by Khaled Talib

Inspired by real-life tales of dissociative amnesia, I jumped into crafting this thriller after stumbling upon a news story about a guy who, post-coma, fully embraced a stranger’s identity.

Following the doc’s advice to treat the recovering dude with kid gloves, his fam opted for a laid-back approach, steering clear of any heavy-handed tactics.

In the world of dissociative amnesia, the person’s mind often takes a detour into a wild fantasy land, where every sight pushes them into an alternate reality—thinking they might be a super spy or a chef.

Dissociative amnesia kicks in when the mind hits the snooze button on crucial self-info, creating memory gaps as a defense mechanism against nasty or traumatic stuff. Different from your run-of-the-mill forgetfulness, these memories stick around but play hard to get.

In my novel, a Hollywood A-lister named Goldie Saint Helen battles this condition, made worse by her shady lawyer, who’s also her conservator.

As the tale unfolds into an action-packed caper, it’s not just about the thrills—it’s a heads-up to those around the struggling star’s husband and protagonist, Blake Deco, to keep his eyes peeled for potential scammers.

Taking a cue from Britney Spears’ legal tussle to end her conservatorship, run by her pops since ’08, my novel digs into the criticisms of such legal setups. Born out of a public mental health mess, the conservatorship got a bad rap for alleged power abuse.

While these legal gigs usually run smooth with an honest appointee, Far Out digs into the chaos when mistakes happen, and a shady plot takes root in the conservatorship.

So, jump on board this roller-coaster of mystery and cautionary tale where reality and deception go toe-to-toe, stealing the spotlight.

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Khaled Talib, born and raised in Singapore, is a former magazine journalist and public relations consultant. Far Out, published by Running Wild Press, is his fifth novel. The author is also a member of the International Thriller Writers. His hobbies include baking, running, reading, traveling, and managing an abundance of household plants. To learn more about him, please visit khaledtalibthriller.com.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.