THE HUNTED

In this wearisome thriller by the author of False Accusations (1999), the pivotal plot device is (brace yourself) amnesia.

Dr. Lauren Chambers can’t find her husband. He left their California home to go skiing some days back and hasn’t been heard of since. Loving wife though she purports to be, Laura doesn’t know exactly where he went or with whom he’s sharing his vacation. Well, for heaven’s sake, it’s not easy being a brilliant psychologist, and, yes, of course, she jotted down the pertinent information, but it was on the back of a magazine that has inexplicably disappeared from her office. Cut to hubby Michael Chambers. He’s had this hellacious car crash, taken one of those blows to the head so dear to a certain kind of fiction writer, and can’t remember who he is or that he ever had a loving wife. Soon, however, it becomes clear that Dr. Lauren is far from the only one desperately searching for bemused Michael, who turns out to be none other than Harper Payne, an FBI superagent who went into the witness protection program to evade the clutches of super hit man Anthony Scarpani. True enough, Harper’s hard work plunked the evil Scarpani into the slammer, clipping his wings somewhat, but as everyone knows he does have vengeful friends. Then suddenly, to the outrage of the FBI et al., Scarpani is set free to await a new trial, and only Harper’s testimony can put him back where he belongs. The game’s afoot: pursued by loving Dr. Lauren, some furious feeble-minded others, and sociopathic Scarpani, hunted Harper goes on the lam—all the while searching his lost memory bank.

Jacobson rounds up the usual stick figures for yet another soapy suspenser.