Genre

THRILLER, DRAMA

Brief

A world famous movie star stumbles across a dying woman with amnesia on a beach, leading him down a twisting path where he must protect her while trying to uncover her identity. Her baby has been taken from her, and once she has her memory back they race to track down the man who did this to her. They think they find her baby, only to find out later that the villain got away with their child and the girl they’ve been raising isn’t biologically theirs. They must find him again ten years later, in the hopes he’ll lead them to their real daughter.

Overall Rating

FAIR

Point of View

THIRD PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: FAIR

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: FAIR

Premise: FAIR

Structure: FAIR

Theme: FAIR

Accuracy of Book Profile

Overall the book profile represents the three book series well. The only things that stands out as inaccurate are Simon’s gender being listed as “Lgbt” and the suggestion that this would be female-leaning. It would likely be a male-leaning thriller as Frank is the primary protagonist.

Draw of Story

The way the story is told in the first book is strikingly effective. It’s split between Frank’s current perspective and Jasmine’s from the past, and for a little while the audience isn’t aware that Jasmine is Frank’s Jane Doe from the beach. This is compelling storytelling, and it works so well in Part I. The reveal that Jasmine and Linda are one in the same could be held back for even longer, too. It’s obvious pretty early on, and hiding that more could be successful.

Possible Drawbacks

The writing is a bit amateurish at times, and it just doesn’t feel like a professional showing. It switches from from third person perspective in Frank’s chapters to first person in Jasmine/Linda’s, which is unnecessarily confusing. This is made even more unclear as later in the first book (and in the other two books), there are even more characters’ perspectives. Epithets are commonly used instead of character names, which isn’t recommended. This is an example from Part II: “The big strong man, visibly shaken, pulls the little Mexican woman close to him and looks into her face with concern, wiping away her first tears” (235). Nothing is gained by not using character names, and describing characters in this way is clunky and awkward. Nothing new is being revealed. We know Simon is big and strong, we know Rosalia is Mexican. Referring to characters in this way is very confusing, because the audience has to figure out who is being referred to. The same goes for using character surnames, when they’re normally referred to by their given names. This happens frequently in Part III. Polishing the series overall would help for a cleaner read.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The mystery aspect in Part I coupled with the dual storytelling is a great hook. Visiting new countries in Parts II and III is also interesting, and it’s easy to see how those would draw in an audience in a film or TV trailer alone.

Fanbase Potential

A thriller is unlikely to garner a very large fanbase purely because it’s not the genre to typically enjoy one. A well-made thriller could have devoted fans, though, and be very successful.

Awards Potential

Due to the genre, it’s unlikely this would have awards potential. That said, it could if it was refocused and told from Jasmine/Linda’s perspective. Were that the case, it could garner attention from A-List actors to play her, who could then be nominated for their portrayal.

Envisioned Budget

MEDIUM BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

BLINDSPOT; THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT ; YOU; THE SINNER

What’s New About the Story

The structure in Part I is original, and it would work so well for the first act or even first half of a film, or the first few episodes of a TV show. Jasmine/Linda’s years long search for her child is also unique, and sticking tighter to that storyline could be really successful. Currently it’s somewhat lost between Part II and Part III, where a lot of time passes that the audience only gets to hear about after the fact. Not letting the audience experience this first hand could be a mistake.

Lead Characters

The character of Jasmine/Linda is a missed opportunity in the books. Everything happens to her, rather than because of her. She has no agency, and she has a very small role in the grand scheme of things. Building her into being a true co-lead with Frank, or even the main lead, would go a long way toward bettering the whole series. She is largely only the damsel in distress right now, and she’s barely in the story at all after Part I. This is especially odd as the story is originally told in part from her perspective. She is the one who great violence is done upon, and this story would be stronger if it were truly hers.

Uniqueness of Story

The dual structure of Part I is the best part of the series and it’s what sets it apart. However, this is simply a clever structural choice, and it’s not the story itself. Jasmine/Linda’s story is very horrific and potentially unique, but it’s not handled in a nuanced or particularly original way. When this becomes a globetrotting chase in Parts II and III, it loses anything fresh about the story. The story itself becomes muddied and confusing, and it’s hard to follow in places. A cleaner through line and focusing on Jasmine/Linda would improve it.

Possible Formats

Film - Streaming, TV Series - Streaming

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

This series is still a work in progress because no element of it is wholly ready yet. The writing itself isn’t very interesting or dynamic. The characters are flat, and the overarching plot is confusing and poorly balanced. The wrong characters are focused on, and the only queer character is a crazy and possessive villain. The first book starts with a fascinating structure and interesting mystery, but unfortunately that falls apart by the end and it sets up a promise that isn’t fulfilled.

Tips for Improvement

The way the story is told needs to be my dynamic. A lot is hidden from the audience, such as cliffhangers at the end of chapters that aren’t revisited for some time, or are dropped completely. The reader doesn’t get to follow along, and the characters always have way more information than the reader. This makes the narrative dull and not compelling. This isn’t helped by the decade long gap between Part II and Part III. Because of this, nothing in Part II is resolved, and the audience only finds out what happens in exposition in Part III. This creates a gap in the audience’s ability to connect to the story. Jasmine/Linda should absolutely be the main character of the series. She was violently attacked, had her child and essentially her womanhood ripped away from her, and she has very little agency within the series. A man has to save her, and then that man’s son, and all she gets to do is give a small speech to Simon toward the end. Having everything be a dream is a strange excuse to a story that’s confusing and illogical. This ending also makes no sense, as Jasmine/Linda wakes on the plane before she reaches New York. However the first book begins with Linda’s story prior to her flight, and it’s told concurrently with Frank finding her on the beach in the first chapter. The story can’t be told from both of these points of view and then be retroactively thrown aside in this way. What’s more, this ending suggests that everything that happens to Linda before page 85 (in her own narrative) actually happened to her. This is extremely confusing, and it doesn’t add up. The ending itself will also alienate an audience. It also means that nothing actually matters within the context of the books. An audience has invested time in this story and these characters over three books, and they’ll be completely betrayed by discovering everything Linda experienced was fake.