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Once Iıd finished reading Thom Racinaıs fifth novel, NEVER FORGET, I decided to visit his website and learn a little bit more about him. In doing so, I confirmed my suspicions about what bothered me most about this book. At his website, I discovered that heıd honed his craft as a writer on a variety of soap operas. And while that is an altogether admirable and grueling venue for a writer to labor in, it does not necessarily serve a novelist in good stead. Particularly when they decide to write a mystery novel set in and around the world of show business. NEVER FORGET is a breezy and modestly entertaining read, centered on the story of Hollywood aspirants Max Jason and Kristen Caulfield and the famed director, Maggie Nash, who professes to love them both. In pursuit of their dreams of success in the movies, they become embroiled in a web of jealousy and murder. Having spent as much time in the television business as Mr. Racina has, the reader might have hoped for an incisive look at the culture within the framework of a good mystery. But, for some reason, Mr. Racina chose not to do that. Instead, NEVER FORGET has the feel of a story arc of a soap opera that decided to take a few of its characters to Hollywood. Neither the characters nor the setting ever seem to rise above the artificial feel of a soundstage. And while the characters of Max and Kristen were not hopelessly noble like some soap opera protagonists, they were paper-thin. The villains of the novel, traditionally the characters both author and readers have the most fun with, were even worse: tiresome and irredeemably evil and, when they went, this reader wasnıt the least bit sorry to be rid of them. And finally, the payoff, the solution to the mystery was flabby and obvious and revealed in the most clichéd way imaginable. Writing on deadline for a soap opera is a remarkable talent and one to be admired. But when a soap opera writer turns his or her hand to writing a novel, they should bear in mind that they donıt have the same deadline constraints and should take the time to craft a story that worthy of both them and their reader.
Reviewed by Michael Grollman, December 2002
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