From Publishers Weekly
Distinguished plastic surgeon Trevor Lucas may not be guilty of the four murders he stands accused of, as Ablow's gruesome psychological thriller opens, but he has clearly lost his mind, claiming that his right arm is controlled by Satan. Frank Clevenger, hero of Ablow's first novel, Denial, and consulting forensic psychiatrist to the Massachusetts police, is well aware of Lucas's innocence, since he framed him to save their mutual lover, the pathologically jealous but pitiable Kathy Matheson. Kathy's four victims were Lucas and Clevenger's other sexual partners, including the woman who was Frank's real love, but he sees Kathy only as a victim, since she was raped by her father as a child. When Lucas takes control of the hospital ward where he is being held, cuts off his arm and begins mobilizing the criminally insane inmates to assist him in vivisecting their fellow patients and members of the hospital staff, Clevenger makes a foray into the grisly ward and convinces the state police to hold off their assault on the hospital for 24 hours so he can delve into Lucas's past to discover the roots of his trauma. Astonishingly, the cops agree, and Clevenger is off to Baltimore, Lucas's hometown. Along the way, ponytailed Clevenger scores heroin, falls in love with a prostitute and continues to affirm that criminals with difficult childhoods are not responsible for their actions. Pockmarked with paeans to the spiritual and evangelical powers of modern psychotherapy, the narrative leaps from one far-fetched scene to the next as Ablow erects the thin framework for a tale lavishly laced with sex and violence. Loose ends dangle at the conclusion, suggesting that this may not be the last readers hear of the adventures of the troubled Dr. Clevenger. (Sept.) FYI: Forensic psychiatrist Ablow is a practicing psychiatrist specializing in violence.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
In this repulsive sequel to Denial, Ablow gives us a thriller that doesn't thrill. Still riddled with guilt as a result of the events in Denial, Frank Clevenger watches the trial of Trevor Lucas, a plastic surgeon accused of two murders. Lucas pleads insanity, claiming that his right arm is possessed by Satan. When he arrives at the psychiatric hospital, he takes hostages and saws off his arm. His one demand is to talk to Clevenger, who knows Lucas is innocent because he himself is hiding the real killer, a woman they both loved. Lucas doesn't want revenge, however; he wants Clevenger's help. A good thriller has an exciting protagonist with whom the reader can identify and situations that might seem implausible but work in the context of the plot. Projection fails on both of these counts. Clevenger is impossible to like, and the situations that propel the story get more and more ludicrous. Unfortunately, it looks as if another sequel is on the way. Purchase only where there are fans of the previous book.AJeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
