Every Fifteen Minutes

Starred review from February 2, 2015
Bestseller Scottoline (Keep Quiet) casts an unflinching eye on the damaged world of sociopaths in this exciting page-turner. The personal life of Dr. Eric Parrish, chief of the psychiatric unit at Havemeyer General Hospital in Philadelphia's suburbs, is even more of a challenge than his job. His wife, Caitlin, has filed for divorce, and, as a result, he rarely gets to spend time with his seven-year-old daughter, Hannah. Distraction arrives in the forms of Kristine Malin, an attractive medical student, and a friendly, flirtatious friendship with emergency doctor Laurie Fortunato. Things start to unravel for Eric when he has to field a sexual harassment claim and is implicated in the murder of a young woman. The misfortunes pile up, and both his career and his custody battle for Hannah are placed in jeopardy. Many characters who seem to be gunning for Eric are likely candidates for a sociopathic diagnosis. Once the red herrings are dispatched, the identity of the culprit who plots his downfall is a genuine surprise. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Literary Agency. Author tour; 250,000-copy first printing.

George Newbern hooks listeners with a chilling opening monologue by an admitted sociopath, and then continues to make the most of every minute of Scottoline's latest thriller. It seems someone's plotting to bring down well-liked psychiatrist Eric Parrish. Rather than dealing with his personal problems, Eric takes a new patient, Max, a disturbed 17-year-old whose grandmother is dying. Newbern offers a credible Max, especially when the teen has a meltdown and disappears. Eric tries to find him by following a girl Max secretly likes. When she's found murdered, first Eric, then Max become suspects. But who's the sociopath? Scottoline packs this story with more red herrings than a fish market, and Newbern's nuanced performance makes the revelation regarding who's plotting Eric's undoing truly a surprise. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

June 15, 2015

In what seems like a split second, Dr. Eric Parish's life as chief psychiatrist at Havemeyer General Hospital, devoted father, and committed husband falls apart. His wife files for divorce; he is suspended from his post at the hospital after a female medical student files a sexual harassment complaint against him; and he is allowed only limited contact with his beloved daughter, Hannah. Parish's problems are caused by a nameless, invisible sociopath who has targeted him for destruction. George Newbern does an excellent job reading this psychological thriller and bringing each character to life. Newbern captures the cool, unemotional demeanor of the sociopath, the confused desperation of seven-year-old Hannah, and the nervousness of Parish's troubled patient Max. VERDICT This stand-alone work is recommended for all Scottoline and psychological mystery/thriller fans who enjoy surprise endings. ["A nail-biting stand-alone with two heart-pounding climaxes and several pulse-racing twists": LJ 3/1/15 starred review of the St. Martin's hc.]--Ilka Gordon, Beachwood, OH

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