This was an intriguing, original story. The author, Sara Driscoll, did an excellent job of characterization delving deeply into what it would be like for the main character, Quinn, to have memory issues due to an attack that left her nearly dead. She doesn't drop the ball with this, following through showing how resilient Quinn is as she navigates her day-to-day life and then witnesses a murder. Quinn relies on detailed notes and her skill as an artist to help, because everything that happens to her is forgotten soon after.

Through the author's skillful descriptions I lived in this book. Amazing! 5 stars!

Quinn is a young woman who was left for dead one night after being beat by a stranger and she recovered but has some memory issues. Now a few months later, she is learning to live with her new problems and she is coping pretty well. One night when she is taking out the garbage, she witnesses a murder. She writes everything down and reports it to the police. She works with the police and her memory issues in order to try and solve the case.

I really enjoyed this read! I liked how everything unfolded differently because of the memory issues. It made the read very interesting. I liked how fast paced it was and it kept me interested the whole time.

I liked the characters and I would definitely recommend!

I listened to the audiobook and I liked the narrator a lot! She had a nice voice and it was an easy listen.

It was not quite a five star for me because I did feel like it was a bit long.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc and alc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This was a solid 4 stars for me. The MC was really likeable and I thought the premise was very interesting. I also liked the side characters. The story flowed well.

Fab book really good story! Exciting and compelling.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my copy.

Quinn, the personable, engaging protagonist of this breathtaking thriller captured my interest at the beginning and held it throughout. Reading about how traumatic brain injury effected Quinn was both sad and enlightening. How she compensated every single day to survive with what she called her “broken brain” demonstrates an uncommon, applaudable tenacity that endeared her to me. It is what she chooses to do to get justice for someone else that dramatically changes her post-assault life.

Quinn loved living in San Diego. She also loved working with plants and flowers, and was highly successful at her florist position. Jacinta was more than her employer; she was like a second mother and friend. Quinn worked for Jacinta for a couple years before she was assaulted one night after being out with friends. Her head injury was so severe that she had no recall of anything that occurred after she was attacked and left for dead.

Quinn could return to work as she remembered everything about her position from before that night. She kept detailed notes of everything, often staying late to finish up or make notes for the next day. Quinn also went to a support group for people with brain injuries. The only name and face she could put together was Will’s, the group facilitator. A cheerful woman about her age, Viv, befriended her. One night Quinn was working later than usual and before leaving, took the trash to the dumpster. She heard something unusual; she hid and watched a murder take place. When he heard something move near her, he grabbed the dead guy and tossed him into the back of a van that sped away. Terrified, she locked herself inside the shop, wrote down everything she saw and heard, then called the police.

The officers mocked her for using notes; without a body, they had little confidence that a murder occurred. I began to grasp the depth of Quinn’s memory loss in the following scenes.

The next day, Detective Nura Reyes came to the shop to talk with Quinn about what happened. Quinn had to look at her journal entries, which Reyes knew she would. She had remembered hearing of Quinn’s case, and was willing to work with her. Quinn began to work at slowly regaining memories. She struggled to draw a picture of the killer, using her exceptional artistic talent. She became able to hold onto memories for as long as an hour.

Quinn saw things in dreams or in flashbacks. She didn’t want to waste Detective Reyes’s time, so there were some ideas she followed up on herself as safely as she could. Soon, however, she realized that the killer she hunted, was hunting her.

Quinn has stayed in my mind for weeks after I turned the final pages. Something deep inside her grew and strengthened, and she refused to be broken by the killer. There was a huge twist I had not anticipated, and her brilliance led to one of the more satisfying conclusions I’ve read. I highly recommend this novel to those who appreciate thrillers or mysteries with strong female leads, crimes that seemed unsolvable, and are “clean reads”.

From a thankful heart: I received a pre-publication ARC of this novel from the publisher and author through NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

An interesting and well researched mystery.  Quinn is a strong and personable MC dealing with short term memory loss due to a TBI. The reader gets to see the world from her perspective,  which I found interesting. This was a slow burn but an engaging read..

An unusual story, gripping and intense. Information about traumatic brain injury researched well will help you understand what Quinn has been through. A rough ride through her memories and events. Lots of twists and turns in this complex mystery. I could not put this book down! A real page turner and a must read!

“Echoes of Memory” by Sara Driscoll follows a woman who, after having injury related daily memory loss, witnesses a murder and must try to put together the pieces to what happened.

I think this book may have a niche audience. There is a lot of information about brain injuries and memory in this book. At some points, it feels like an information dump. I enjoyed that the book seems very well researched. However, I could see some people not being interested in this.

I think this story was a little slow, but it kept me intrigued. It could have been sped up. There are some things I do not think were strictly necessary for this story. However, it felt more realistic than some thrillers do. It was easy to follow the story, and the main character’s choices made sense.

The ending was the most disappointing part of this book for me. Everything came together perfectly, which was great! However, I appreciate thrillers having some sort of twist. The ending of this book was expected by the time I got there.

Overall, I had a fun time and felt intrigued by the way the story played out, but I don’t think it will be very memorable to me.

Such a compelling storyline with a unique main character. Quinn Fleming has never fully recovered from the post-traumatic brain injury she suffered when she was brutally attacked. She has adapted to her new life with the use of her journal and signs posted to remind her constantly of what she should be able to remember, but can’t. When she witnesses a murder, she immediately writes down what she saw then calls 911. She is unsure if the murderer saw her, but feels guilty that she is unable to provide more information to find the killer. She finally feels as if she can help when a detective reads the report and connects Quinn to her previous attack. The assistance of the brain injury specialist at a support group enables her to feel some hope by using her art to draw the images that are beginning to appear to her. Will she be able to provide enough information to the police before the killer finds her? I absolutely loved this story, the fascinating mystery and Quinn’s desire to recover and get justice for the murdered man. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Echoes Of Memory was an interesting thriller? Suspense? I'm not really sure what sub-genre of Mystery it falls into, I just know I enjoyed reading it. I couldn't imagine having post-traumatic amnesia and not being able to form/hold onto new memories. Having to write everything down just to know basic stuff. My heart absolutely broke for Quinn and what she was going through. And my eyes leaked multiple times while reading her struggles.

The story was maybe a little slow in places, but overall I thought it was interesting and heart breaking and triumphant.

Many thanks to the author, Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Echoes of Memory by Sara Driscoll, aka Jen J Danna
Mystery, thriller.
Several months earlier, San Diego florist Quinn Fleming survived a terrible attack which left her with post-traumatic amnesia. Her short term memory is gone. In order to remember anything from day to day, she keeps a notebook of hand written notes of things she needs to remember, which she then reads on the bus to and from work each day.
One night when closing the store, she witnesses a murder in the alley. She immediately writes down everything she saw in detail including impressions and calls the police. By the time they arrive though, there is no body and no evidence of a crime. When Quinn starts having flashbacks, Detective Reyes matches a body found washed up on a beach to Quinn’s notes and sketches. Quinn innocently starts investigating a logo she thinks she’s remembering from that night, which triggers a threat from the killer. He heard someone in the alley that night. Now he knows who else needs to be eliminated.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook which was performed by Cynthia Farrell. The narration is fantastic with varying voices for the few main characters and impressive emotional scenes from the victim. Much of the book is high tension and terror which is clearly heard and felt while other parts include her therapy sessions where you hear tension, embarrassment and hope from Quinn.
For me, reading print is more visual and immersive while an audiobook is heard and felt. Both work wonderfully for this thriller.
I listened to the audiobook at a speed of 1.5 which more closely matches speech patterns in my area.

I couldn’t imagine having no memory of yesterday or this morning and having to refer to notes, let alone the shock of reading about witnessing a murder, and being in danger because of it. Talk about a wake up call!
A gripping and intense thriller.
4.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher RB Media.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Recorded Books Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this standalone book by Sara Driscoll, wonderfully narrated by Cynthia Farrell. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Quinn survived a terrible attack that left her with a traumatic brain injury. Three months later, she relies on tips she learned in a TBI support group to help her retain her short-term memories. When she witnesses a crime, she writes down the details before she forgets them. The police aren't impressed and she soon starts experiencing flashbacks about the crime, leading her to do her own investigation.

I got lost in this book, and loved being able to switch from the audio to the digital versions so I could keep reading. I thought the TBI storyline was fascinating, as were all the tricks and tips Quinn used to help retain her memories. The suspense was high and I worried for Quinn's safety as she took things into her own hands. Detective Reyes was the only law enforcement officer who put stock into Quinn's story, and she turned into a very sympathetic friend and supporting character. Great read - would love to read more from these characters!

This one was a slow burn for me between the 30% and 70% mark. Otherwise the pacing was good and the author’s writing style was easy to read.

The author picked a very difficult injury for the main character, Quinn, to suffer through, at least from a reading perspective. She can only remember the last hour or two of her life and everything prior to the event that caused her memory to be damaged. This requires some repetition of the character’s actions. While it wasn’t terribly overdone with this book, it had me questioning some moments where it seemed like Quinn remembered something she shouldn’t have. Which then had me reading portions of the story two or three times again (which might have caused the slow-pacing feel). I found discrepancies.

I'm typically a reader who can let things go but in this case, since it is a mystery, it had me wondering if this was deliberately done by the author and whether it was part of the story. However, it seems I was trying to find something that wasn’t there. In hindsight, I believe they were just oversights. So my recommendation to a reader going into this story is not to worry about whether Quinn really is having memory issues, just accept that she is. There is nothing being hidden from you, there are no tricks or deceptions.

This one wasn’t for me but I'm sure there are mystery lovers out there that it will connect with.

A huge thank you for my e-ARC, which was provided by the publisher and the author via NetGally in exchange for my honest review.

Cawpile rating 3.3

A woman with memory issues is the sole witness to a murder

Quinn Fleming is doing her best to live a normal life in the aftermath of a brutal attack. She went from being a normal single young woman working in a florist shop in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter and going out with friends on the weekend to someone for whom everyday tasks and life are a perpetual struggle. As a result of the beating to which she was subjected several months earlier, not only can she not remember the details of the attack itself, she can no longer retain or recall things that she does each day. With the help of an understanding boss, a support group for people who have suffered Traumatic Brain Injury, and a whole host of coping mechanisms (like post-it notes throughout her apartment telling her where things are and reminding her to do tasks, and a notebook in which she details everything that she does or needs to do), she is able to get through each day. As difficult as that continues to be for her, things are about to get significantly more challenging. While taking out the trash from the shop one night, she notices someone acting oddly at the other end of the alley. She retreats to the shadows, but is afraid to make herself known….which turns out to be a good choice when the man she has been watching is approached and seemingly killed by another man, thrown into a van and taken away. She runs inside and immediately records everything that happened and that she saw, knowing that within an hour or less she will remember nothing, before notifying the authorities. Although the police initially dismiss her report, a detective who remembers the case that resulted in Quinn’s loss of memory believes her. It turns out that Quinn is actually a fantastic witness, but can she survive if the killer knows that a witness exists who can identify him? And what did the victim do that marked him for death?
A standalone mystery from author Sara Driscoll, this story takes an interesting situation and develops an intricate thriller. Quinn is dealing with challenges that boggle the mind, but keeps working with the hope that her memory capacity will improve through repetition and other practices. Having been a victim, she feels compelled to risk humiliation in order to bring justice for the man whose death she witnessed, and closure for his family. A sympathetic police detective and the man who leads her support group are there to help Quinn in this goal. The discovery of who the victim was and what he was doing that signed his death warrant provides an interesting thread. Readers of Iris Johansen, Megan Lally and Thomas Perry should give this a try, as of course should fans of Sara Driscoll’s other books both series and standalones. Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me early access to this intriguing read.

After being attacked three months ago, Quinn cannot hold short term memories. She carries a notebook with her at all times to write things down she knows she won’t remember. Leaving work one evening she witnesses a murder but the police don’t believe her because she has to read from her notes rather than give a firsthand account. One Detective does believe her and together they are determined to catch the culprit.

The author did a wonderful job telling the story and also bringing attention to brain injuries and how they can affect memory. I learned a lot in this book about the brain and found it fascinating tied into the story. Quinn is a strong, determined woman who won’t let what happened to her shape her life. I throughly enjoyed this book and could not put it down.

To surrender to the darkness was more terrifying than trying to force her way through it.

Quinn Fleming was assaulted and left for dead. Rescued by a passerby, she is learning to cope with her lack of ability to remember anything - all her memories lost and unable to retain new ones. Witnessing a murder, she makes copious notes so she will be able to share the details of what she saw. But will anyone believe her?

I found myself feeling like I was going through this struggle with Quinn. There is so much to learn about a traumatic brain injury - TBI. I have not had the experience, but know people who have. It is a very long process toward recovery. The author has done a great deal of research into the life of one that has been afflicted with a TBI. Will she ever be the same again, and does it matter if she is not?

An early copy was received through Kensington Publishing Corp. and NetGalley. These impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.

A thrilling standalone mystery featuring a San Diego florist grappling with post-traumatic amnesia. The only witness to a murder she can’t remember, her handwritten notes and razor-sharp wits are all she has to solve the crime – and save her life.

This was really good! The amnesia aspect was really interesting and added a great layer of complexity to the classic murder mystery. Great!

Absorbing mystery thriller.

Quinn Fleming is trying to reclaim her life after a vicious nighttime attack left her with a traumatic brain injury. The trauma resulted in a type of amnesia that prevents her from forming new memories. Although she's back to work as a florist in a San Diego flower shop, she cannot function without her post it labels on every surface and her diary notebook in which she records every detail of her daily existence. Then she witnesses a murder in the alley behind the floral shop. In order not to forget what she saw in the dark, she records every detail immediately and gets the police involved. Fortunately, Quinn is an artist, and she pours any snippet of memory into sketches from dreams and flashes of insight. Unfortunately, someone else knows that she was there in the alley and saw what happened. That someone does not want Quinn to remember anything.

I enjoyed the story, especially the clinical details about TBI and this particular type of amnesia. The recovery from such an injury can be very arduous and frustrating. I liked how the main character approached her situation and all her efforts to keep making progress toward recovering lost memories and also to increase her ability to make new ones. The other characters in the book were also fleshed out and important to the narrative. The mystery was complicated and the pacing of the revelations as it was solved was well done.

Fortunately, I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC -- both provided by the publisher. The narrator of the audiobook, Cynthia Farrell, did an excellent job of voicing and giving nuance to all the characters. both male and female. It definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

An unusual procedural featuring a truly interesting protagonist with a TBI. Detective Nura Reyes is the only person who believes Quinn when she calls 911 to report a murder in the alley-even though there's no body or blood. Reyes remembers when Quinn herself was attacked and suffered a TBI that left her with amnesia which she copes with by writing everything down. And she wrote down everything she saw. This has a good twisty mystery but it's Quinn that makes it special. I've been a fan of Driscoll's work and this is one of her best. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

A standalone crime novel, Echoes of Memory (2024) by Canadian author Sara Driscoll is a gripping crime mystery tale. Quinn Fleming works in a florist shop in San Diego, having recovered from a vicious assault, that left her with post-traumatic amnesia. Unable to keep her memories, Quinn writes everything down in a notebook. When she witnesses a crime, the police in attendance do not believe her. However, Detective Nura Reyes not only takes her at her word but also uses Qiuin’s various sketches to help build her case. An interesting police procedural with an unusual witness, builds slowly into a tense and dangerous game of matching wits with a murderer. An enjoyable crime mystery thriller with a savvy hero that makes for a four stars read rating. With thanks to Level Best Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.