Hatrack River Writers Workshop: !8 Seconds

This is topic !8 Seconds in forum Discussing Published Hooks & Books at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Antinomy (Member # 5136) on :

“18 Seconds” by George D. Shuman. -- Not impressed and disappointed.

The MC is a beautiful blind woman profiler with the ability to “see” a murdered victim’s last 18 seconds of life by holding the dead person’s hand. The views are usually that of the killer.
IMHO this excellent plot theme fails for two reasons:

1.)After introducing this interesting MC to the reader, the author switches to a different MC who carries the focus.

2.)The author fails to develop many opportunities for the blind profiler to match wits with a serial killer.

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

Dunno if I've read that story---where's it published? or is it a novel?---but I've seen the idea explored in stories three or four times. In particular, I remember a story in Amazing in the eighties that covered the same territory, winding up with !!!SPOILER WARNING!!! the main character being the victim whose last memories are explored.

I wonder about how things work out. What comes to mind:

(1) If this can be done, and is widely known...wouldn't the killers have great incentive to hide their faces or wear disgusies?

(2) Does it work for any death, or just murder victims?

(3) If, say, the victim is slowly poisoned, would it do any good just to see the last eighteen seconds of life?