Berkley
January 8, 2019
ISBN: 0349415935
|
Untouchable
by Jayne Krentz is the finale in the Cutler,
Sutter, and Salinas series. It intertwines
a good mystery, suspense, and a little
romance while delving into the world of
mind control through lucid dreams and
hypnosis.
The
hero of the story, Jack Lancaster, has
his mother killed in the cult fire set
by Quinton Zane when Jack was 12, and
since then he has been on a quest to find
the murderer. His profession is related
to his obsession, becoming a professor,
author, and consultant on Cold Cases that
have the victims killed by fire. The lucid-dreams
give him the ability to be partially awake
and able to manipulate them. This allows
him more clarity in solving the cases
he's working on. But when his fiery dreams
begin to take a disturbing turn, Jack
seeks the help of Winter Meadows, his
neighbor in Eclipse Bay on the Oregon
coast. She is a hypnotist billed as a
meditation instructor who is helping him
control the dreams.
The
initial bond formed between Winter and
Jack comes from the connection of losing
their parents to tragedy. This escalates
after he saves Winter from a stalker who
wants to kill her. Convinced that this
has something to do with Zane he enlists
the help of his father and brothers who
also lost loved ones to the fire. Jack
and Winter's ensuing investigation becomes
a game of cat and mouse between themselves
and a criminal who always assumes he is
the smartest in the room. With Winter's
assistance, Jack begins what he hopes
will be his final quest to capture Zane.
This
story has a unique plot and likable main
characters. The investigation is fast-paced
and compelling as the foster family, assisted
by the women they become romantically
involved with, attempt to find and bring
down the cult leader before he brings
them down.
Q
& A with Jayne
Krentz
Elise
Cooper: Are you interested in the psychic
stuff?
Jayne
Krentz: This book delves into hypnosis
and lucid dreams. It is a blending of
not being quite awake and being in the
world. It means you are in a dream that
can be controlled to some extent. Regarding
hypnosis, it has been around for hundreds
of years but always has that woo-woo factor.
In my research, I found it impossible
to conduct a double-blind test because
some people are not hypnotizable, and
others are susceptible to suggestions.
In this story, I took both to extremes.
Elise:
Sleepwalking?
Jayne:
I also put in about sleepwalking, which
is supposed to be a childhood thing that
people outgrow. I think it is more of
a trance-like state. I do know people
who have done it, and they are aware enough
not to hurt themselves. I am told they
just wake up in another place.
Elise:
You have a quote throughout the book,
"Anything can be found on the Internet."
Is that how you did the research?
Jayne:
People can verify a simple fact in minutes.
The librarian in me is cautious because
I always want to know the source of that
information. I find what I want by using
the correct, and then I find clues. Of
course, I make sure to know the source
of that information before I consider
it as fact.
Elise:
The catchword for hypnosis is Winnie The
Pooh, are you a fan?
Jayne:
Who
doesn't love the Pooh bear. I wanted to
find something a child would hang on to
after losing her family. With this character,
Winter had a touch of her past when things
were happier.
Elise:
How would you describe Jack?
Jayne:
He
is my core hero prototype. He is a strong
and decent man who believes in honor.
Because of his psychic vibe, he brings
another talent to the story, a larger
than life element. He likes to control
his emotions and is very cautious.
Elise:
How would you describe Winter?
Jayne:
Gutsy, with similar elements to Jack including
honor, courage, and integrity.
Elise:
How would you describe their relationship?
Jayne:
In my stories, the hero and heroine see
the same virtues in each other. This attracts
them to each other at first. I think before
falling in love they admire each other.
This is what their love is based upon.
Winter and Jack understand and accept
each other and never see each other as
flakes.
Elise:
Arizona Snow was an interesting character?
Jayne:
She
has popped into my books for a while.
Over the years I keep bringing her back.
I am very fond of her. Arizona has a mysterious
background. I think she is a beloved character
with my readers. In one of my futuristic
books, I made reference to her, creating
a character that was her great-great-grand-niece
and named her Sedona Snow.
Elise:
Fire was almost like a character in this
book?
Jayne:
It
is a really exciting element to work with.
It can be destructive or useful. I like
writing stories that have elements that
have a dark and light side. Fire does
this since we use it to heat our homes,
cook our food, and chase away the monsters
at night. Yet, it can tear down our shelter
and can kill us. In my book, fire is the
tool that is mishandled by the bad guy.
In his hands, it becomes a weapon to clean
up his dark past. For him, fire is a cleansing
element.
Elise:
Why did Jack wear white and Winter wear
black?
Jayne:
Jack wore white shirts because it was
a function of control for him. It was
like an engineering uniform where he did
not have to make choices. Winter wore
black as a nod to her past and because
she appeared as a witch-like character.
Black attire gives her a sense of mysteriousness.
Elise:
Do you roast cauliflower like Winter does?
Jayne:
Yes,
it is the best, especially with olive
oil and salt, and golden in the oven to
make it good and crunchy. My husband and
I are vegetarians, so we always are looking
for new things to do with vegetables.
We do eat fish, but for health reasons,
we stay on this type of diet.
Elise:
Can you give a shout out about your next
book?
Jayne:
It
is an Amanda Quick book. This is my pseudonym
for when I write historical novels. They
are set in the 1930s in California in
a fictional town about 100 miles outside
of Los Angeles. It is a time when gangsters
are reinventing themselves since alcohol
is legal again. For me, the 1930s is a
fascinating time with WWII looming in
the background. My latest is titled Tight
Rope, about an ex-Trapeze artist
who has a stalker. It will be out in May.
We
want to thank Jayne
Krentz for joining us at Myshelf.com.
|