Just a couple of days ago, I was talking to Corinne in the car, telling her that I had to write something for a friend of mine, and I couldn’t think of the word that I wanted to say. I was driving, so thesaurus.com was out of the question. The word was on the tip of my tongue, and I kept trying to figure out even what the first letter was to give me a clue. I told her that it was something like a recommendation, but I knew that wasn’t the word.

Probably half an hour later, we were sitting at my dad’s just talking about other things, and I started thinking it was celebrity something. And suddenly I said, “Endorsement. I have to write an endorsement.” In the moment, it sounded like the right word, but I felt like it wasn’t quite right.

On the way home from my dad’s (so probably an hour and a half after I originally couldn’t think of the word), I said, “Testimonial! THAT’S the word!” Corinne’s reaction was, “Where did that come from?” 🤣 I told her that it just popped into my head. Finally. That happens to me a lot with words, maybe because I’ve always been a word person.

It happens with faces too though, especially when I see someone in a different environment—someone from the doctor’s office or school that I see in the grocery store, or the manager at McDonald’s who you see at physical therapy. 😏 It usually takes a minute to realize where I know them from, but it makes for funny moments once you figure it out.

I remember a couple of years ago actually posting a picture on Facebook because all my searching didn’t help me find the answer. (And no, I don’t know why I need to find the answer when I can’t place an actor. I just do. Don’t judge.) Corinne and I were watching This is Us, and there was an actor I recognized from another show that I was a fan of, and I remember loving the other character he played, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out who he was.

My first stop was, of course, imdb.com, but it didn’t name all the guest actors in the cast list. So I took to Facebook, and I knew my friends and family wouldn’t let me down. The actor turned out to be Eddie Kaye Thomas, who played Finch in the American Pie movies (which I had forgotten), but I remembered him as Toby in Scorpion. It was actually his voice that made me start looking to see who it was because he did not look like his Scorpion character in This is Us. I said it then, and I’ll say it now. Maybe the Clark Kent glasses really do work.

A while back, I discovered author John Marrs, who wrote a book about super-recognizers. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “I never forget a face.” You’ll want to pick this one up.

Book Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Stars for Her Last Move by John Marrs

351 pages
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (Amazon Publishing UK)
Publication Date: November 8, 2018
I received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher’s Description

He hides in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment. Each kill is calculated, planned and executed like clockwork.

Struggling to balance her personal and professional life, young DS Becca Vincent has landed the biggest case of her career ― and she knows that it will make or break her. But how can she identify one face in a sea of thousands? With the help of Police Super Recogniser Joe Russell, she strives to catch a glimpse of the elusive murderer, but he’s watching her every move.

Time is not on their side. The body count is rising, and the attacks are striking closer and closer to home. Can Becca and Joe uncover the connection between the murders before the killer strikes the last name from his list?

************

Her Last Move was the second book I read by John Marrs, and I was hooked! Someone needs to give this man a movie deal because the screenplays would write themselves!

DS Becca Vincent has landed the biggest case of her career investigating a series of murders with the help of Joe Russell, a “super-recognizer” with a natural skill for facial recognition. As they race to find a clue to the killer’s identity, the body count is increasing faster than they can put the pieces together.

Becca and Joe become good friends as they go through this investigation. We learn their interesting and painful back stories and can see how they would bond. We also get to know the twisted back story of the killer. If you are a fan of crime shows, you will love this book. John Marrs knows how to tell a good story, and while I’m a sucker for a happy ending in a rom-com, I’m happy to find thriller writers who understand that everything doesn’t tie up in a neat little bow.

I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to give anything away. This is simply a fantastic read!

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