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St. Martin's, Oct 2002, 24.95, 336 pp. ISBN 0312305001 It's been over three years since forensic psychologist Peter Zak's wife died at the hands of a psychopath and he is finally ready to return to the world of the living. He is emotionally involved with Annie, an investigator for defense attorney Chip Ferguson. One night when Peter and Annie are together, Chip calls asking the psychologist to meet him at the home of his friend who sounds very distraught. When everyone converges at Nick Babikian's home, they find his wife floating in the swimming pool, her body torn open. Nick is covered in blood, as is the floor where the swimming pool is located. Chip knows that the police will most likely arrest Nick and wants Peter to do a psychiatric evaluation on him. Peter finds him highly paranoid but isn't quite sure he's guilty. When the investigator focuses on another suspect Peter finds he second-guesses his own judgment. DELUSION is an enthralling medical thriller where the protagonist identifies a little too closely with his patient. This leads to an exciting crime tale in which the potential antagonists seem more interesting than the hero does. Readers will keep turning the pages as they try and figure out who the guilty party really is. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70% Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - jealousy How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - Northeast Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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