister. As such, THE DOUBLE LIFE is not just an excellent continuation of the series -- but an excellent mystery novel.

Double Thriller

This is the best novel since Death Merchant. When Mark is almost killed until Jessie comes to his rescue. Wakes up to find that he's lost his memory and has a wife. On the top that, The killer is still out there. This novel has a lot of good twists and turns. You have to get this book this is a real page turner.

Another great installment

Diagnosis Murder #7: The Double Life, by Lee Goldberg is the seventh installment in the Diagnosis Murder series. Dr. Mark Sloan awakens from an accident to find that two years of his life have passed of which he has no memory. Goldberg's Diagnosis Murder novels are based from the hit TV show of the same name, for which Goldberg also wrote and produced. Dr. Sloan is the Chief of Staff at Community General Hospital in Los Angeles. In his spare time, Sloan solves mysteries and tracks down murderers, with the help of his son Steve (a homicide detective) and fellow doctors Amanda Bentley and Jessie Travis. This book was nearly impossible to put down. I ended up reading it in one day. The murder mystery was very fast-paced and had a lot going on, but not so much that it became confusing. Goldberg weaves a complex mystery full of murders and puzzles. As always, he gives Dr. Sloan so much depth, emotion, and humor that you can imagine Dick Van Dyke playing the part on TV. Goldberg has proved once again that he is a master of writing whodunits.

Can Mark Find his Memory and the Killer?

Mark Sloan is hot on the trail of a killer. Since he doesn't really have any proof yet, he's working with Amanda and Jesse to find something to give to his son Steve. He knows there's something there. He just needs to find it. Obviously, someone agrees with him. One morning on his way into the hospital, a car tries to run him down. He hits his head and goes into a comma. When he wakes up, three days have passed. Mark quickly discovers that he's lost his memory of the last two years including his marriage to Dr. Emily Noble. In fact, he doesn't remember anything about this pediatrician. He's also forgotten the details of the investigation. But he hopes that working on the case will bring back his memory. He quickly begins to find the pieces again. There is a rash of deaths connected to survivors of near death experiences. Too many to be a coincidence. But who is doing the killing? What connection had Mark found? This is another fast read in a great tie-in series. As always, Lee Goldberg has captured the characters from the TV show and brought them to life on the page. There are several scenes that had me laughing, and I really enjoyed a couple scenes between Mark and Jesse's wife Susan. Unfortunately, the plot was a little weak. I saw a major plot point coming long before the characters did. And the ending was a little rushed with Mark making a couple jumps I didn't follow. Even though this isn't the strongest entry in the series, it was still a fast, fun read sure to please fans of the show and the books.