Book Review: The Best Revenge

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

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
2003

Kelda James is one truly mixed up lady! An heroic FBI agent, whose reputation includes the single handed rescue of a kidnapped child, she has now located some DNA evidence which clears a resident of Colorado's Death Row. He is released after 13 years of suspended animation. Kelda also suffers from mysterious undiagnosed muscular pain in her legs and hips, and her doctors have referred to Alan Gregory, White's returning protagonist, who works as a clinical psychologist. She still mourns the death of a close friend of her college years, has uneasy working relationships with her fellow FBI agents, a mysterious boy friend, and makes several startling decisions as events unfold.

The released inmate also seeks counseling in his effort to fit back into society, and Kelda refers HIM to Gregory. Which places Alan smack in the middle of several ominous situations.

A confusing game of cat and mouse follows, but the reader is never quite sure who is the cat, and who is the mouse. Eventually the significance of the title becomes more and more clear.

Gregory's wife and daughter take a back seat in the action here, and we focus on Gregory, his friend Sam Purdy, a Boulder cop, and a few assorted bad guys. We also get a peek at some of the more eccentric Colorado mountain communities, and at least one delightful resident of the area.

As a resident of the locales where White places his action, I always enjoy moving through the geography in his books. He gets the "feel" of Colorado's front range very, very well.

Woodstock - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Woodstock - RAM