Mind Games [Hardcover]

William Deverell (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart; 1St Edition edition (October 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771026781
• ISBN-13: 978-0771026782
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,996,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding psychological drama!, December 18, 2005

By 

Paul Weiss (Dundas, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind Games (Mass Market Paperback)

Dr Timothy Dare is a forensic psychiatrist working as a consultant for the criminal courts in Vancouver. His wife, unquestionably the light of his life, has just left him and is having an affair with a man he is certain is a pedophile. His mother is being sued for libel over her portrayal of a serial killer in a novel. As if that isn't bad enough, Dare becomes convinced there's a real homophobic copycat killer on the loose taking his cues from her novel and targeting homosexual men in Vancouver. He's been appointed to closely monitor a man recently released from prison who makes no bones about having murdered his previous psychiatrist. Last but not least, a gorgeous nymphomaniac is stalking him. She's got more baggage than the Grand Trunk Railway and when Dare rejects her advances, she hauls him up before a disciplinary committee for "inappropriate conduct". Now he's receiving notes from somebody who "knows where he lives" and is threatening to kill him. Little wonder then that he recognizes he's a mental wreck and could use a little psychiatric couch time himself!

I read the editorial reviews expecting a fast-paced heavy duty psychological thriller but was quite surprised to find that, much like Jonathan Kellerman's "Silent Partner", the murder and violence takes second place to the narration of the internal turmoil of Dr Dare and his analyst, Allison Epstein. The story unfolds primarily through first person narration and conversation as Dr Dare is poked and prodded into revealing his inner demons in the warm, quiet environment of Dr Epstein's office. As opposed to a Hollywood thriller, Deverell treats us to a warm, compelling human drama driven by an exciting set of plots and sub-plots that are kept well under control and come to their resolution in an entirely credible fashion.

By the way, while I am biased about this, I'll add that the whole thing had a distinctly ... well ... understated Canadian flavour to it! Even if I was pressed, I don't think I could identify where it came from but I'm quite certain it was there and it certainly added considerably to my enjoyment. Well done, Mr Deverell! One more notch on your belt and another title in an ever expanding collection of terrific novels! My thanks to you.

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual Technique to Tell a Mystery, June 8, 2010

By 

Debra Purdy Kong "Author of Casey Holland Tra... (British Columbia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind Games (Mass Market Paperback)

Forensic psychiatrist, Timothy Dare, is quietly unraveling from personal and professional problems. His wife has left him, he's under investigation for professional misconduct, his mother's being sued, a newly divorced woman is obsessed with him, he has unresolved father issues, and one of his patients might be killing gay men. So I guess we can forgive his endless self-pitying journals and angst in therapy sessions with psychiatrist Allison Epstein.

When I picked up this book, I expected a complicated, well-written mystery, which is what I got, but not right away. The many pages of psychological turmoil detracted from the murders so much that I was wondering if I was reading a mystery at all. The first murder appeared on page 112 (although earlier crimes were referred to), the second occurred on page 150 of this 297-page novel, and that's when the murder mystery began to take center stage.

Using the turmoil of a protagonist and his dreams to provide Dare with clues about catching the killer was a technique that didn't quite work for me; yet once Dare put his own troubles aside to start some serious investigating, things became more intriguing. For readers interested in a closer look at the ups and downs of psychiatrist/patient relationships, though, Mind Games is a good choice.