The Analyst

October 22, 2001
A tinted review in adult Forecasts indicates a book that's of exceptional importance to our readers, but that hasn't received a starred or boxed review. THE ANALYST John Katzenbach. Ballantine, $25 (576p) ISBN 0-345-42626-6 A note left in the waiting room of New York City analyst Dr. Ricky Starks reads, "You ruined my life. And now I fully intend to ruin yours." Katzenbach has previously used the cryptic note as a plot-launching device. From such familiar ground, however, springs one of his strongest outings, a tale of psychological torment and investigative cunning. The note, signed "Rumplestiltskin," goes on to challenge Starks to discover the identity of the letter writer. If Starks can't do it in 15 days, he must either commit suicide or members of his family will start dying. As Starks scrambles to meet the challenge, his life goes into total meltdown. A police detective who promises to help him gets killed by a hit-and-run driver; Starks's savings disappears through mysterious electronic transfers; his apartment is destroyed by a burst water pipe; and his trusted mentor inexplicably turns his back on him. Equally frustrating, Rumplestiltskin seems able to anticipate Starks's every move. Starks, communicating with his tormentor through newspaper personals, comes close to snapping, but steels himself to fake his own death and go deep underground. He vows to leave behind the predictable patterns of his old life, develop a new identity and track down Rumplestiltskin. Katzenbach's narrative touch, nimble and edgy up to this point, only gets sharper as Starks grinds his way toward a gritty finale on Cape Cod. The two-time Edgar nominee (The Shadow Man; In the Heat of the Summer) has potently chronicled a long journey of revenge and redemption. Some of his psychological plot points—particularly the reason for Rumplestiltskin's hatred—are a stretch, but the novel's fine sense of pacing, sudden switchbacks and chilling characterizations far overshadow its minor faults. 5-city author tour; optioned to Phoenix Pictures.

Starred review from November 1, 2001
Katzenbach (Hart's War) never writes the same book twice, nor does he use the same plot devices or characters. His latest opens as New York City psychoanalyst Frederick (Ricky) Starks receives an anonymous missive saying that Starks has ruined the writer's life and that he has ten days in which to discover his or her identity. If he fails, he must commit suicide; if he does not comply with this order, someone in his family will suffer or die. At first Ricky is disoriented and unable to function effectively, but he soon begins to take action. Using his research skills, he finds that a former patient was so despondent that she killed herself, leaving three children as orphans. But this information is not enough to save Ricky's life. Thus, he goes on a journey of self-discovery, calling upon unknown depths of endurance and using his medical training in order to survive. This masterfully told thriller is impossible to put down and equally impossible to forget. For all fiction collections. Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., OH

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2001
Katzenbach, two-time Edgar Award nominee for "In the Heat of the Summer" (1982) and "The Shadow Man" (1995), puts a suspense spin on the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale. An Upper East Side psychoanalyst, Dr. Frederick Starks spends his fifty-third birthday at his practice "listening to people complain about their mothers." When his last patient leaves, he finds a letter in the waiting room. The letter writer, who only identifies himself as a former patient, gives Starks an ultimatum: the patient will kill one of Starks' relatives within two weeks, unless Starks either correctly identifies him in an ad placed in the "New York "Times or kills himself. The threat is quickly made real when Starks learns that his teenage niece (who shares his birthday) has received a note promising sexual assault and torture. Katzenbach ratchets up the suspense with every page: as Starks embarks on his mental odyssey through 20 years of treatment to discover the identity of his tormentor, he is constantly besieged by more moves from the other side--false charges of seducing a patient, loss of his credit cards, loss of his status. Starks is in the position of fighting for his life and that of an unknown but soon-to-be-killed relative, while his abilities and sanity are steadily being eroded. Ticking-clock suspense. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)