The Session [Hardcover]

Judith Kelman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2006

National bestselling author Judith Kelman, who has thrilled readers with all the suspense, wit, romance, and surprises that they love, returns with The Session, as a female therapist finds herself in an elaborate cat-and-mouse game with a clever, cold-blooded killer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

P.J.—"Poor Julia"—Lafferty is a therapist on Riker's Island who carries her parents' early deaths in a car crash like a wound. When she okays a jailhouse mock wedding and the bride is murdered, she loses her job and struggles to get a private practice going with patients from hell. As P.J. works in her spare time to solve the murder, Kelman exuberantly rolls out a catalogue of horrors for her to confront, including the dead bride's ex-husband's mutilation of his son, with whom P.J. has grown close. The book has something of a split personality, as Kelman loudly forecasts multiple happy endings while Julia endures trial after trial: the slaughter of a baby goat at the zoo, the murder of the nice old man who was helping her solve the mystery, her own kidnapping and knife wounds. If good things really do come to those who wait, Julia will reunite with her cuddly ex-husband, assistant district attorney Rafe Lafferty; reconcile with her deaf twin, Caitlyn Goldstein, a famous children's author; rescue her mentally ill brother, Jack—and even unmask the priest whose molestation of Jack led to the fatal crash. Poor Julia, stuck with a cartoon supporting cast and layers of ugliness in lieu of plot.
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Review

Haunting psychological suspense...[a] skillfully crafted and engaging thriller. (Linda Fairstein) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1ST edition (January 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425205568
• ISBN-13: 978-0425205563
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,403,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Kelman thriller!, January 3, 2006

By 

Richard Fremont (Wheeling, West Va.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Session (Hardcover)

As usual, I got Kelman's new book as soon as it came out. Also as usual, I couldn't put it down. Her main character, P.J. Lafferty, lived up to Kelman's wonderful standards - a witty, insightful, strong woman about whom I grew to care almost immediately. I don't want to ruin any surprises, but suffice it to say that - again - Kelman has provided her fans with a complex, multi-layered plot line with characters to whom one can truly related. Bravo, Judith!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It grabs you, then lets you go..., June 29, 2006

By 

R Schmidt (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Session (Hardcover)

The Session, by Judith Kelman, is a story with a promise. A young therapist, working with the criminally insane, witnesses a brutal murder in prison, and is fired for not controlling the situation. She develops a private practice, but is obsessed with getting to the bottom of this murder.

Mixed in this pot is her relationship with a deaf twin sister (a best-selling author), an insane brother, a loving ex, the family of the murdered woman, and some strange patients.

By page 300, I still don't know what is going to happen. By the end (page 359), I'm disappointed. The ending is bizarre (the "bad guy" ends up being the one all the clues point to), there are subplots still up in the air, and the story feels incomplete, as in the "You need to cut the text down 50 or so pages" directive.

This was a novel with promise, but the promise fizzled out at the end.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, February 27, 2006

By 

Robyn Pingree "Mystery Lover" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Session (Hardcover)

Avid fan of this author and pit her up there with my other top favorites of Patricia Cornwell, Mary Higgins Clark, and Sandra Brown. Would definitely recommend all her books!