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Summary: wonderful
Review: I don't understand why this book hasn't recieved more publicity...As far as I'm concerned it should be on the "Best Seller" list. Some of the books on that list make it, be it good or bad, only because of the author's name. After I read this book, I went and bought every other book by Jon. What a wonderful story-teller !!. It was, and is good from the first word. I couldn't put it down, and have recommended it to anyone who will listen !.It's a wonderful tale of "turning the tables". I enjoyed this book from 1st to last page, and was sorry when it was over. For mystery lovers, I consider it a MUST !.
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Summary: Spectacular
Review: What a book! If you have to pick one book to take with you on vacation, may I make a suggestion? Take This Book
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Summary: The Analyst is so much more clever than his murderer.
Review: I loved this book! Edge of your seat kind of reading. Author John Katzenbach has done a fabulous job with this one. Ricky (Frederick) Starks, a brilliant and successful analyst, receives a note one day, presumably from a former patient. "Happy Birthday, Dr. Starks. You ruined my life. And now I fully intend to ruin yours." Signed, Rumlestiltskin. Dr. Starks is given a limited time to kill himself, or he will be made to suffer the grim and gruesome torture, harassment, maybe even murder, of any one of the 52 members of his own family. All the stalker promises is that whatever he does to a member of Dr. Stark's family, that person will never recover from it, either physically or maybe emotionally. Within this limited time, he and the "former patient" will communicate through the New York Times classified ads. If he figures out his stalker's identity, he wins and the game is over. If he cannot, he must kill himself or....the cat and mouse chase in this story is simply fabulous. A brilliant scheme begins, and when it ends, you will not believe it yourself. Terrific!
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Summary: Long time fan
Review: Excellent, and well written. The first book I read by this author, The Traveler, hooked me....this book carries on that tradtion
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Summary: A twisted fairy tale that the Brothers Grimm would enjoy!
Review: Remember that somewhat twisted fairy tale known as Rumpelstiltskin? You know, it starts when a poor miller tells the King that he has a daughter who can turn straw into gold. The greedy King decides to put this to the test and gives the maiden until morning to spin a room full of straw into gold - if she is unable to do so, she will die. Hopeless in her task, the maiden is surprised when a troll-like man enters her tower and offers to help her. ...With a price of course! After she gives the troll all her material possessions, she is forced to offer him her first child once she becomes Queen. Of course, once her son was born, she did not want to give him up. So the troll gave her 3 days to guess his name - if she did this, she would be able to keep her baby. By some stroke of luck, the Queen's messenger came across the troll dancing in front of a bonfire, gloating that his name indeed was Rumpelstiltskin. Thus the Queen was able to keep her baby.Dr. Frederick Starks' also had to discover the identity of a Rumpelstiltskin, but his path was paved with many more difficulties than was that of the Queen. Frederick Starks ("Ricky"), is a psychoanalyst who is thrust into a nightmarish version of this fairy tale when he receives a letter basically saying that if he doesn't discover the identity of the letter-writer within 15 days, he will have to commit suicide. If he doesn't commit suicide, one of 52 family members whose names are included in the list will be tormented, ruined or killed. Over the course of the next 15 days, Rumplestiltskin proves the seriousness of his threat by systematically ruining Ricky financially and professionally. Despite the fact the story was probably a bit longer than necessary (overdone description is some parts), this well-crafted and suspenseful story has more twists and turns than one can imagine and the game that Ricky is forced to play is both frustrating and intriguing. Thought provoking social commentary is made throughout the book, touching on topics such as inadequate medical care, homelessness, Internet fraud and false identities. I also appreciated how Mr. Katzenbach referenced other literature, especially the works of Homer as well as greek mythology (not to forget the Brothers Grimm!) This would translate really well on the big screen, just as Hart's War did! Although I am having a hard time casting Ricky Starks - Bruce Willis and John Travolta crossed my mind but I'm just not sure! Mr. Katzenbach and his producers will have to surprise us!
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Summary: Clever, Addictive Thriller
Review: This book is a must read -- anyone I've recommended this book to has thoroughly enjoyed it. The tale is laden with an eerie, suspensful aura that draws you in immediately. Many questions ring in your mind as the story unfolds. Katzenbach also writes extremely memorable (and unique) characters from the enigmatic Dr. Starks to the [beautiful] chameleon Virgil. These characters have depth that is ever so gradually exposed as we witness Dr. Starks face a life changing 15 days of life. (Is this all that remains for him?) As he discovers more about his mysterious and well-to-do tormentors, he is also forced to learn more about himself. How many satisfying thrillers satiate not only the mystery/suspense receptors in your brain, but also trigger philosophical meaning-of-life questions? This is the kind of book that will stay with you long after you have finished it. Delightful characterizations, and interesting (but not excessive) descriptive details of the background. If you enjoy a good cat-and-mouse game, this is for you!
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Summary: Rumplestitskin Lives
Review: John Katzenbach has always been a favorite of mine, and this book does nothing to lessen that evaluation. I can honestly say the pat phrase "I couldn't stop reading it." really was true! Frederick Stark is a complete, "regular man" character who is almost forced to lose his overall self while Rumplestiltskin destoys his life, step by step. And step by step is how Katzenbach takes the reader through this book. I found the idea of trying to guess who Rumplestiltskin is to be intiguing. I loved the method of allowing three questions by Stark if he wants to lead to the discovery, while actually he had no other choice than to do just that. Additionally, I was very much impressed by how systematically a man's life could be taken apart without him even knowing it. Stark's fight back was totally fascinating. I could picture him so vividly, and I was comletely suckered in by some of the diabolical methods the fairy tale character used to play with Stark's life. This is an excellent book! It is thoughtful and intelligent and totally engrossing.
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Summary: 55 year old Rambo???
Review: First I want to say that overall I liked this book. But I just don't buy into the idea that a this man could turn into the person towards the end of the book. At the beginning of the book, the good doctor is afraid of the dark. Towards the end, he is firing a handgun at gaurd dogs. I just can't picture an older man like this doing action sequences. I thought the character could have played more mind games than anything else.
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Summary: Very Good Premise But an Only Okay Story!
Review: John Katzenbach has been one of my favorite authors -- his stories are always well-written and interesting from beginning to end. Hart's War and The Shadow Man and Just Cause are excellent examples of his work. In The Analyst, Katzenbach has come up with a premise equal to his best works. The basic idea can be summed up in this one line: "happy fifty-third birthday, Doctor. Welcome to the first day of your death.... You ruined my life. And now I fully intend to ruin yours." For the first third of the book, I couldn't put it down and the suspense kept mounting. However, while the second third and a good portion of the final third of the book gennerally maintained my interest, I found that it was easy to put down because the story became too drawn out and, at times, predictable. The conclusion was pretty clever but not too unexpected. Overall, The Analyst is a book worth reading but I'd take it from the library or wait for the paperback edition.
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Summary: One Extreme Or The Other
Review: This is the second work by Mr. Katzenbach that I have read. The first was, "Hart's War", which was a very good book that was turned in to a very bad movie. "The Analyst", appears to have provoked strong feelings both pro and con, which surprises me a bit. All books have their champions and their detractors but I don't know what turned some people off so badly that they did not even finish the book. The book is not entirely original but for those who complete the read it amounts to almost two books, and both are done quite well. The Dr. is targeted by an incredibly well planned and meticulously researched game of likely retribution. The game is designed to punish him or any one of 52 relatives if he cannot identify his tormentor in 15 days. There are no limitations on the severity of punishment nor the maximum or minimum ages of the targets. There are times when the book gets a bit ponderous with the head games the doctor utilizes to help his patients versus the games that are being played upon him. Much of it is quite clever, but there is always a point when there can be too much of a good thing. The book does not really have one ending, as I have said it is almost two books or installments. This format allows for multiple outcomes and a mind numbing number of paranoid meetings and coincidental events. The author adds an extra layer of intrigue by utilizing a number of names from classical literature and mythology, although he explains immediately what they represent, which lessens the mystery they could have added. My only other hope is that they do not destroy this book with a film version as well.
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