- Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (Feb 4 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345426274
- ISBN-13: 978-0345426277
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 10.6 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 240 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #354,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Penzler Pick, February 2002: This thriller from the author of Hart's War is addictive. Analyst Dr. Frederick Starks has just turned 53 and, on his birthday, receives a letter informing him that he has ruined the letter-writer's life and now his own life is about to be ruined.
Starks must solve a riddle, he is told. He must find out whose life he ruined within two weeks. If he does not, he must kill himself. If he does not kill himself, then those nearest and dearest to him will be killed. The letter is signed, Rumpelstiltskin. At first Starks is dismissive--but he does call relatives to see that they are all right. Not all of them are. In fact Starks is convinced that the letter writer is deadly serious when he discovers how the birthday of his 14-year-old great-niece was ruined. He must now engage in the game or be responsible for the lives of others.
While he works frantically to try and unlock the past and find whose life he could possibly have ruined, Rumpelstiltskin is also busy. Within hours of receiving that first shattering letter, one of Dr. Starks's patients throws himself under a subway train, though Starks knows the patient was not suicidal.
When the police tell him that a couple and a homeless woman saw the man jump, Starks tries to find them. He finds only the homeless woman, who tells him that she was given money by the couple to tell what she witnessed. Starks is certain that Rumpelstiltskin must be one of the couple, but he's wrong. It's even more sinister than that, and when he meets the accomplices, he realizes that his adversary has been planning his revenge for years.
Soon, Starks's life is spiraling downward. There is nothing hidden from Rumpelstiltskin. His credit cards, his bank accounts, his patients, his homes in Manhattan and in Massachusetts, his reputation--nothing and no one is safe as Starks races against time as his world shrinks and his options run out. The clock is ticking as he hunts a ruthless psychopath who always seems to be one step ahead of him. As Starks tries to figure out what to do besides react to his life spinning out of control, he uses his training, his dwindling resources, and every weapon available to him to combat this relentless and deadly foe. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Katzenbach (Hart's War) never writes the same book twice, nor does he use the same plot devices or characters. His latest opens as New York City psychoanalyst Frederick (Ricky) Starks receives an anonymous missive saying that Starks has ruined the writer's life and that he has ten days in which to discover his or her identity. If he fails, he must commit suicide; if he does not comply with this order, someone in his family will suffer or die. At first Ricky is disoriented and unable to function effectively, but he soon begins to take action. Using his research skills, he finds that a former patient was so despondent that she killed herself, leaving three children as orphans. But this information is not enough to save Ricky's life. Thus, he goes on a journey of self-discovery, calling upon unknown depths of endurance and using his medical training in order to survive. This masterfully told thriller is impossible to put down and equally impossible to forget. For all fiction collections. Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., OH
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptional book,
By
This review is from: The Analyst (Mass Market Paperback)
Probably the best mystery I have read in years (and I have read alot). Rarely is the protagonist in a book the victim...and Katzenbach has done this superbly well. His main character is very believeable and the suspense is great. This should have been a best seller!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult to put down,
By
This review is from: The Analyst (Mass Market Paperback)
Dr. Frederick Starks, a New York City psychoanalyst, lives within a highly structured world. He sees his high-class neurotic patients by day and conforms to a rigid lifestyle at night as he tries to forget about his late wife. His sole respite is the annual month long vacation to Cape Cod in the summer. It is on the eve of such an excursion and on his 53rd birthday that he receives a threatening letter. The letter states, "Welcome to the first day of your death...you ruined my life. And now I fully intend to ruin yours." The demand is for Dr. Starks' suicide or an innocent yet distant family member will be killed. The only way for him to "win" this game is to discover who his tormentor is. This, of course totally changes Frederick Starks' life as his comfortable surroundings crumble away. It is a race against time in which someone must die.John Katzenbach is a very versatile writer who seems to be as comfortable writing a drama about a WWII prisoner of war camp as in HART'S WAR as he is writing this thriller on personal redemption and the process an individual would go to redefine themselves. The actual plot is a quite impressive game of cat and mouse with a gradual changing of those roles. Characters are adeptly portrayed. As we progress further into the plight of the main protagonist, the book becomes increasingly difficult to put down. Mr. Katzenbach is a superb entertainer and one whose books deserve the accolades many have already received.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting thriller that could've been better,
By Bill Garrison (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Analyst (Mass Market Paperback)
In Katzenbach's The Analyst, Dr. Frederick Starks has 15 days to find out who is threatening him, or else kill himself, to save the lives of his family. The plot is very intriguing, and the first half of this book that covers that 15 days is exciting as Starks tries to dig his way out of the brilliantly planned attack by one of his former patients.There are plenty of twists including an obvious one that none the less surprised me that allows Starks to turn the tables on his pursuers. The ending of the book is also exciting and the final few pages are very interesting. I did have a few complaints. Dr. Starks is an analyst and while the story revolves around this fact, it seems any profession could have been used. Maybe a few more plot points revolving around Starks' profession would have made this book more than a standard cat and mouse novel. Also, one of the secondary bad guys seems to be a stretch and doesn't add much to the final believability of the true bad guy. Also, in this 500 page novel, Starks is alone. The story would've been better if Starks had a friend or a lover or family to share is dilemma with.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
