TELL ME YOUR DREAMS - SIDNEY SHELDON - Book review

"If you don't know which novel to decide, and want a master story full of twists, you can always pick up a Sidney Sheldon book "

     I happened to purchase this book from a leading book store a couple of days in advance before I had to move to and fro from Chennai city to Chengalpattu to attend a research conference, which happened a month back. Unfortunately I failed to complete the book, cause of my travelling tiredness and I happened to start and complete the whole book today.

    Before I start with the story line and my take on the book, let me tell a couple of things " This is not for the faint hearted " and yes " Its really addictive" you might never wanna keep this book down once you start it....

STORY PLOT 

    The story revolves around a gorgeous, workaholic and brainy techie named Ashley Patterson, who works at a leading firm at the silicon valley, Toni Prescott, who loves to sing, party and enjoy, and Alette Peters - who loves artwork and has inborn talent of painting .Ashley fears she's been stalked by someone and fears that her life could be in danger. Her father, Dr. Steven Patterson, a famous cardiac surgeon always warns her about men and relationships and was the reason for her teen age breakup as well, which saw them move out of London, just after her graduation. Her father also warned her about Dennis Tibble, her co-worker, who always flirted with her, soon he was brutally murdered and Ashley comes into suspect. Alette goes to Rome where she meets an artist whom she had previously known, but later after Alette leaves him, he is found to be murdered. On the other side Toni visits Quebec city and meets Jean claude, whome she knew via an online chat room and he gifts her an Emerald ring, asks her to accompany her for lunch and asks her to join her, which she rejects.

     When nothing is going proper in Ashley's her life,  two identical murders happen at Rome and Quebec, where Toni and Alette had been, and in both the cases the men were brutally killed and castrated after sex, while Alette and Toni had nothing to do with the murders, also the police couldn't trace them. A few days later Ashley finds a warning message " You will die" written with red lipstick on her dressing table mirror. In this fear she asks Deputy Sam Blake to stay at her place to safeguard her. When she wakes up the next day, she is arrested for the murder of depty Sam Blake and also, found to be guilty of the previous two murders which occurred at Rome and Quebec.

    Upon investigations, the DNA samples collected from the site of murder matched Ashley Patterson. she is found to have been present at all the three murder spots, but has no idea or any memory about any of these incidences and was actually telling the truth when subjected to Polygraph test (a lie detector). How could it be that she could be present at the spot, but had not committed any cold blooded murder ?? Ashley was soon to undergo her trial as all the evidences pointed her to be involved in those murders.

    David Singer is a corporate lawyer, who worked with a private firm, sees the news about Ashley Patterson being convicted and remembers her father Dr. Patterson who saved her mothers life and in turn David worked as a driver for him (during his days of studying criminal law) in order to repay him for saving his mother's life. Soon David was to become the leading lawyer of his firm and makes major plans along with his wife Sandra. Later in the day he is approached by Dr Patterson to take up his daughter's case. For the sake of the firm he initially rejects it, but later after visiting Ashley, he decided to take up the case and have a break from the private firm.

    Soon David revisits her with a leading psychotheraphist Dr. Royce Salem, who diagnoses her to have Multiple personality disorder (MPD) and found to have Toni and Alette within her. As days passed the trail begins and David faces a whole lot of challenges as he defends Ashley. Unfortunately, the court doesn't accept on any of the proofs shown by David in support of his client Ashley. And, when the trial comes to the final day, David tricks Ashley under hypnosis from Dr Salem and records a video and presents it to the court, which later proves her alter to have found to commit the murder and decides to send her to a psychotherapist rehab center where she would be treated.

    At the rehab asylum, Dr  Gilbert decides to treat her and tries to find out the horrid reasons for the birth of these two insane characters within her. As Gilbert tries to dedicate more time to this case he realizes to have been attracted towards her. As years pass by, Gilbert is unable to find out the route cause of trouble and unable to progress in treating her apart from making those characters friendly with him. He find out that Toni is the dominant one and is very aggressive, who loves to dance and sing, while Alette is calm and loves art and paintings. The twist comes in the story when Dr. Patterson comes to visit Ashley with her Fiance' and her daughter, and starts playing with her daughter. That's when she realizes how her father sexually assaulted and abused her every night, that's when Ashley faints and is rushed to the emergency, and Toni comes into anger. During this anger period Dr Gilbert gets the whole story out from her why she committed crimes . Toni  confessed that she committed these murders just cause they tried getting into her and poor Ashley and Alette couldn't do any thing, she also felt that all men were the same wanting to bed a woman. Now that the week point was known, Dr Gilbert decides to use it to make Toni fed up of her dad and soon show her its pointless doing anything with him and end up uniting all three characters within Ashley and soon puts and end to the other two characters Alette and Toni. Soon Ashley is relieved from the asylum and moves among normal people and has a normal life and normal colorful dreams.


MY REVIEW :

    Its a faced paced, gripping and an un-put-downable book from Sidney Sheldon. The plot is very engaging and has everything to keep the reader going. If you are a Sidney Sheldon fan or a mystery novel lover you would really have a great time reading this. I personally had goosebumps and strong adrenaline as the story neared the climax. Its surely gonna be an unforgettable book down my reading history.

MY RATING : 4.5 /5


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