The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey

In The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes, a man wakes up on a beach. He's naked and doesn't know who he is. In a nearby car, he finds some clothing and some ID belonging to someone called Daniel Hayes. Could this be him? All he remembers is a woman's face. Now his only choice is to find that woman and figure out who he is.

This is such an awesome book! It grabbed me from the very first page and didn't let go until the last word. I loved that part of it was written in screen play or stage play format. There were even a few emails and Facebook posts thrown in. I was often confused (in a good way) while reading the book and couldn't figure out what was going on, but that's pretty much how Daniel felt, too. I loved how the bits and pieces came back to him as he figured out who he was and how he got to where he was.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away. It's so good you have to experience it for yourself. I will say that the book was definitely a page turner. I stayed up late a few nights because I couldn't wait to see how it was all going to turn out in the end. Speaking of the ending, it was fantastic. It had so many twists and turns that it left me dizzy and breathless. I loved it!!

I don't often reread books, especially mysteries, because I already know how they are going to turn out. However, in this case, I'm going to make an exception. For first time around, I was reading so quickly that I'm sure I missed some details along the way. Even if I didn't, this book deserves to be read again...and again.

Favourite quotes:

...you're only who you choose to be. Every moment. The past is gone. Memories are no more solid than dreams. The only real thing, the only true things, is the present. That's it. (page 288-289)

New words:
palimpsest (page 185): a manuscript
churrascaria (page 214): Brazilian steakhouse

Highly recommended. This is the first book of Sakey's that I've read, but it won't be the last. I hope to read many more.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Penguin's website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Marcus Sakey's website.

Thanks to Dana Kaye from Kaye Publicity for this review copy.

The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey, Dutton (Penguin), ©2011. ISBN 9780525952114(Hardcover), 388p.