Rating: 
Summary: Not your usual suspense novel
Review: Dr. Morgan Snow, the protagonist of this first installment in M.J. Rose's new series of Butterfield Institute novels, is a perceptive therapist and a newly divorced mother, an expert in sexuality with, at least in recent years, more theoretical knowledge of the subject than hands-on experience. She is troubled still by an unusually sad childhood--details of which drip into the narrative of The Halo Effect--from which she emerged scarred with abandonment issues. Morgan is a fully realized, multi-dimensional, wholly likeable character. And she is an unlikely amateur sleuth, which is part of the charm of Rose's new series: criminal suspense has not found a home before in the halls of a sex therapy clinic.Morgan, who has worked with the police in past cases, becomes involved again when a serial killer begins murdering prostitutes and posing them, in death, in a series of religiously significant, grotesque tableaux. Dr. Snow numbers many prostitutes--both incarcerated and not--among her patients, so the crimes are of especial concern for her. But what is most alarming is the recent disappearance of one of her favorites: call girl Cleo Thane has enjoyed an almost Mayflower-Madamish level of success but may have put her career and person in jeopardy by writing a tell-nearly-all book about her high-powered clients. The Halo Effect is not your usual suspense novel. Not only is the occupation of its principal sleuth unconventional, but Rose's writing is somehow similarly unexpected. She eschews hackneyed expression while bathing her subjects in rich description. See, for example, her oblique description of the (sub-)eponymous Butterfield Institute: "There is a small brass plaque on the outside of the building, identifying it but giving little else away: The Butterfield Institute. The black cursive letters are etched deeply into the metal plate. Run your fingers over them and you feel the edges pushing into your flesh. Could you cut your skin on those edges and draw blood? Probably not, but even if you did, none of us inside could offer more than a Band-Aid." As must be obvious by now, I liked Rose's book very much. And I am eager to read the second installment in the series, which will reportedly be released in April of 2005--farther off than I should like.
Rating:
Summary: The Halo Effect
Review: Having been a fan of M.J. Rose right from her first book Lip Service, I knew THE HALO EFFECT would be an exceptional read with many twists and turns. I was engrossed from beginning to end in this suspenseful novel that deals with Cleo Thane, a special patient of sex therapist Dr. Morgan Snow, a woman who has seen it all and then some. Cleo is a highly paid prostitute who is coming to Dr. Snow for help separating her professional life from her personal life that is falling apart. Morgan Snow is alarmed when Cleo tells her she has written a book about her life as a prostitute and telling all about her clients. Detective Noah Jordain is assigned to a case where a psychopath is targeting prostitutes in ritualistic killings. When a missing person's report is filed on Cleo he seeks Dr. Snow's help in getting some insight into the killer's mind. This is one darn exciting time, as Morgan doesn't want to help the police by breaching doctor/patient confidentially, but wants to help find Cleo on her own. And dare she become involved with Noah Jordain, a man who fires her desires as no other man ever has? THE HALO EFFECT s a nail bitter and only the first book in the Butterfield Institute series-a fast blast of a read. I can't wait for Delilah, book 2, available April of 2005. Don't miss this tantalizing author who knows how to thrill and chill.
Rating:
Summary: I devoured this book!
Review: I first heard author M. J. Rose, talking about her first book (LIP SERVICE) on a TV-talk show . . . it sounded interesting to me, so I got a copy and read it . . . no, make that, devoured
it . . . it was one of the best novels I had read in a long time.
I also liked her follow-ups, IN FIDELITY and FLESH TONES . . . so when I saw that she had a new book out, THE HALO EFFECT, I just had to get my own copy . . . starting it at the end of my Italy trip, I almost couldn't put it down--finishing it within two days.
It's that good!
This latest effort is the first in what promises to be a series . . . it is a suspenseful thriller about Dr. Morgan Snow, one of New York's top sex therapists . . . one of her clients, Cleo Thane, asks her to read her unpublished tell-all book--then disappears.
The ensuing search is full of both sex and thrills, and it left me guessing until the very last page . . . it also left me looking forward to Rose's next book.
She is a writer who really gets into her characters . . . in this book, there were several memorable passages; among them:
She reached out and touched my hand, to thank me. Her skin, even on her fingertips, was like finely spun satin. It was unusual for my patients to touch me, but I didn't pull back, didn't flinch or show any reaction. Touch is telling. Lack of touch is even more telling. There is nothing as sacred as one person reaching out to another with their body to offer connection, and I would never treat such a thing lightly. There was nothing sexual about the way she put her fingers on the back of my hand and exerted a small but real pressure, but it woke me up in a momentarily sexual way. It made me think about sex, not with her, not with a man, but just inside of myself. Two fingers on my skin and she made me crave something I couldn't quite name.
"Besides the arm, how else was your day?" It was our routine. To go over the day. Usually we did it at dinner, but I was doing it now. The rule was we had to state one good thing for every bad thing. As many bad things as you wanted. But always a balance.
Skin is alive. It breathes. It is made up of nerve endings. It sensates. His fingers were doing something to me that had noting to do with us knowing each other or liking each other or even caring if we ever found out anything more about each other. My skin didn't care that this was
obscene, that I was playing a very dangerous game. My skin was enraptured by the ever-so-slight pressure of a man's fingertips sailing across its expanse. I shut my eyes, not pretending, not being coy, but rather finding myself in this unusual place, sitting across the table from a successful and nice-looking middle-aged man who liked to touch women's skin and knew how to do it with exactly the right pressure.
Rating:
Summary: Another clever erotic thriller from M.J. Rose!
Review: I have read all of M.J. Rose's novels. She mixes suspense, erotica and romance in a unique, unconventional way. I loved Lip Service, her first novel, and am excited to see that she's started a series centered on the Butterfield Institute. (You don't have to read Lip Service before reading this book, for this is a complete stand-alone novel, but it wouldn't hurt to give LS a whirl if you haven't done.) Dr. Morgan Snow is a sex therapist who has heard it all. But there's something about Cleo Thane that intrigues her. It is not her job as a high tier prostitute, or the fact that she's written a memoir revealing her sexual exploits with wealthy, successful businessmen, but rather something else that makes her want to keep Cleo safe. And then everything falls apart when a rather sinister, unconventional serial killer is discovered. He is known as the Magdalene Murderer -- killing prostitutes in a misguided attempt to cleanse and purify their souls from sin. It is up to Detective Noah Jordain to find the killer, but when Cleo disappears, Morgan decides to do some amateur sleuth work of her own...
This is one of the cleverest psychological/erotic thrillers out there. There are a lot of references on sex and religion and the roles they play in today's society. I like how Rose delves into the psyches of a psychopathic killer, a woman who had been sexually abused when she was a child, and the traumas of a girl's motherless childhood. And I like the way that Rose uses butterflies as analogies. I love the erotic elements in this novel. The erotica mingles well with the plot. Eroticism is subtle here -- quite tasteful, not in your face, which is refreshing. The romance here is also subtle. Said romance illustrates Morgan's sexual repression caused by her profession. There are so many things here that make this novel a complete must read -- better than the average whodunit suspense. That is why I enjoy reading M.J. Rose's books so much. Hers is a voice that transcends all the genres she incorporates into her writing. I look forward to reading the second part of this series. For the time being, I recommend this wonderful novel most highly.
Rating: 
Summary: First Book I've Read by M. J. Rose
Review: I honestly wasn't sure what to expect of this book, but I really enjoyed it. I read it in one sitting! I liked the way she presented an inside look into the life of a call girl. How it wasn't about sex so much as the men feeling accepted, unquestioned. I think Rose shows deep insight into the nature of human sexuality as well as marriage through Dr. Snow's character.
I also liked that she developed the characters more fully. Showing us not just Dr. Snow's professional life, but her personal one as well and the struggles with her teenaged daughter.
The highest praise I can ever give a book is that it was worth the money and the time to read it -- and this one was! I will be looking for the next one in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!...
Review: I started this novel last night and finished it today. I could not put this book down. It is a very suspenseful novel and the ending will leave you breathless, I couldnt turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened!
The writing is very rich in detail, the book will have you holding your breath in places.
If you like books that make your heart race then this is one for you. I eagerly await the next Morgan Snow book due out in 2005.
Rating:
Summary: This won't be my last MJRose Book
Review: I've never heard of her before and discovered her book by accident and I'm truly gleeful that I did. The suspense was riviting and had me glued to the pages trying to play sleuth. The characters were lifelike and believable and the writing rather edgy. It almost reads like fine literature rather than contemporary fiction. I enjoyed the way the story played out and definitely look forward to the other books in the series as well as backtracking and reading other works by Ms. Rose. It left me totally satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: Psychological Thriller
Review: M. J. Rose may be the first author to have a self-published novel ("Lip Service") picked up by a major publishing house, but what's really more interesting is the content of her creations.
Certain themes are recurring - psychology, food, music and sex. "The Halo Effect" also focuses on acting, as well as butterflies (as displayed in the hauntingly beautiful cover art). It also takes on a thriller element that hasn't stood out this much since the compelling "Lip Service".
Not for the first time, our protagonist is a sex therapist. Dr Morgan Snow works at the Butterfield Institute, which we first encountered in "Lip Service" (which really should be read before "The Halo Effect", which spoils what happened in the past).
Though prostitution is illegal in New York, Cleo Thane has her own business, and regularly partakes in the services offered. She's wealthy and in therapy... and she's also drafted a memoir exposing the secrets of her clients. This material is dangerous, so it's not surprising when Cleo goes missing.
But before that even happens, the serial killing begins, and the gritty, religious-based deaths have set NYPD Detective Noah Jordain on edge... and he inspires Morgan to do her own detective work.
The crimes scenes are engrossing, and Morgan's method of investigation is interesting. However, the romantic link between Morgan and Noah slows the story down, and brings in some annoying analysis. Lose the romance and the reader will stay captivated all the way through.
While "Lip Service" is the author's best book, this comes in at a close second. And it will be very intriguing to see what M. J. Rose has in store for us next.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific, as always!
Review: M.J. Rose has a way of pullling you into her mysteries with her rich characters and sexy storytelling, and she's done it again. The heroine in The Halo Effect is therapist Morgan Snow (I think to become a recurring character in future books?), who is smart, honest and empathetic; in this story, shaken by the ominous disappearance of a call girl who had reached out to her, she goes in search of her young patient's fate. Another great MJ Rose book!!
Rating:
Summary: Masterful psychological suspense
Review: MJ Rose has the rare gift of engaging her reader in a touching story, bringing out an empathy and tenderness for the people who inhabit her fictional world as she skillfully weaves a chilling plot. This unusual balance makes "The Halo Effect" an unforgettable read. Erotic, deeply psychological, and written with spare and often lyrical prose, this expert novel explores the underworld of both our city streets and our own unconsciousness. A tremendous piece of suspense writing from a gifted story-teller.
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