Return to the Fractured Planet, by Dave Stone
Second paragraph of third chapter: "Look, I'm sorry to simply drop it on you like that," Bernice Summerfield was saying, a little more back-pedal hurriedly than I think she'd meant, "but you had to know. I mean, psychologically speaking, it's the best way to -"
Getting towards the end of the first run of Bernice Summerfield novels; this one is told from the point of view of an agent who doesn't realise his own nature, investigating a murder which in fact he may have committed himself, and becoming entangled with the attempts of the seriously ill Bernice Summerfield to protect the planet Dellah from encountering yet more calamity. I see fan opinion is divided on whether this is a work of genius or utterly awful; I liked the interesting situation of the protagonist, but got a bit lost with some of the rest of the plot.
Next in this series: The Joy Device, by Justin Richards.
Getting towards the end of the first run of Bernice Summerfield novels; this one is told from the point of view of an agent who doesn't realise his own nature, investigating a murder which in fact he may have committed himself, and becoming entangled with the attempts of the seriously ill Bernice Summerfield to protect the planet Dellah from encountering yet more calamity. I see fan opinion is divided on whether this is a work of genius or utterly awful; I liked the interesting situation of the protagonist, but got a bit lost with some of the rest of the plot.
Next in this series: The Joy Device, by Justin Richards.