What It's Like to be in a Coma, Suspense

B.J. Robinson is Top 100 Amazon Bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author with four traditionally published novels as well as independently published short stories, novellas, and novels. River Oaks Plantation, her first full-length indie, has been on Amazon's bestselling Christian historical novel list as well as the Civil War list. River Oaks Plantation won an Indie Award and was a top three finalist in the Grace Awards for 2013 in the historical romance category. I am thrilled to find her review of my suspense thriller, Coma Confidential:

B. J. Robinson

5.0 out of 5 starsWhat It's Like to be in a Coma, Suspense

February 26, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The author draws you right into the character's story. I've never been in a coma, and God forbid I ever am, but I was hospitalized for nine days last year and in ICU doctors and nurses treated me like I wasn't even there when they had conversations with my husband, so I can identify with what that feels like. It's not pleasant. However, i was able to speak up, but because she is in a coma, she can't. All because of a thug wanting a program a high-school student wrote years ago about shutting down a electrical power grid, she was beaten and raped, ending up in a coma in the hospital. Then, she's kidnapped from the hospital during an electrical outage. I enjoyed the story and was able to relate to parts of it. It is a quick, easy read. Ash was my favorite character, and I loved her golden retriever, Browny. I'm a dog lover. I could relate to how the dog acted from missing her while she was gone. Mine missed me when I was in the hospital. The suspense involves her family and her dog as well. If you enjoy mystery and suspense, check out this series. This is the second book I've read in it, and I enjoyed both.BJ Robinson, Author

Sensational thriller

Once a Liberal Arts major in French Literature, J.A. Schneider, a former staffer at Newsweek, brings aspects of her fascination with medicine, forensic science, and human psychology into her gripping thrillers. I am honored that she read my work. This is what she says about Coma Confidential:

J.A. Schneider, author of suspense and psychological thrillers

5.0 out of 5 starsSensational thriller

February 23, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The writing of this book is mesmerizing. From the first line, I found myself getting quiet and still, just listening to the main character’s voice: “Growing up, I didn’t care for fairytale characters. The one I disliked the most was Sleeping Beauty. Unfortunately, now I’ve turned into one. It’s the Sleeping part that frightens me…”

The character who speaks is a young woman named Ash, who has been beaten and raped, and lies in a hospital in a coma. But she can think, and hear everything going on around her. To the nurse, she imagines she looks like a mummy in her bandages. She hears her mother, the comments of others, the monitor emitting its pattern of beeps. She is startled by a power outage, and though the hospital has backup generators, she is further startled to hear those in the room speak of outages throughout the city and state.

She also remembers the rape; hears the brutal, Russian-accented voice of the monster who did this to her. She hears her boyfriend Michael come, and her mother’s hostility to him. Michael is a college dropout and a brilliant computer genius who has started his own software company. Distraught, he tries to explain to Ash that there might be a connection between him and the assault on her.

The story then catapults into stunning action. “The doors of the hospital take a hit. They crack, explode in a shower of glass slivers.” Terrorists next use the scheme of kidnap and blackmail, using Ash as the bargaining chip to force Michel to do their bidding. But he’s a hero, and Ash is determined to be whole again. This story is great romantic suspense, with the bonus of wonderful character development and a deep grasp of the human mind. Five big shiny stars!

Pulls innovational Stories out of her Artist's Hat

Michael James Gallagher, the author of political intrigue thrillers with a tango twist such as the Tsunami Connection, has just interviewed me on his podcast! He titles my work as, "Prolific, Inventive USA Today Bestseller... Pulls innovational Stories out of her Artist's Hat," which made me smile :)  Please check out our conversation: 

Excellent book!!!

LISTENER

TU

• Virtually Lace
• Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance, Book 2
• By: Uvi Poznansky
• Narrated by: Don Warrick
• 
  

 Excellent book!!! 

Overall  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️    

5 out of 5 stars

Performance  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Story  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   

5 out of 5 starStor⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-20-19

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I recently became a huge fan of sci fi / fantasy books involving virtual reality. This was a VERY different take on the concept. But different in a good way. I thought it was done really well. Like other books by Uvi Poxnansky, the characters are so full of life that you feel like you actually know them. The narration is done well, too. All in all, this is a great murder mystery mixed with sci fi VR. Definitely worth checking out.

I can barely guess the border between reality and hallucination

I tend to agree with Dad when he says, “Things will only get worse in this place,” but the last thing I expect is that his premonition will take effect immediately. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Winters,” says Dr. Patel, marching into the room. “So, how’s our patient doing?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Pa says. “I noticed that she’s on a lot of meds, including Morphine. Call me old-fashioned, but is that really necessary?”

“We want to keep her as comfortable as can be,” says Dr. Patel. 

“For how long?”

“As long as necessary.”

Pa takes a deep breath, and his voice trembles. “I’m afraid she’ll become addicted—”

Dr. Patel sounds patient, at first. “Look, you must understand. We had to fix several broken bones, and after the surgery, several places needed to be stitched.”

Dad says nothing, so he adds, “Healing takes time.”

I know what my dad must be thinking. He was the one who took my high-school friend, Betty, to a drug rehab facility a few years back, when she first experimented with drugs. And when she was released, he let her live in our home for a few weeks, because her own father would not. Pa and I, we know one thing: when people saw her addiction, they stopped seeing her.

In my case, I think Dr. Patel is paying no attention to who I am, anyway.

Pa asks, “When do you expect Ash to wake up?” 

“We can’t make any promises,” says Dr. Patel, this time in a non-committal tone. “Morphine is a short-acting opioid, now available also in a long-acting formulation. So, with once or twice a day dosing, steady-state blood levels can be achieved, and patients can sleep through the night.”

I suppose he’s just administered my daily dose, because in a blink, his voice fades away and so does Pa’s. Only echoes remain. From this point on, I can barely guess the border between reality and hallucination.

Ash in Coma Confidential

Coma Confidential

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

Ash finds herself in the ER diagnosed with coma. She has no memory of what has happened to her, but what she can do--despite what everyone around her might think--is listen to the conversations of her visitors. Will she survive the power outage in the hospital and then, being kidnapped out of it? 

Courageous People Confronting Stark Reality

A short and sweet review, written by Michael Gallagher, the author of a political intrigue thriller with a tango twist Tsunami Connection. This is what he wrote about my WWII spy thriller, Marriage before Death:

Espionage Lover

5.0 out of 5 starsCourageous People Confronting Stark Reality

August 19, 2017

Format: Kindle Edition

Stark historical reality intertwined in lucid prose with deep romantic love. Poznansky succeeds at crossing over in the thriller genre. Marriage before Death will interest both men and women readers. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of courage in the direst of historical situations. No spoilers here. Pick it up yourself. You'll be happy you did.

Here was the scene he had come to know so well, the scene of the murder

Here was the scene he had come to know so well, the scene of the murder. Virtually like a wave it came, with digitized droplets washing down over him, settling into place amidst the blue walls of the garage, with the jagged rock formation in the center of it all, framed by papery waves.

The mist cleared, only to reveal the familiar characters waiting there, each in its own position, in suspended animation. 

“Delete Gull,” Michael commanded. “Delete Fish.” 

Gull took a sharp turn and soared over the reddened clouds. Its shadow fluttered a moment longer on the garage floor, where the ripples around the eye of Fish closed in, erasing it. 

“Delete First Diver. Delete Second Diver.”

The two wire figures clambering up to reach the restaurant gate exchanged blank looks. In a blink, their snorkeled faces crumbled away, and so did their limbs. The traces of their fins remained there for a little while, glistening in the moonlit sand. 

“Delete Boy. Delete Brother.”

Boy flashed a smile. With a sharp metallic clink, Brother kicked him and hopped back, narrowly escaping a kick in return. Then both of them melted away.

“Delete Freckles.”

The dimpled smile separated from her face and flew away along with a swarm of freckles, until vanishing into the simulated wind. Only her wire basket remained behind.

“Delete Mr. Strong.”

Mr. Strong pleated his papery forehead, and at the end of a full second of contemplation, stepped off the boat and sank by her side, never to climb back on deck again. 

The sails wiggled for a while, then settled into a steady blur, as the sailboat started gliding away across the blue surface.

“Delete Fool.”

His papery beard aflutter, Fool flew off the bluff. His fall, down to the rocks below, had no impact. He simply evaporated into thin air. 

Michael reached for his wooden stake, reveling in its ripped fibers. Their touch was familiar. It might have been delivered to him by his virtual reality glove, or else by the muscle memory of his hand, from the time he had destroyed Bull by destroying his art. Either way, it was his stake now, virtually so, just as if it were handed down from the old man to him. 

Finally, without waiting for an explicit command, Mysterious collapsed onto the dark rock. The stump of its neck became one with the jagged outline. 

At long last, the virtual landscape looked serene—no wire figures to disrupt its beauty. No one left, not a soul but Lace. 

And that, in a perfect world, that was the way it should have been. 
Balancing herself on the tips of her toes, all alone on the hillside, the dancer flew over the trail, with the veil of evening shadow lingering behind her. Through her fingers, a glitter of some kind spread in the wind, swirling down the rib of the rocks and over the sea.

High-Tech Crime Solvers

Virtually Lace

(Volume I of High-Tech Crime Solvers)

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

Haunted by discovering the body of a beautiful dancer, Michael sets out to create a virtual reality simulation of her murder. Can he bring the mystery to life? Can he solve its clues in time, before the killer turns on the woman he loves, Ash?

I started reading the book and couldn't put it down, so I finished it in one day. Young people who are into those games will love this book! Older people who are into love will adore the two main characters and root for Michael to save Ash before it is too late. 

~B.J. Robinson, Author

Amazing, Mesmerizing Look Into "Active" Mind of Coma Victim!

Glenda Bixler is a first-rate book reviewer with a wonderful blog, Book Readers' Heaven, where she posts her book reviews. This is what she wrote about my suspense thriller, Coma Confidential:

Glenda

5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing, Mesmerizing Look Into "Active" Mind of Coma Victim!

February 19, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Uvi Poznansky has created an amazing story...like no other! Many have known people who are in comas. Some believe they can hear while in that coma, so talk to their loved one, or plays music... It is the not knowing, the waiting, that taunts each individual. Will she wake up? Is she in pain? Can she really hear us?

The answer for Ashley was unique, perhaps, but, nevertheless, a creative endeavor on the part of the writer to answer the question... What if...

From the very first when she had awakened and listened, she heard the sounds around her and realized that she was in the hospital. She must have tested movement immediately, perhaps to feel if her face, her eyes, were covered... She had no ability to move... But she was totally able to hear, to think, to listen, and to remember how she would normally react... She didn't immediately know names, but she remember her loved ones, wishing they were here. Or, deciding it might be better if they didn't know that she was, actually, perhaps hovering between life and death...

What she did remember, though, was what had happened to her to get her there in the first place. Her nightmares were vivid, she heard him speak, using a Russian accent, and she struggled with him in her mind, if not with her body...

That was to come later...

For now, nobody knew she was alive and thinking in her body. It probably would be a lot easier, if she didn't actually have that active mind...if that, too, had been silenced... Because, soon, among the people's voices she heard, was the man who had attacked her...and more...

Writing from the point of view of the coma victim, Ashley, readers are able to learn about what actually happens, and who is behind it, as Ash listens, and starts putting things together. As visitors start coming in, first her mother, who of course is most concerned, then Michael, who her mother tries to prevent him coming in...

Her mother was always a shy, quiet woman, but the doctor must have told her that she needed to have people talk to her. Once her mother started, Ash was surprised by all that she was being told. But as she went on, her mother started talking about the power outage both at home and across the town and how it had affected her. Of course, the hospital had backup generators...until they couldn't handle everything...

Michael tried to explain that he had been interviewed by the police and certainly had been found not guilty. It was Ash who was emotionally traumatized seeing the attitudes of those she most loved, who were so estranged. But eventually, Mrs. Winters does leave for him to have time with Ash... After his normal expressions of concern, love and vows to find out who did this, he starts to confess that it might be something that he has done to have caused what happened. Ash figuratively sat up to find out more, but they were interrupted...

Mrs. Winters was arguing with the police guard who had not been there when Michael had come and not stopped him. Michael and Ash knew that their time was ending... Two things were left hanging: A tingle of Michael's lips on Ash's mouth, the first feeling she'd had... And...what had Michael been about to say about possibly causing her assault!?!

I think one of the most enjoyable parts of the book for me was Ash's internal thoughts and/or her "potential" responses to what was being said, if she could speak. Poznansky has created Ash as a warm, caring, and quite humorous woman who, even in this situation, finds the ability to speak back in her mind or to talk to herself about this or that. I don't think I have so quickly learned about the personality of a character, without her speaking one word... Obviously, the writing was exceptionally well done in order to have produced such a response from this reader!

It started with the movement of a little toe...and by the time she is placed into danger, by having her attacker somewhere in the hospital, she begins to learn more as a woman visits who claims to be an old friend...and talks to that attacker at a place where Ash can hear... Ash is kidnapped and forced to move out of her coma state, having lost her connection to the morphine that was keeping her stable while her body healed...

WOW! The latter part of the book moved into so much action, as lights went out in the hospital, Ash is moved out and then on to another location...and, yes... all because of Michael... I read this in one setting, loving every minute of it. Mesmerizing is the best adjective possible, as the power of the mind moves to respond to various emotions that, if awake, most of us would find incomprehensible and unable to deal with.

I've already read the next book in the series, Virtually Lace, so check out my review. But, for me, I'm anxious to see another novel with Ash as the main character--with her fully alert and ready to move! Poznansky is making a name for herself in her multi-genre sphere. For me, she really has upped her efforts in the romantic thriller genre that will take her quickly to comparable heights of many well-known authors. After meeting Ash in Coma Confidential, I'm a fan of this series!

I have to add that with her skills as an artist, and her book covers, plus her nonfiction novels, Poznansky just might be the most versatile, extraordinary artist/writer you may ever find! Try this book first if you haven't yet read her! Highly recommended.

GABixlerReviews

~~Power Failures/Comatose Patient/Mysteries~~

Great review from Serenity for my suspense thriller, Coma Confidential:

Serenity...

TOP 100 REVIEWER

5.0 out of 5 stars~~Power Failures/Comatose Patient/Mysteries~~

February 22, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

If you have ever wondered what it would feel like being in a coma, unable to speak but able to hear every single thing going on around you, this novel will give you the answers....in a heartbeat and at the same time raise your blood pressure...

Just an outstanding grasp of the human mind when all is dark around you due to power failures and a coma. To be perfectly honest, it gave me the chills while reading...

Ashley (Ash) is the main character and she has been victimized to the point of being in a coma. She is indeed a prisoner of her own self.

Lots of mysteries surround Ash and her boyfriend, Michael. What is causing these power outages and for what reason?

Toss in a Russian to compound the outstanding plot and the reader is off to the races...sometimes in a wheelchair and sometimes in an ambulance.

Love that Browny...I will give him 5 woofs. too.

Outstanding character development coupled with a solid plot and mysteries make this read a 5 star one for me. I appreciate the fact that all of the mysteries are solved and neatly tied up at the conclusion...

Most highly recommended.

Thrilling Ride!

A great review from Kevin for my suspense thriller, Coma Confidential:

kevin

5.0 out of 5 starsThrilling Ride!

February 20, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Coma Confidential is a thrilling new story from Uvi Poznansky. Ash, a young girl who having been beaten and raped, lies in a hospital in a coma, with no memory of the events that placed her here. We soon learn that the criminal who carried out this vicious attack, is only a part of a much grander evil scheme. They're using Ash as a bargaining chip to force her boyfriend into giving them what they want. With the deck stacked against her, especially in her current state, how can she attempt to overcome the odds? This story is gripping, keeping you on the edge of your seat. It encompasses all the emotions of a girl trying to overcome the odds and possibly reestablish some sense of normality. I thoroughly recommend reading!

Three novels -- a whole life, from youth to old age -- in a single book!

The paperback edition is out! If puts three novels -- a whole life, from youth to old age -- in a single book. The David Chronicles describes the life of one of the most fascinating figures in history, starting from his youth, his ascension to the throne, and his struggles with his heirs during his old age: 

Rise to Power:
Here is the story of David as you have never heard it before: from the king himself, telling the unofficial version, the one he never allowed his court scribes to recount. Rooted in ancient lore, his is a surprisingly modern memoir.

Notorious for his contradictions, David is seen by others as a gifted court entertainer, a successful captain in Saul’s army, a cunning fugitive, a traitor leading a gang of felons, and a ruthless raider of neighboring towns who leaves no witnesses behind. But how does he see himself, during this first phase of his life?
With his hands stained with blood, can he find an inner balance between conflicting drives: his ambition for the crown, his determination to survive the conflict with Saul, and his longing for purity, for a touch of the divine, as expressed so lyrically in his psalms?

If you like ancient historical fiction about court intrigue, this king David novel has a modern twist like no book you have read before.

A Peek at Bathsheba:
Against the backdrop of wars, raging within the land and without, David is growing into the mantle of leadership. Between his anointment as a tribal king and his anointment as the king of all of Israel, he uses wisdom, cunning, and his own understanding of the forces of history, aiming for high ideals: stopping the bloodshed, uniting the nation, and bringing about healing and peace. 

But then, having reached his peak, David falters. He makes a serious error that threatens to undo his political success, and cost him not only the adoration of his people—but also the sense of being sustained by a divine power. That error is the most torrid tale of passion ever told: his deliciously forbidden love for Bathsheba, followed by his attempt to cover up the ensuing scandal by sending her husband—who serves him faithfully in his army—to his death.

The Edge of Revolt:
David loves his sons. The last thing he expects is that they will topple him from the throne. Who among them will remain by his side? Who will be not only loyal, but also eager to continue his legacy? 

For now, David remains silent, even as Amnon rapes Tamar, even as Absalom lures Amnon to his death. In families other than his, such crimes may be concealed. But when they occur in the king’s family, they affect matters of the state, and result in his escape from the son he adores. Will he finds a way to quell the revolt and come back to the City of David?

Get the trilogy now! It makes for a wonderful gift:

The David Chronicles: Trilogy

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Alternatively, you can get the three individual novels

Volume IV: 

Inspired by Art: Fighting Goliath

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Volume V: 

Inspired by Art: Fall of a Giant

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Volume VI: 

Inspired by Art: Rise to Power

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Volume VII:

Inspired by Art: A Peek at Bathsheba

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Volume VIII:

Inspired by Art: The Edge of Revolt

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Volume IX: 

Inspired by Art: The Last Concubine

Paperback ★ Hardcover