The Analyst [Mass Market Paperback]

John Katzenbach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 2003

Happy fifty third birthday, Doctor. Welcome to the first day of your death. Dr. Frederick Starks, a New York psychoanalyst, has just received a mysterious, threatening letter. Now he finds himself in the middle of a horrific game designed by a man who calls himself Rumplestiltskin. The rules: in two weeks, Starks must guess his tormentor’s identity. If Starks succeeds, he goes free. If he fails, Rumplestiltskin will destroy, one by one, fifty-two of Dr. Starks’ loved ones—unless the good doctor agrees to kill himself. In a blistering race against time, Starks’ is at the mercy of a psychopath’s devious game of vengeance. He must find a way to stop the madman—before he himself is driven mad. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, February 2002: This thriller from the author of Hart's War is addictive. Analyst Dr. Frederick Starks has just turned 53 and, on his birthday, receives a letter informing him that he has ruined the letter-writer's life and now his own life is about to be ruined.

Starks must solve a riddle, he is told. He must find out whose life he ruined within two weeks. If he does not, he must kill himself. If he does not kill himself, then those nearest and dearest to him will be killed. The letter is signed, Rumpelstiltskin. At first Starks is dismissive--but he does call relatives to see that they are all right. Not all of them are. In fact Starks is convinced that the letter writer is deadly serious when he discovers how the birthday of his 14-year-old great-niece was ruined. He must now engage in the game or be responsible for the lives of others.

While he works frantically to try and unlock the past and find whose life he could possibly have ruined, Rumpelstiltskin is also busy. Within hours of receiving that first shattering letter, one of Dr. Starks's patients throws himself under a subway train, though Starks knows the patient was not suicidal.

When the police tell him that a couple and a homeless woman saw the man jump, Starks tries to find them. He finds only the homeless woman, who tells him that she was given money by the couple to tell what she witnessed. Starks is certain that Rumpelstiltskin must be one of the couple, but he's wrong. It's even more sinister than that, and when he meets the accomplices, he realizes that his adversary has been planning his revenge for years.

Soon, Starks's life is spiraling downward. There is nothing hidden from Rumpelstiltskin. His credit cards, his bank accounts, his patients, his homes in Manhattan and in Massachusetts, his reputation--nothing and no one is safe as Starks races against time as his world shrinks and his options run out. The clock is ticking as he hunts a ruthless psychopath who always seems to be one step ahead of him. As Starks tries to figure out what to do besides react to his life spinning out of control, he uses his training, his dwindling resources, and every weapon available to him to combat this relentless and deadly foe. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

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 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345426274
• ISBN-13: 978-0345426277
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top notch suspense!, April 18, 2002

By 

[e-mail] (United States of America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Analyst (Hardcover)

This was an incredible book that would make an excellent movie!
Katzenbach has a skill for creating compelling and convincing
characters, and a plot that will run you ragged by the end as you try and figure out what is going on! This book is suspenseful to the very end. And even then you will be awe struck!

I read it in two days while on vacation, and by the end of the week everyone I was with had read it and was mesmerized by the intensity and brilliance of the story.

Dr. Starks, a widower, is a creature of habit and routine. With no close family, and seemingly few friends, he is a psychoanalyst practicing from his home. On his 52nd birthday, he gets a riddle of a note from "Rumplestiltskin" who claims that he will kill Dr. Starks unless Starks kills himself or figures out who he is within 15 days. When Starks learns that this mystery person also made threats to his family, he
realizes the reality of the situation.

At some point, we learn "R" is seeking revenge for a patient Starks failed to help long ago. Stark's life is instantly turned upside down as the "stalkers" relentlessly play mind games with him and anticipate his every move. He works against the clock to figure out who is threatening him, his patients, his family, and everyone and everything he knows and who the patient was that he supposedly failed. Nothing in his life is sacred anymore -- not his bank accounts, not his homes, his practice, not anything. And the clock is ticking.

This is a hard book to review without giving too much away. The twists and turns are enough to keep you turning pages voraciously. It is one of the best books of the psychological thriller genre I have read. Starks is a brilliant character who emerges as a strong, and unpredictable man. Not to mention the other characters in the book who will have you spellbound with their actions and their ability to know everything about Starks.

Read this book. You will not be able to put it down and you will
want everyone you know to read it also so that you can talk about it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Would You Do?, April 29, 2002

By 

Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Analyst (Hardcover)

Quite simply, this is the best thriller I've read so far this year, and actually, very possibly last year too. This is an honest to goodness thought provoking situation that has been presented in a riveting way and totally captured my imagination. It was the perfect case of posing the question, "What would you do if this happened to you?"

When Dr Frederick (Ricky) Starks receives a letter on his 53rd birthday, he has no idea of the implications the message contained inside will have on his life. The anonymous writer, who signed the letter Rumplestiltskin, proposes that Ricky must play a game. In this game Ricky must either commit suicide or work out who Rumplestiltskin is. He has 15 days to achieve either of these objectives and if he fails, a family member will be chosen at random and destroyed. It's a fascinating scenario to open what turns out to be a very nicely constructed book.

To make things even more interesting, Ricky is helped out with clues as to who it was that he wronged in the past that caused this act of revenge. He is also allowed to ask three questions over the 15 days. To make things difficult, however, he keeps getting object lessons in how serious Rumplestiltskin is with his game. What Ricky finds becoming increasingly clear is that nothing can be taken at face value and his life, as he always accepted it, would very likely be changed for good by this experience.

I found this to be one of those page-turners that you just fly through, yet on the other hand keep trying to slow yourself down to try to savour every word. Although it's the first book of John Katzenbach's that I have read, it definitely won't be the last.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 stars, February 9, 2002

By 

Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Analyst (Hardcover)

See storyline above.

After reading Katzenbach's last novel `Harts War', I decided to put him on my must read list. After reading `The Analyst' I've decided to keep him on my list, but he will be moved closer to the bottom. The book is a deep psychological thriller. A highly detailed look at the psyche of one man. I will agree that the story had me hooked, but I had to read through many pages that described nothing but feelings. Is it fast-paced? No. Is it a story with a lot of depth? Yes. I still recommend this as a good thriller because it tells a good story, even though it is a little verbose.