Synopses & Reviews
"Keith Ablow is king of the psychological thriller." -Dennis Lehane, author of
Mystic RiverBurdened by his own psychological scars, brilliant forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Frank Clevenger, has weathered the most extreme twists of the human mind. Then he receives a disturbing call from Nantucket's Chief of Police. The five-month-old daughter of prominent billionaire, Darwin Bishop, has been found murdered in her crib.
"Utterly compelling...a roller coaster of a mystery with hairpin twists and turns that shock and astonish ." -Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of The Surgeon
The obvious suspect is Darwin's adopted sociopathic son, Billy. Even Clevenger can't fathom the motive behind the troubled boy's murder of an infant. But what is Billy really running from? Does Darwin's stunning wife Julia know? If she does, she isn't talking. Neither is the Bishop's other son who's harboring terrible secrets of his own.
"The suspense is riveting and the outcome surprising." --Washington Post Book World
Falling for Julia is Clevenger's first mistake. Investigating the Bishops' twisted emotional landscape is his second. It's done more than just draw him into the maze of a psychosexual family history. It's trapped him. As his own demons rise to the surface, he must play the ultimate mind game to catch a killer-and make it out alive...
"Keith Ablow's setting is the darkest of all-the twists and turns of the human mind. Compulsion is compulsive reading." -Harlan Coben, author of Gone for Good
Review
"Keith Ablow has become king of the psychological thriller. He writes like a man possessed." (Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River and Darkness, Take My Hand)
Review
"...Ablow writes like a man possessed - with a pace so blistering the pages will all but singe your hands." --Dennis Lehane, author of
Mystic River"Compulsion is another really good book by Keith Ablow: compelling, graceful, and nearly impossible to put down." --Robert Parker, author of Widow's Walk
"It's a roller coaster of a mystery with hairpin twists and turns that shock and astonish." --Tess Gerritsen, author of The Surgeon
"Keith Ablow's setting is the darkest of all-the twists and turns of the human mind...Great Psychological suspense." --Harlan Coben, author of Gone for Good
"This is a dark, taut, terrifying novel, driven by a talented psychiatrist's insights into the human condition." --Michael Palmer, author of Fatal
"Fast-paced and frightening, Compulsion is a novel that explores the very nature of evil itself." --Janet Evanovich, author of Hard Eight
"...mesmerizing...tense and sexy...With deft intelligence, Ablow maps the torturous terrain of the darkest regions of the human heart." --James Hall, author of Blackwater Sound
Review
"Compelling, graceful, and nearly impossible to put down."-Robert Parker, author of
Widow's Walk"No one burrows into the darkest recesses of the human mind as deeply as Keith Ablow."
-Tess Gerritsen, author of The Surgeon
"Keith Ablow is a master of psychological suspense. This is a dark, taut, terrifying novel, driven by a talented psychiatrist's insights into the human condition. Stoke up the fire, curl up with Compulsion, and be prepared for a sleepless night."-Michael Palmer, author of Fatal
"Frank Clevenger is a wonderfully flawed hero, as haunted by his own demons as the sociopaths he faces, and Ablow writes like a man possessed-with a pace so blistering the pages will all but singe your hands."-Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River
"Fast-paced and frightening, Compulsion is a novel that explores the very nature of evil itself. Psychiatrist Frank Clevenger is a hero with heart, soul-and brains."-Janet Evanovich, author of Hard Eight
"From the first sentence to the last, Compulsion is mesmerizing. A tense and sexy thriller stocked to the brim with juicy characters...featuring an utterly shocking, yet thoroughly convincing family of fiends...with deft intelligence, Ablow maps the torturous terrain of the darkest regions of the human heart."-James W. Hall, bestselling author of Blackwater Sound
"This series just keeps getting better. Frank Clevenger is a real original: a jeans-clad, black-turtleneck-wearing head shaven loner whose compassion for victims of violent crimes-and the perpetrators of those crimes-threatens to destroy him. Whether Clevenger is entirely fictional, or a reflection of his creator's dark side (Ablow is a practicing forensic psychiatrist), the upshot is the same: He's a brilliant creation and this is a brilliant novel."--Booklist (starred reviews)
"The present is wounded by the past in an expertly judged psychological thriller...a solid, satisfying case."--Kirkus Reviews
"The author, a practicing forensic psychiatrist, uses his extensive knowledge of mental illness and violence to lend authenticity to Compulsion, weaving a suspenseful mystery around riveting insights into the criminal mind. An engrossing thriller that belongs on your summer reading list"-Bookpage
"Action nimbly shifts from gritty urban Boston to window-dressed Nantucket, and the people and politics are realistically portrayed, including the ballsy but deeply flawed protagonist...this one scores as a great psychological mind-bender."--Publishers Weekly
Review
"Keith Ablow has become king of the psychological thriller. He writes like a man possessed."
--Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River and Darkness, Take My Hand
"Deftly, with driving prose, Ablow portrays the horror and bleakness of damaged lives." -Jonathan Kellerman, author of The Clinic.
"Ablow has written the prescription for terror." -Michael Palmer, author of Critical Judgement
Synopsis
Dr. Frank Clevenger, a brilliant forensic psychiatrist, is eager to leave the world of the criminally insane behind-until he receives a chilling phone call. Close friend and former colleague North Anderson, now the Chief of Police on the exclusive island of Nantucket, is desperate for help in solving a shocking case: One of the infant twin daughters of billionaire Darwin Bishop has been murdered in her crib at the family's estate. The suspected killer is her adopted brother Billy, and investigators believe that the fugitive teenager has targeted the surviving twin.
But as Clevenger maps the Bishop family's psychological layers he uncovers some disturbing revelations that lead him to believe Billy may be innocent. The Bishops are a deeply troubled family. As charming as he is ambitious and cruel, Darwin seems determined to protect his son-but is he actually trying to railroad him? Why does Garret, Bishop's other son, despise his father so intensely? Is beautiful Julia Bishop a mother grieving for her murdered child or a manipulative seductress with a dark secret to hide?
As Clevenger fights to protect the innocent and hunt down the guilty, aspects of the case begin to collide with demons from his own past. After a life-threatening attack the forensic psychiatrist knows he must penetrate the killer's psychosis in order to identify him before the Bishop family-and Clevenger himself-become the next victims. Using his mastery of psychiatry, Clevenger lays a trap to reveal the murderer in an unforgettable finale.
Synopsis
Forensic psychiatrist Keith Ablow exposes the psychology of evil in an unforgettable novel about a horrific crime.
Synopsis
In the tradition of Kathy Reichs and Jonathan Kellerman, forensic psychiatrist Keith Ablow exposes the psychology of evil in an unforgettable novel about a horrific crime.
Dr. Frank Clevenger, a brilliant forensic psychiatrist, is eager to leave the world of the criminally insane behind - until he receive a chilling call. Close friend and former colleague Detective North Anderson, now the Chief of Police on the exclusive island of Nantucket, is desperate for help in solving a chilling murder: one of the infant twin daughters of billionaire Darwin Bishop has been murdered in her crib at the family's estate. The suspected killer is her adopted teenage brother, Billy. As Clevenger becomes convinced that Billy, now a fugitive, may be innocent, it becomes clear that the killer is circling another victim - the remaining twin. Using his mastery of psychiatry, Clevenger lays a trap to reveal the killer in an unforgettable finale.
Synopsis
Burdened by his own psychological scars, brilliant forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Frank Clevenger, has weathered the most extreme twists of the human mind. Then he receives a disturbing call from Nantucket's Chief of Police. The five-month-old daughter of prominent billionaire, Darwin Bishop, has been found murdered in her crib.
The obvious suspect is Darwin's adopted sociopathic son, Billy. Even Clevenger can't fathom the motive behind the troubled boy's murder of an infant. But what is Billy really running from? Does Darwin's stunning wife Julia know? If she does, she isn't talking. Neither is the Bishop's other son who's harboring terrible secrets of his own.
Falling for Julia is Clevenger's first mistake. Investigating the Bishops' twisted emotional landscape is his second. It's done more than just draw him into the maze of a psychosexual family history. It's trapped him. As his own demons rise to the surface, he must play the ultimate mind game to catch a killer-and make it out alive...
About the Author
Like his protagonist,
Keith Ablow is a forensic psychiatrist. He has written two other Frank Clevenger novels,
Denial and
Projection, and lives in Massachusetts.