Reviewed By: David Biemann
The Best Revenge
Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Stephen White
Class/Genre: Mystery Psychological Suspense
Series: Alan Gregory # 11
March 2003, Delacorte 368 pages $24.95
Clinical Psychologist, Stephen White, gets into the heads of his characters better than many authors cranking out thrillers. Even his minor characters are well rounded as a result. In The Best Revenge he introduces us to Kelda James an FBI "celebrity" agent. Kelda is seeing psychologist Alan Gregory, White's ongoing character, on the QT. She, like the rest of us, is flawed.
The novel begins with a flashback and jumps from one characters point of view to another's but it's never hard to follow the story line. There's action from quite early on but it picks up the pace when Kelda recommends Gregory to Tom Clone, a death row prisoner, she'd helped get released.
One slight problem I had was with the stilted sounding dialog between some secondary characters. On the other hand some of the best scenes and dialog come when Kelda's dealing with her fellow agent Bill Graves and when Alan is talking with his best friend, Detective Sam Purdy. I thought Sam's line to his son about six pack abs was one of the best I've read in a while. Alan's wife Lauren and his practice "sharing" partner Dianne take a back seat in this novel.
Stephen White has authored many books among them Warning Signs, Privileged Information and Critical Conditions. He's a New York Times best selling author. The Best Revenge has the twists and turns of a Colorado mountain road and is worth looking for when it reaches the shelves.
David Biemann
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, David Biemann
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