Guest Review: Wayne Hicks reviews Dream Doctor (#2) by J.J. DiBenedetto

(Blurb): “I didn’t expect to be woken up by someone I don’t know dreaming about killing somebody.  I thought I was done with that once and for all…”


But Sara’s not done with it. As if adjusting to life as a newlywed and starting medical school weren’t difficult enough, she’s started seeing the dreams of everyone around her, again. Before everything is said and done, those dreams might destroy Sara’s hopes of becoming a doctor, wreck her marriage and even end her life…

“Dream Doctor” is the thrilling second novel in the Dreams series.






 Guest Review:

In Dream Student, college girl Sara Barnes discovered that, under certain rare circumstances, she would  find herself dawn from her own dreams into those of someone else. When it led her to the love of her life, she thought it was wonderful, but then the dreams became nightmares, as she watched the mind of a sadistic serial killer dream of the young girls he had murdered... and the ones he was stalking. With the help of friends, Sara discovered this mysterious man's identity, and nearly lost her own life when she managed to stop him from claiming another victim. With the nightmares ended, she breathed a sigh of relief and went on with her life.

 

Now, in Dream Doctor, she's having them again. A brand new medical student and newlywed, Sara begins to see the dreams of not just one person out to commit many murders, but those of several who all hate one man: her Anatomy Professor, Dr. Morris. His colleagues hate him, as do his students, his wife and his secretary, and Sara watches as his health declines so rapidly that she can only believe that he is gradually succumbing to systematic poisoning by one of his enemies.

 

But which one? And how can Sara find out when the only evidence she has to go on is the things she sees in dreams she can't control? 

If that were the only problem she had to face, she might be able to formulate a plan, but she's also dealing with the long hours and dreadful workload of a medical student. The dreams are costing her much-needed sleep, and she knows that her work, her marriage and even her life are beginning to suffer, but she can't bring herself to give up. No matter how hateful Dr. Morris is, and despite his constant attempts to drive Sara herself out of medical school, he's still a person and she won't stand by while he's murdered!

And then other dreams invade her mind. She sees the heartbreak of a friend who carries a terrible secret, and the fears and fantasies of a neighbor who is in an abusive relationship. She hears a cry in a dream, and comes to realize that the young woman crying is hurt, lost and in grave danger.

 

All of these people are dependent on the one person who knows about their dreams, even though she can't tell anyone how she knows the things she knows. The injured girl is rescued barely in time to save her life; the neighbor is led to a better situation; and the heartbroken friend learns that she need not bear her burdens alone.

 

But what of Dr. Morris? Sara enlists the aid of her new husband, Brian, to help her find and stop a killer, but the question left unanswered is whether Sara herself will survive.

 

Author J.J. DiBenedetto has created one of the most original and delightful heroines to come along in many years, and manages to make Sara and her friends completely believable. As I read this second book in a series that has so far reached four novels, I felt like I had made a trip to visit some old friends, and enjoyed just hanging out with them, but that isn't the limit of this author's talents.

 

I laughed uproariously at some of Sara's antics as she tries to play the psychic detective she feels forced to become, and shed tears with her as she stood by a friend in the moment of her deepest grief. Even now, just writing these lines, I can feel those tears brimming in my eyes again, just recalling the scene.

 

It's usually difficult for a writer to make a sequel fulfill the expectations of readers of the first novel in a series, but I would call Dream Doctor not only a worthy second, but perhaps even better than Dream Student.

In my e-Reader, it's marked with Five Stars. And I plan to read it again, but not until I make it through the rest!

 

Find the review of book #1, Dream Student, here.

 

Purchase Here

 

About The Reviewer: Wayne Hicks

 

Wayne Hicks is an Independent Author of five current novels, with more coming soon! You can find him and his books at http://ebookonfire.com.