Rating: 
Summary: fun thriller
Review: Though kind of frightening in content, widowed New York psychotherapist Dr. Frederick "Ricky" Starks does not think anything will happen when he receives the threatening anonymous letter of revenge for medical neglect. That is until Rumplestiltskin takes his first victim. Rumplestiltskin simply gives Ricky an ultimatum. Over the next two weeks till his fifty-third birthday Ricky can try and guess the identity of the avenging angel while one by one fifty-two people close to the doctor will be destroyed or Ricky can end the game with a suicide.
Because he feels in control and to add to his amusement, Rumplestiltskin provides clues to his identity and answers yes or no questions about himself. Ricky tries to solve the case, but his dilemma turns worse because Rumpelstiltskin has taken control of his finances and insured a sexual abuse charge is filed. Then there is his adversary's employees, Merlin the lawyer and Virgil the female guide to Hell to attack Ricky's mental stability. Faced with the impossible, Ricky flees to gather himself together for a final effort to turn the tables on his deadly foe or die trying.
Though needing a stretch of acceptance with how the characters play out their roles, readers will be hooked from the bottom of page six when Ricky opens the letter. Fans will enjoy observing the triad destroy Ricky's ordinary life and how he fights back to regain some balance of a normal life. THE ANALYST is simply a fun thriller that though predictable demonstrates John Katzenbach's ability to entertain his audience. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: What Would You Do?
Review: Quite simply, this is the best thriller I've read so far this year, and actually, very possibly last year too. This is an honest to goodness thought provoking situation that has been presented in a riveting way and totally captured my imagination. It was the perfect case of posing the question, "What would you do if this happened to you?" When Dr Frederick (Ricky) Starks receives a letter on his 53rd birthday, he has no idea of the implications the message contained inside will have on his life. The anonymous writer, who signed the letter Rumplestiltskin, proposes that Ricky must play a game. In this game Ricky must either commit suicide or work out who Rumplestiltskin is. He has 15 days to achieve either of these objectives and if he fails, a family member will be chosen at random and destroyed. It's a fascinating scenario to open what turns out to be a very nicely constructed book. To make things even more interesting, Ricky is helped out with clues as to who it was that he wronged in the past that caused this act of revenge. He is also allowed to ask three questions over the 15 days. To make things difficult, however, he keeps getting object lessons in how serious Rumplestiltskin is with his game. What Ricky finds becoming increasingly clear is that nothing can be taken at face value and his life, as he always accepted it, would very likely be changed for good by this experience. I found this to be one of those page-turners that you just fly through, yet on the other hand keep trying to slow yourself down to try to savour every word. Although it's the first book of John Katzenbach's that I have read, it definitely won't be the last.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult to put down
Review: 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.
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Summary: GRIM FAIRY TALE
Review: I remember when I first read the "Rumplestiltskin" fairy tale as a young lad, I was frightened by the nasty little demon who was going to take the lovely woman's baby if she didn't guess his name. His stomping through the floor was a fitting demise for this evil little gnome.
In John Katzenbach's ingenious thriller, "The Analyst" we have another Rumpelstiltskin who is as every bit horrendous as his namesake..even more so.
Without rehashing the plot synopses, suffice to say that Katzenbach creates a rather unusual leading character in Richard Starks/Richard Lively/Frederick Lazarus...he's not all that likeable, but his growth and resolve to find his nemesis is powerful, and even though it's at time a little hard to swallow, we find ourselves searching along with Ricky for the man who has so destroyed his life.
The real identity of Rumpelstiltskin is not too hard to decipher, however; there aren't that many characters in the book to suspect, so his revelation is fairly predictable. However, some of the other surprises are nifty and add to the suspense.
The ending is a little disappointing in that we never really know what happens to Rumpelstiltskin.
All in all, though, a good read.
RECOMMENDED
Rating:
Summary: Top notch suspense!
Review: This was an incredible book that would make an excellent movie!
Katzenbach has a skill for creating compelling and convincing
characters, and a plot that will run you ragged by the end as you try and figure out what is going on! This book is suspenseful to the very end. And even then you will be awe struck! I read it in two days while on vacation, and by the end of the week everyone I was with had read it and was mesmerized by the intensity and brilliance of the story. Dr. Starks, a widower, is a creature of habit and routine. With no close family, and seemingly few friends, he is a psychoanalyst practicing from his home. On his 52nd birthday, he gets a riddle of a note from "Rumplestiltskin" who claims that he will kill Dr. Starks unless Starks kills himself or figures out who he is within 15 days. When Starks learns that this mystery person also made threats to his family, he
realizes the reality of the situation. At some point, we learn "R" is seeking revenge for a patient Starks failed to help long ago. Stark's life is instantly turned upside down as the "stalkers" relentlessly play mind games with him and anticipate his every move. He works against the clock to figure out who is threatening him, his patients, his family, and everyone and everything he knows and who the patient was that he supposedly failed. Nothing in his life is sacred anymore -- not his bank accounts, not his homes, his practice, not anything. And the clock is ticking. This is a hard book to review without giving too much away. The twists and turns are enough to keep you turning pages voraciously. It is one of the best books of the psychological thriller genre I have read. Starks is a brilliant character who emerges as a strong, and unpredictable man. Not to mention the other characters in the book who will have you spellbound with their actions and their ability to know everything about Starks. Read this book. You will not be able to put it down and you will
want everyone you know to read it also so that you can talk about it.
Rating:
Summary: Suspense, Tension and Revenge in This Startling Thriller
Review: Dr. Frederick Starks fifty-third birthday finds him going through the motions of a normal workday, listening to the monotonous drone of his patients, while planning his vacation in Cape Cod. His plans go awry after his last patient of the day leaves and he finds a letter from someone calling himself Rumplestiltskin. Mr. R. says that Starks has ruined his life and unless Starks can guess who he is, or unless he commits suicide in fifteen days time, he will kill one of his relatives. As proof of his intentions, Mr. R. adds in his note that a message has been sent to one of the relatives and Starks should discover who it is. The message had been sent to Starks' fourteen year-old grand niece and it convinces him the threat is real. Then one of his patients commits suicide, but Stark sees a murder and he sees the hand of Mr. R. Then two men, apparently employed by Mr. R., pay Starks a visit. Then a gorgeous gal, who calls herself Virgil, shows up and tells Starks that she is his guide to Hell. Then a lawyer, who calls himself Merlin, tells Starks he'll be destroyed. Most of Starks' assets are striped away, his reputation is shot. As the time for his supposed suicide draws near, he wonders if there is a way out. I have to say that despite the bodies that pile up in this story, that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mr. Katzenbach takes a man, who you'd find hard to like if you met him in person, and gradually draws you into his life, building tension and suspense as you read through the pages. My guess is that this book will make a heck of a move. Reviewed by Judith Ann Cole
Rating:
Summary: Exciting thriller that could've been better
Review: 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.
Despite the above, I really enjoyed this novel.
Rating:
Summary: A Unique Experience Filled with Tension and Twists
Review: The Analyst is totally different than just about every other book I have read. Yes, I've read plenty of thrillers before - some good, some bad - but The Analyst is an absolute one-off. Usually I don't mention the specifics of the plot in the review, normally the synopsis Amazon provides is good enough, but in this case it takes some explaining. Dr. Frederick Sparks is a psychoanalyst, a man who examines the problems of others and offers them treatment. One day before his August holiday he receives a strange letter signed by Rumplestiltskin, and boy, then his troubles really begin. The first half of the book is a twisting path of lies, deception and strange happenings as Dr. Sparks struggles to find out who is his tormentor while his life gradually falls apart in spectacular and terrifying fashion. This part of the book whizzes by and is amazingly tense and suspenseful. I loved this part as it made my stomach turn to knots and my muscles tighten up - a sure sign that the thriller is doing its job! I won't give anything away, but the second half of the book is more slowly paced as something happens to change Dr. Sparks fortunes, but it is still fantastic and intriguing. I was with Dr. Sparks the whole way, urging him on and willing him to succeed. Overall The Analyst is an unusual and beautiful thriller which deals with an unlikely sounding plot and makes it seem chillingly real. Dr. Sparks is immensely likeable and well developed and we come to sympathise as well as respect him. Finally, I must mention the excellent writing style, which is very descriptive and original, adding menace to the plot. I read the book as quickly as I could, devouring the pages. I think you will too. JoAnne
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful cat & mouse suspense tale!
Review: This is an interesting & intriguing suspense tale that keeps you guessing (just as the protaganist is) throughout the book. I enjoy books that hold interest as well as provoke thought & this book does both. Many interesting questions are raised & the characters are expertly rendered. I highly recommend it for a page-turning & enjoyable read!
Rating:
Summary: Very good but has a problem
Review: This was my first Katzenbach book and when I was a third of the way through I bought two more. I found The Analyst to be compulsive reading. The problem is one a lot of people probably won't see, but I hope the author or an editor do learn that good copy-editing is crucial to a truly first-rate book. The Analyst is flawed by verbal tics; worst is Katzenbach's irritating over-use of "modest." After a while it becomes seriously distracting. Nothing is "small," "unpretentious," "little," "unobtrusive," etc.; everything is "modest." Tiring, and spoils an otherwise excellent read.
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