Critical Conditions: An Alan Gregory Thriller [Hardcover]

Stephen White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998 | Series: Alan Gregory

As Stephen White's popularity surges forward, his recurring hero, Denver psychologist Alan Gregory, finds himself in the midst of an intricate and heart-wrenching case. Summoned to the bedside of a fifteen-year-old girl who has attempted suicide, Alan discovers that she is mute. But as a bond develops between them, he learns that her baby sister has a deadly infection, and that a managed care company is refusing to allow treatment with an experimental drug. More shocking, however, is the revelation that an executive of the HMO has just met a violent death, and that his patient may be involved. Calling on his old friend, Denver police detective Sam Purdy, Gregory draws on his special connection to the young girl to begin investigating the truth that lies behind her silence.
•Stephen White is a strong rival to Jonathan Kellerman.
•Stephen White's sleuth, Dr. Alan Gregory, has an established popularity among readers.
•This is a timely plot dealing with the defects of HMOs and American health care.
•Teaser chapter of Critical Conditions will appear in the Signet edition of Stephen White's Remote Control, to be published simultaneously by Signet.
•Stephen White is now a New York Times bestselling author.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Psychologist Alan Gregory is brought in to evaluate 15-year-old Merritt Strait after her attempted suicide. The teenager has had a complicated life: her stepsister is dying from a heart ailment that might be helped by an experimental treatment, but that treatment isn't covered by the family's HMO. When the head of said evil HMO is shot and killed, the evidence points toward Merritt as the prime suspect. Alan, along with his police friend (and Merritt's uncle), Sam Purdy, begin an investigation that will expose blackmail, extortion and dark family secrets. The usually reliable Dick Hill gives a disappointing performance; his overall delivery is so low-key and measured that he doesn't bring the energy necessary to spark this thriller to life. A Signet paperback. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Library Journal

In his sixth suspense novel, White (Remote Control, LJ 1/97) and his protagonist psychologist Alan Gregory take on managed healthcare and come up with another compulsive read. A 15-year-old girl attempts suicide and turns mute, her two-year-old sister is dying from a rare disease while her health insurer won't pay for expensive experimental treatment, and the doctor who heads the insurance company is found shot to death. While Gregory treats the teenager and consults with police, his cop friend Sam Purdy (an in-law of principals in the case) has to keep his distance, and complications mount. White ties up all the loose ends, concerning death threats, blackmail, murder, extortion, and suicide, after a spine-tingling chase through the conveyor system of the new Denver airport. But he leaves strings dangling regarding his appealing cast of continuing characters (such as Gregory's wife Lauren's health and neighbor Adrienne's love life), guaranteeing anticipation for number seven.
-?Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052594270X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525942702
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #579,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen White is a clinical psychologist and New York Times bestselling author of suspense novels, including Dead Time and The Siege. He lives in Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book., May 1, 2000

By 

Tabitha Orender (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Critical Conditions: An Alan Gregory Thriller (Mass Market Paperback)

I started out reading his book Manner of Death which was a birthday gift from my father. I enjoyed that book so much I went out a bought this book. It keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. It is a page turner and I couldn't put it down. So far the two books that I have read are excellent.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!!, October 21, 2007

By 

Michelle Watsoon (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Critical Conditions: An Alan Gregory Thriller (Mass Market Paperback)

This is my first book by Stephen White, but not the last. The plot is excellent with many twists and turns to keep me interested, not confused. It sees Dr. Gregory trying to help a young girl who may or may not have killed in order for her sister to get critical health care. However, readers shouldn't despair as it is not full of medical language or too much cumbersome details. I give this book a well deserved five star rating.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mature-immature-devious-charming Kid, October 19, 2004

By 

Larry Scantlebury (Ypsilanti, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Critical Conditions: An Alan Gregory Thriller (Mass Market Paperback)

The problem with writing about kids, particularly teenagers, is that we have gratefully forgotten what a difficult, scary, uncharted journey adolescence was for us. And I'm just talking about acne and skinny arms (or chests)! Imagine what we would feel like if we had terminally ill sibs?

As a result we have pushed to the more distant recesses of our memory what we did or even more significantly, why we did it. So the 15-year old ingenue in White's excellent murder mystery is at times conniving, relentless, obsessed, beautiful, kid-like, confused along with all of the other formed and unformed virtue/vices of kids placed in life and death circumstances. Or what we imagine those to be.

Her infant sister is dying of a rare disease necessitating, if it will work at all, an expensive heart transplant. Each member of the family has made tremendous sacrifices and then Merritt, the 15-year old, is charged with the murder of the CEO of the insurance provider who rejected the application for the transplant. Did she? Didn't she? Who did? And what else went on?

White weaves in the usual suspects, the gruff Sam Purdy, the lovely but also ill wife Lauren, his (not so) "normal" colleagues, a couple of Colorado Avalanche hockey games . . . even the loyal dog Emily makes several appearances.

Hard to believe, I suppose, to paraphrase Churchill, that so much could happen to so few so close to eachother at the same time. Yet, a relentless mystery for Dr. Alan Gregory to solve who despite impressive credentials, remains "everyman" under these painful circumstances.

Larry Scantlebury. 4 stars.