Rating: 
Summary: Fasinating story...good twists...
Review: I stumbled upon this book just days after the paperback release and bought it. I knew nothing of Katzenbach's books (although Just Cause was solid movie) and nothing of this extraordinary thriller. Katzenbach is a fine writer of prose (if a bit wordy). The book works on many levels. It is far deeper than any Grisham novel. It makes many illusions to a classical education, although one will enjoy the book a great deal without it. One measure of a good read like this not being able to figure out the mystery too far ahead...and I certainly did not. What I truly loved was that each of the three parts of the book got more interesting and deepened the mystery. I don't want to reveal too much here, so I will be vague. I will say this...everytime you think Katzenbach is usuing a cliche of the genre, he twists the plot a little more. It works and works beautifully. The end was immensely satisfying. My one only issue with this book is the back cover. It mistakenly claims that if Starks does not figure out who Mr. R is, each of his 52 relatives will be killed one by one. That is an enormous error. Only ONE relative is targeted for destruction. It amazes me that a big publishing house like this would allow a book to have jacket plot summary that proven wrong in the first 15 pages. Hello? Why do I bet that they did not get the blurbs wrong praising the book? Or that the price was correct? Oh well, just a minor quibble. Ignore the back of the book and read what is inside. In this case, you truly can't judge a book by it's back cover.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely worth buying.
Review: This book started out a little slow - the first third gave more information about the boring routine of the analyst's life than I really wanted to know. The pace soon picked up, though, and the rest of the book rewarded my patience nicely. It was well written, and had some interesting plot turns. I liked it very much and will search out other books by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Fails to live up to its promise
Review: The premise of Katzenbach's book is intriguing and ought to make for a gripping thriller. Its failure to do so stems from many sources. Perhaps most notable is Katzenbach's overly florid style and often inaccurate use of language. I suspect that his use of melodramatic phrasing and description may be an attempt to separate himself from the stark prose of his journalistic background, but the result is to make him sound sophomoric and amateurish. This is especially true when he attempts to use a colorful word, but gets the connotation wrong, thus completely destroying his desired effect.
Along the same lines, Katzenbach has real trouble with dialogue, particularly when he tries to write in dialect. His efforts to reproduce Southern and urban black speech are not only inaccurate, stereotyped, and direly stilted, they verge on the offensive.
Katzenbach's habit of inserting authorial criticism of his protagonist also detracts from the quality of his work. He never establishes a conversational relationship with the reader in the way that Thackery, for example, does, so his comments appear out of nowhere and serve only to annoy and interrupt. He seems to assume that the reader is not bright enough to pick up on the protagonists failings in awareness and, to make matters worse, tends to insert these editorial comments during lulls in the plot, making them inane and unnecessary.
Finally, the first third of the book is extremely dull. The premise is good, but the action and suspense fail to develop. The second, and especially the third, sections are much more engaging, in part because the protagonist becomes a much more likeable character, but mostly because the author, apparently reacting to the increased action in his own story, drops a lot of the stylistic deadwood that so encumbered the first section.
The book is not without merit, but if I had it to do over again. I wouldn't spend my money on it, even in paperback. If you get it as a gift, it would serve fine for a snowy afternoon or a day on the beach.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Judge a Author by Its....
Review: We have all grown up with little words of wisdom passed on to us by our parents and teachers. These sayings are supposed to be little reminders of life's basic principles. One of the most popular of these phrases in my life was always, "Don't judge a book by its cover." So with this in mind I offer you a new spin on this old but true saying. Don't judge a Author by his movies. I knew of Katzenbach soley by his movies Just Cause and Hart's War. Unfortunately, these movies just weren't that good. So the other day when I picked up the book The Analyst I was faced with a dilemna. Although the plot description instantly intrigued me I was hesitant to jump into the Katzenbach universe. Eventually I decided to take a chance and included the book in with my other purchases. Thank God I did. Its been a long time since I have enjoyed a book as much as I did this one. The main character was complex and likable. The conflict immediate and intense and the villian a true presence. Each time the story started to slow down the author quickly changed directions. Even the goofy gunfight ending and loopy surprises that most modern authors seem to be required to include came off fresh. The last time I had this much fun reading a book was Dean Koontz's Watchers. Ironically that book was also turned into a really horrible movie.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good....
Review: I enjoyed this book...I "thought" I had it figured out that "R" was not connected to a patient at all, but rather was some sort of lost-lost (or unknown) son of Dr. Stark. Well, that was certainly off track, but would have provided an interesting direction. However, as a psychologist myself, I was intrigued by the philosophical/existential implications which I would have liked to have seen further developed. Nevertheless, this is a pretty unique thriller!
Rating:
Summary: A case for declinign standards
Review: ... It gives me a great feeling inside knowing there are still people enthusiastic about reading in this age of immediate gratification. But for this? It ain't horrible, don't get me wrong. The plot is at least intriguing, tho the characters never seem likeable or even interesting. ... The first few chapter drag unmercifully, and Katzenbach repeats incessantly the mortal sin of writing: don't tell us, SHOW us. By the time I was halfway through I was sick to death of hearing his cliched descriptions of the protagnist's state of mind. Luckily, the second half of the book speeded up, and the cliches lessened a bit, but the plot developed a couple of major holes. Like, how is it so easy for the protagonist to develop 2 entirely new identities with a menial job and no computer skills? And how does he manage to gallivant around in rented cars with no money, and without the all-knowing villian tracking him? This book is a fine bit of summer reading--mildly interesting and a fast read. It's in the details that Katzenbach fails us. ...
Rating:
Summary: very good book!!
Review: i read a condensed version of this book,and i loved it!you cant put this one down!i am still anxious to read the full version,which should fill in the missing spots that i felt while reading the condensed version.i think that as long as you don't pay attention to every tiny detail mensioned in the book(like the Rx he wrote),and you look at it as what you would do if you got the same letter,being nervous and kind of scared;you will enjoy this.from the beginning to the end it's a thriller that you have to read!!!
Rating:
Summary: Sneakily clever
Review: Katzenbach triumphs again, having read hart's war, the shadow man and the traveller, I was not dissappointed. With this story you root for the villain in the beginning and start rooting for the protagonist towards the middle and the end when he turns the table on Rumplestilskin in a shattering climax. The hero goes from clueless rich doctor to gritty operator who ends up shattering the confidence of his antagonists. Very hard to put down
Rating:
Summary: a good read
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed The Analyst but I'm wondering why the book's cover shows a Washington DC Metro station when the story takes place in NYC and Cape Cod.
Rating:
Summary: Makes You Think But Somewhat of a Weak Ending
Review: I enjoyed this book very much. I went out and bought every other book that was written by Katzenbach after the first few chapters. It was nice to read a book that was not the same story told with the not so different twists. This was a roller coaster ride that I was eager to ride every day. The only dissappointment in this book was the somewhat weak ending and I was also left wondering about a few connections that were not made clear. The ending just didn't pack the punch that the rest of the book had. If you are looking for a book that will make you think and you will love - give this book a try. It is very well written and a quick read even at 400 and some pages. You will not be able to wait to find out what happens next.
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