The Analyst [Import] [Paperback]

John Katzenbach (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 369 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0593050347
• ISBN-13: 978-0593050347
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (116 customer reviews)

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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.