Mindshadow by J.M. Dillard (Star Trek #27, 1986)

The planet Aritani is under attack by vicious pirates. Aritani was formerly an advanced culture which nearly destroyed itself, and now has returned to an agrarian culture, rejecting advanced technology. They have no defenses against the advanced weaponry of the small fighters until the Enterprise shows up. But first Mr. Spock is badly injured on the planet's surface, then the electromagnetic shield Scotty and Spock had rigged up does not stop the pirate ships. While an expert on Vulcan neuropsychology, Dr. Emma Saenz, shows up to treat Spock, Kirk must try to figure out how the ships are beating the shield. Romulan technology is suspected, but an attempt to capture a pilot ends with the Romulan killed in the brig. Spock isn't getting better, and Dr. Saenz is pushing for him to be committed to a mental institution. There is something important that Spock saw, but he just can't remember.....

Author J.M. Dillard has become one of the most prolific of all Star Trek authors. She writes for a number of series, and writes horror novels as Jeanne Kalogridis, which according to at least one source is her real name. This is an unpromising beginning, as this novel falls short of the high standard set before the 1985-86 run of novels. The character dialogue sounds right, but the characters all must act very stupid not to figure out the plot of the novel before the author can bring it to a conclusion. It's as if with Spock having a brain injury, all the characters are mentally impaired.

While the character Dr. Saenz just appears without any announcement, no red flags are apparently raised by the characters. Her words are simply accepted, which they must be to advance the plot. This doesn't speak well for the intelligence of Kirk or McCoy. The security chief, one Lt. Tomson, doesn't fare well here either. She exhibits no gift for any part of the job of a security officer. And why does Scotty pilot the shuttle to transport Spock to Vulcan? This seems merely a convenient device to have him off the ship to become a suspect in the death of the Romulan, when Sulu or Chekov could more believably have piloted the shuttle. Chekov is also misspelled as "Chekhov" throughout the book, although that may have been corrected in later printings.

The basic plot isn't bad, but it could have been handled much better. The dialogue is also passable. It is the storytelling aspect where this book falls short. The tale is simply not plausible. That no one suspects Spock's medication as a trouble spot is disturbing. The Terran-Vulcan hybrid woman staying as a guest at the home of Sarek and Amanda is too pat. And the ending stretches the credibility even further. It is meant as a late plot twist, but comes from so far out in left field that it doesn't even belong in a poor soap opera.

There are things to like here, but overall the book falls short.