Compulsion : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Did Keith Ablow, M.D. Really write this book?
Review: The concept of this book is compelling, but the identity
of the killer is much too easy to deduct. The motivations
are at times unbelieveable and key points are hurried over
to make a point. Is it really possible for these women
to fall in love so easily and completely? Also, there
are some medical howlers that a first year nursing student
wouldn't make; on the other hand, some paragraphs on cranial
anatomy was either written by a physician or copied from
an anatomy book. Medications used are irrational: no
physician would give Motrin to a victim of a stab wound
even if the patient were an ex-addict. I could go on and
on, but the whole thing smacks of a hack job with a few
quick additions by the purported author.

Rating:
Summary: Compulsion - a decent read
Review: This book came highly recommended and I did enjoy the overall story,although the characters were generally not too likable. This was my first Keith Ablow story, and the primary character, Frank Clevenger, was a bit of a disappointment. He is too simply drawn, and he has an annoying "inner voice" that I found too contrived. The character of Billy was very well drawn, and I wish the author had spent more time focusing on him and his troubles than on the overly-hyped Julia and her nasty husband. The setting of Nantucket and Boston made me miss my days in Beantown. Overall, this was a decent thriller that had a disappointing ending visible from halfway through the story.

Rating:
Summary: Tries too hard
Review: This book could have been shortened by at least 40 pages. It tries too hard to throw out red herrings and pushes suspects too vividly until the reader KNOWS they won't end up being the killer.
The main characters are ordinary except for the doctor who doesn't act accordingly and is entirely unprofessional to the point of being overdrawn.
You don't end up caring about any of the characters and when the book ends you are ready to go take your laundry out of the dryer.

Rating:
Summary: Tries too hard
Review: This book could have been shortened by at least 40 pages. It tries too hard to throw out red herrings and pushes suspects too vividly until the reader KNOWS they won't end up being the killer.
The main characters are ordinary except for the doctor who doesn't act accordingly and is entirely unprofessional to the point of being overdrawn.
You don't end up caring about any of the characters and when the book ends you are ready to go take your laundry out of the dryer.

Rating:
Summary: A predictable plot that serves Ablow's delusional fantasies
Review: This is the 3rd book I've read by this author and it will be the last. Although some of the character development is intriguing, Ablow makes careless errors (the victim begins as a five month old baby and changes to a three month old midway through the book, and the father invests in Acribat (?) Software). Clevenger is a thinly veiled portrayal of the author who apparently fancies himself irrestible to gorgeous women despite his many character flaws.

I lost interest in the plot halfway through the book and Clevenger's lack of professionalism is serious distraction to the story.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read
Review: This is the first book I have read by this author. If you like the medical thriller genre, then you should pick up this book.
The main character is a psychiatrist with his share of flaws. The mystery itself was not all that great, but the writing style is very enjoyable, and you find yourself wanting to read more by Keith Ablow. Already, I have started reading Psychopath and look forward to reading all of them.

Rating:
Summary: Compulsion became an obsession.
Review: This was the first Keith Ablow book I read, but it won't be the last. The author was always one step ahead of me and the twists and turns were never predictable to me--a thriller!