"Boundaries" - a riveting psychological thriller
Tell me about it!!
Synopsis
Boundaries is a disturbing story about the blurred lines between love and betrayal, consent and control, fantasy and treachery, good and evil. Diane Alders is a successful, workaholic sales executive in the medical field who has a void in her heart as a result of the tragic death of her husband seven years ago. Mickey Rollins is a genius and entrepreneur about to introduce a revolutionary new therapy that will ‘repair’ injured or impaired brains. Their sputtering romance hits full speed when Mickey invites Diane to accompany him on a lavish and bizarre vacation to the exotic South Seas intended to stretch their senses, fulfill wild dreams, and bring them closer together. Disaster strikes, and it is Diane who becomes Mickey’s first human test subject. There’s a catch. The healing process requires a surrogate, and Mickey chooses their mutual friend, lover and temptress—the beautiful Suki. The resurrection of Diane that transpires is not only a transfer of physical and cerebral attributes, but a blending of relationships, feelings, and emotions, drawing many into the fray, ending as shockingly as it begins.
Author's Comments
Where science meets hedonism.
Boundaries is actually my first novel. I began writing the novel more than ten years before I published it.
I describe on my "About" page how I started writing and that it took little balls of ice cream and a lot of encouragement from my friends to get me to finish. When I was done, I sent off dozens of letters of inquiry to agents only to be serially disappointed. Next I ran off to an agents' conference in Austin where I was brutally educated in the realities of traditional publishing. The book is a departure from what my readers have come to expect. The book is much longer at 690 pages, 217K words. Agents and publishers challenged me to shorten it. I couldn't bare to do that. I considered making the book a trilogy or serial, but the story works so well the way it is.
My steady readers enjoyed it immensely, describing it with adjectives such as "scandalous", "riveting", "intense", "pushing the limits", "intriguing", "wonderfully technical".
This novel is edgy. There is language. There are frequent rather explicit sexual scenes. There is drug use. There is alcohol abuse. There is violence including murder and rape. At the same time, as a foil to all of this "bad," you get to meet some genuinely kind and honest people. To tell you if good or evil wins would be to betray the ending of the novel.
You're not going to blow through this novel in one night or even one day and night. If you are in for a ride and you are open-minded, buy it, read it, savor it as others have.
Critic's Corner
What are readers saying?
"I can only give five stars to this book. I'd give it more if I could. It's probably the most intriguing, fascinating story I have ever read. Although very long, it held me spellbound to the very end. Douglas Carlyle is a master storyteller. He knows how to bring the reader through winding roads, hairpin bends and vertiginous slopes..."
"This third book of Douglas Carlyle's demonstrates what an talented author he is. It combines the romantic eroticism readers loved in Shades of Gray with the underlying mystery of a David Baldacci novel. It sucks you in from the first page and doesn't let go. Really great story and fascinating concept."
"Great read, keeps you guessing and wondering what could possibly happen next. Definitely recommend this book for anyone that likes mystery and romance."
"This book was awesome. I could hardly put it down. I hope there is a sequel, and having talked with the author, it is possible there will be...yay."
" Of course..i loved it [Vinegarone]. If you read this but have not read Boundaries...please do! You will be a Douglas Carlyle fan forever."
Factoids
Still with me? You are hard core! I love you!
Published August, 2013.
Did you know there were several iterations of book covers for this novel? Here are just two >>>>>