The Dead Student

August 3, 2015
In this clever cat-and-mouse thriller from bestseller Katzenbach (Red 1-2-3), the mysterious Student #5 has spent decades murdering people he believes got him banned from his chosen studies in abnormal psychology. His latest victim—staged as a suicide—is the uncle of Ph.D. student Timothy “Moth” Warner. An alcoholic, Moth just knows his uncle wouldn’t kill himself. Enlisting the support of his ex-girlfriend Andy Candy and DA Susan Terry—and with his AA group that meets in the church known as Redeemer One acting as casual advisers as the investigation progresses—he begins his quest, which ranges from Massachusetts to Miami and Key West, to learn the truth and catch the mastermind. Slow at first, the book finally picks up momentum when paths cross and Student #5 suddenly realizes he now has a few more names to scratch off his death list. But the super-criminal won’t find the easy marks as easy as they look. Agent: Moses Cardona, John Hawkins & Associates.

October 1, 2015

Three decades ago a psychiatry student enrolled in medical school felt that he was wronged by four classmates and a faculty member. This pupil, known as Student #5, waged a deadly vendetta against those who negatively impacted his life over the years, employing cunning psychological strategies to exact his revenge. Student #5 escapes undetected for decades--until he targets psychiatrist Ed Warner. But Ed's nephew Timothy, a young doctoral student and recovering alcoholic, doesn't believe his uncle's death is a suicide and decides to uncover the truth. Joined by two unlikely allies with more than their share of baggage (an ex-girlfriend and a state prosecutor), Timothy launches a dangerous hunt for a madman. VERDICT This edgy psychological suspense novel from Katzenbach (Red-1-2-3) gives readers a bird's-eye view into the mind of a killer and takes them along for a nail-biting ride as the potential prey for an assassin turns the tables and becomes his predator. Thriller enthusiasts will not be disappointed. [See Prepub Alert, 4/20/15.]--Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2015
Moth owes his sobriety (and probably his life) to his Uncle Ed, a respected Miami psychotherapist and fellow alcoholic. So, when he finds his uncle's body, the nearby gun and note reading, My fault, aren't enough to persuade him that his unburdened uncle committed suicide. Instead, Moth becomes determined to punish the killer. Moth has burned plenty of bridges, and his ex-girlfriend, Andy, is the only person he can trust to help him. Andy herself is crumbling under the weight of guilt, sorrow, and rage after a date rape demolishes her illusion of safety. She agrees to help Moth and quickly moves from chauffeur and sounding board to adept investigator, guiding Moth through Ed's murky past and coaxing information out of an army of strangers. Moth and Andy uncover a cunning killer patiently eliminating those who played a role in ruining his life decades ago. Katzenbach binds Moth and the killer within a cycle of revenge, shrewdly muddying good and evil as they both plot murder and desperately grapple for control of their respective mental illnesses from opposing sides of the barely discernible moral line. The amateur investigation/manhunt, made tense through its misdirection, is a strong lure. But Andy is the real catch here, as she channels her hopelessness and rage into a heroine's role. A crafty, well-constructed psychological thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)