Warning Signs [Import] [Hardcover]

Stephen White (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press; 1ST edition (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316860093
• ISBN-13: 978-0316860093
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,401,934 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

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A FIRST-RATE PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER, March 10, 2002

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Warning Signs (Hardcover)

Author cum psychologist Stephen White well knows how to plumb the depths of the human mind, excising the malevolence of which mankind is capable. As evidenced in "The Program," White's prose is swift, dextrous, and his plotting expertly paced.

The tenth novel to spotlight clinical psychologist Alan Gregory, "Warning Signs" is a shocking yet fascinating thriller. The brutalized body of Boulder County District Attorney, Royal Peterson, is found, and a homicide detective is soon thought to be the murderer. Violent as the crime was, what strikes even closer to Gregory's heart is the fact that his wife used to work for Peterson and is considering defending the accused detective.

In the midst of this turmoil Gregory sees a new patient, Naomi Bigg, an obviously frightened mother. What is she afraid to confront? And, what is Gregory's responsibility regarding doctor/patient confidentiality if he believes other lives are at stake? He is torn as he attempts to help his patient, and watches a series of violent episodes tear the city apart. Perhaps only he can unlock the secrets buried in the dark corners of a criminal mind.

"Warning Signs" is compelling and frightening - a first-rate psychological thriller.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining page-turner, January 5, 2003

By 

mrliteral - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Warning Signs (Mass Market Paperback)

It would be easy to mistake Stephen White's Alan Gregory series for Jonathan Kellerman's older and more established Alex Delaware books. Both involve pyschologists, both are told primarily in the first person, both have murder mysteries and both main characters have gruff police "sidekicks." The differences, however, are more important: while the Delaware books are declining in quality (for reasons best discussed in a review of Kellerman's books), the Gregory books remain consistently good.

In this story, the district attorney of Boulder is murdered and the prime suspect is Gregory's cop-friend's partner, Lucy. Gregory's wife Lauren, usually a prosecutor, extends her maternity leave to help defend Lucy. Meanwhile, Gregory gets a new patient whose son may or may not be involved with the murder, and also may or may not be planning additional killings.

There are suitable twists and turns in the story, but what makes this book (and the series) exciting is that no character outside the narrator is truly safe. White has no qualms about killing previously established characters. With a job that puts her often in danger and with an erratic but debilitating disease, even Gregory's wife is not safe from danger.

If you are a fan of the Kellerman books (which tend to be better sellers), than you should enjoy these books as well. But these books are also good enough for any mystery fan to enjoy.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning Signs continues a trend of excellence in a serial..., March 10, 2002

By 

L. Quido "quidrock" (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Warning Signs (Hardcover)

that Stephen White began over ten years ago. In bringing his hero, Alan Gregory, to life, White also gets to pursue, in words, his love affair with the western Rocky Mountains, particularly in Colorado. He has the ability to weave the beauty of the region, and its downfalls, into his story line in a natural and compelling way. Show me a reader who does not want to see Colorado after finishing a White novel!

There is no question that White has done what most authors of thrillers cannot do, and that is to maintain the quality of his story lines and characterization based on the same group of characters, time after time. I don't believe he has stumbled in this effort, and in pursuing the Gregory storyline, he has won over many fans of other writers who have fallen prey to commercialism. In past years, White has become my author of choice, the author whose works I immediately buy regardless of price. Writing this, unfortunately, may help too many others to discover him, and hopefully he won't come blazing into the public eye, with too much pressure to write "hits" or "blockbusters" to take away the thoughtful manner in which he sets his plotlines before he begins his story.

Warning Signs weaves the continuing struggle of Gregory's wife, Lauren's, MS, throughout the novel, contrasting her coping ability with that of Susan Peterson, the wife of the local DA, who is mysteriously murdered in the early part of the novel. As the story unfolds, White is able to interweave three plotlines, including a crisis of practice for Gregory in terms of when danger and potential harm to others outweigh the need for doctor patient privilege. Gregory doesn't handle the situation appropriately, but his own feelings and the reactions of the public and his circle of close friends help to make this situation even more real for the reader.

A story of the abandoned offspring of a central character plays a key role in the mystery, and again leaves us questioning the psychological motivation of characters who seem ordinary on the surface; this daughter is struggling with the meaning of intimacy, and she promises to be a new continuing character in future Gregory novels.

Lastly, in the wake of Columbine and Jon Benet, Gregory is able to explore the feeling of confusion and despair that must invade the Colorado population, when confronted with the media spotlight on how parents and law enforcement personnel react to sudden and unexpected crimes of violence in the seemingly serene Colorado setting. Although the "Columbine-like" plotline is a little farfetched, it is ultimately the vehicle that builds into the climax of the novel, and White does a credible job of building the tension and relief when the violence finally ends.

Lastly, White is able to showcase Gregory and Lauren in still another setting; as new parents of baby daughter Grace. This is a book that is chockful of great storylines and suspense, and difficult to put down when you want to finish it in one sitting.

Another terrific novel by Stephen White!