Dr. Jeremy Carrier, a phycologist on staff at City Central Hospital, is excellent at his job comforting the anxious patient facing surgery or giving hope to the unfortunate facing a devastating diagnosis. But, when his girlfriend, Jocelyn, is murdered, Jeremy is the one overwhelmed with grief. Then Dr. Chess, a mysterious pathologist, invites him to dinner at an isolated yet posh club, where he meets a group of eccentric strangers. The book moves slowly from there but eventually makes its point. After interpreting oblique clues, Jeremy realizes he knows who the killer might be and that he's being groomed to apprehend him. Punctuated with subtle humor and insightful dialog, the plot twists at the end make this book worth the time invested. ( )

Main character is a psychologist who is not remotely similar to Alex Delaware, PhD in personality, temperament, or style. Finds unexpected serial murderer despite himself. Have read all the Kellerman books: this is the least enjoyable. ( )

I love Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware character and have read all his books. I guess the problem with becoming use to a certain set of characters is that when they aren't there all of a sudden, it's like part of your family is missing. It's not a Delaware book but was it a good book? Yes. It was a good plot although it did seem that it took a long time to build the personalities of the characters. ( )

Jonathan Kellerman takes a break from his usual Alex Delaware novels with this entry. The main protagonist is Jeremy Carrier, a psychologist at a hospital, who is recovering from the brutal murder of his wife. He befriends Dr. Arthur Chess, an older doctor and his group of elderly friends who have a private group that are interested in investigating crime and studying evil. Meanwhile, Jeremy is receiving messages that are clues about his wife’s killer as well as other murders that have plagued the area.

This was not up to par with other Jonathan Kellerman novels that I have read. Plot holes abound in this novel, almost to the point of ridiculousness. The story line was not especially believable, and the characters left much to be desired. I wasn’t remotely impressed with this novel and I would advise skipping it.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street ( )

85 out of 100 points -- 4 stars

Plot -- 17 out of 20 points
In a killing eerily reminiscent of Jack the Ripper, a young nurse is brutally murdered by someone with specific surgical skills. When Jeremy Carrier, the psychologist hero, becomes a suspect in his girlfriend’s murder, his grief-driven attitude and psychically-numbed responses cloud his judgment, leading him deeper into dangerous territory. A series of mysterious communications arrive in his office, leading him to conclude that the unknown sender has some personal knowledge of the killer. As he is lured into the chase to identify the psychopath, he seems to be feeling his way through a dark, depraved world like a blind man, relying on sensory input in his lonely isolation chamber-like existence. Apparently, Jeremy never forged meaningful friendships and lacks the personal connections most of us rely on in a crisis.

Characters -- 17 out of 20 points
Having the lovely Jocelyn Banks murdered early on tinges the tale with a sadness that doesn’t seem to leave much room for her successor in the bereaved psychologist’s bedroom. There is some rather graphic sex here and there, but Mr. Kellerman uses it to explore Jeremy’s experience with the grief process as he tries to move on and begin a new romance. Several characters seem to be so psychologically damaged they teeter on the edge of reason, in danger of crossing the fine line of sanity. The reader is left to pick out the real killer from an extensive group of “weird” people, who seem to challenge even the hardiest reader’s ability to trust as danger lurks in the shadows. One of Mr. Kellerman’s strengths is his compassion for the patients his fictional psychologist treats; cardiac patient Merilee Saunders and cancer survivor Doug Vilardi seem to bring out the best in the emotionally distant Jeremy as he goes through the motions of being a psychologist. The big drawback of the book for me was that I found the members of the Conspiracy Club hard to relate to as fictional people.

Setting -- 17 points out of 20
Jeremy, whether tucked away in the bowels of the hospital or the dreary apartment of his new girlfriend, is so overwhelmed by his loss that he appears to function on automatic pilot. City Central Hospital seems to have a dark, sinister chilliness that seems to chase away the sun. Even the meeting place for the Conspiracy Club feels unwelcoming and awkward. The too-willing Jeremy follows this storm cloud as it spreads menacing gloom in his path. (I felt like sending him away -- somewhere, anywhere -- for a long weekend, just to expose him to a little natural light and stimulate his senses in a healthier direction. “Psychologist, heal thyself!”)

Pacing -- 18 points out of 20
The story moves along like a powerful river, sweeping the reader into black, treacherous water where hidden dangers lurk. This isn’t a comfortable read -- too many characters grieving real losses and health challenges, while other characters remain stuck in their own earlier tragedies. But the action unfolds with enough chilling discoveries to keep the tale moving forward. The reader does wonder what brought all this tragedy to fruition, even as the dread builds and the finale reveals the answer.

Tone -- 16 points out of 20
Picture yourself waking up inside a dark closet. Is the closet locked from the inside or from the outside? Is it a sanctuary from the cruel outside world for you or a tomb? That’s the kind of tone this tale provides. At times, it’s hard to tell whether the growing uncertainty will end in the demise of the bad guy or take everyone else down in the process. While there is great tension, it seemed to get snagged from time to time on the subject of Death itself, as opposed to the loss of individuals. Was that deliberate on the part of the author? ( )