I hadn't read this author before so prior to starting this book, I checked through reviews for some of his others & was encouraged by what I saw. Maybe I shouldn't have done that.
I won't rehash the whole plot, you can get a good summary above. Suffice to say Michael & his girlfriend Tasha are cruising through snowy northern California admiring Mt. Shasta when the unthinkable happens. Fast forward & Michael wakes up to find himself in a hospital with amnesia but no girlfriend. That's when things get weird.
I got the impression this author is best known for horror stories so maybe this was an attempt at something different. For me, it was just an ok read.
The premise sounded interesting even though the amnesia trope is a bit tired. But common devices can be overlooked if you like the characters & find their interactions compelling. In this story, unfortunately the main issue for me was the protagonist. I found Michael kind of bland & some of his reactions just didn't ring true. It's a pet peeve of mine when things are patently obvious to the reader but have to be spelled out repeatedly to a character.
The way he reacted to events around him seemed inconsistent. Some he blithely accepted (things that would make most people say "Wha...?"), others became obsessions. And sorry, the whole Isobel/Michael thing required a huge leap of faith. In the blink of an eye, he's in her home & bed even though it's obvious right from the get go that she's more than a little "tetched". I didn't understand the purpose of all the sex as it did nothing to further the plot, coming off as gratuitous.
I kept waiting for that moment when I'd get hooked & have to keep reading to see how it all pans out. A book can begin slowly but at some point, the tension has to start building so you become invested in the fate of the characters. I found them oddly flat & much of the dialogue came across as stiff. It just seems like people in this situation would react with more emotion & intensity.
It's an easy read with a very simple & repetitive style of prose. I really wanted to be scared or at least feel a few shivers but it never happened. This, too, would be ok if there were a few nice twists or surprises you didn't see coming.
All action is reserved for the last chapter so you have a nice tidy resolution but by then, I'm afraid I wanted out of Trinity as badly as Michael. ( )