Privileged Conversation

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding. Highly Recommended
Review: I am not an avid reader of "fiction" and typically quit reading these books after a few chapters as they soon strike me as unbelievable. I especially avoid so called "psychological thrillers" and in particular those dealing with serial killers --and in part that has to do with a period of my career when, as an expert in the neurosciences, I had dealings with such individuals, including stalkers, serial rapists, murderers, the criminally insane etc. This book surprised me. I loved it. It was incredibly believable. The plot terrific. The characters deep and complex. This is an outstanding "psychological thriller." I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding. Highly Recommended
Review: I am not an avid reader of "fiction" and typically quit reading these books after a few chapters as they soon strike me as unbelievable. I especially avoid so called "psychological thrillers" and in particular those dealing with serial killers --and in part that has to do with a period of my career when, as an expert in the neurosciences, I had dealings with such individuals, including stalkers, serial rapists, murderers, the criminally insane etc. This book surprised me. I loved it. It was incredibly believable. The plot terrific. The characters deep and complex. This is an outstanding "psychological thriller." I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A quick read
Review: I enjoy the Ed McBain books so I thought I'd try an Even Hunter and I was not disappointed. I read it in two days. Very good book

Rating:
Summary: This erotic mystery is neither.
Review: I have not heard the cassette, nor can I tell from the on-line listing if it is abridged. My personal bias: I never expect an abridged version to be superior to the unabridged. My comments on the paperback: this book's jacket lauds its erotic nature, its subtle twists and turns, and its comparability to Hitchcock's best work. Though the writer is clearly competent, it fails to deliver as advertised. The protagonist's travails will titillate only if one finds self-doubt and spineless anxiety arousing. The reader is drawn into the protagonist's concerns for his marriage, his professionalism, and his affair, but that makes the author's treatment of him (and the supporting characters) all the more contemptuous. I blame the editor and publisher as well -- I believe this manuscript would have been rejected had the author not had such a distinguished pedigree as the author of the Ed McBain novels. This added to my personal disappointment -- I'd hoped this would begin a happy foray into a new author's bibliography. I believe a mystery author has a pact with the reader: the story will be reasonably logical, and the solution(s) will fit the facts available. In Privileged Conversation, Evan Hunter fails to honor this contract. I will not give away the plot -- but I will say I have never felt so disrespected (abused may be more appropriate) by an author in 44 years as a book-lover

Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable read
Review: I thought this was a very good book. To me, the story line was believable; the characters interesting and credible. I must confess I felt a certain amount of contempt for Dr. David Chapman, the psychologist/protagonist, because of the way he handled his personal affairs, but to me it certainly didn't make the story line any less interesting. I found Kate's recurring compulsion credible and very well supported, and I thought Hunter was also trying to suggest an interesting parallelism between Chapman and Kate, and Chapman and his two daughters. Also I thought the erotic parts were very, very hot

Rating:
Summary: What is the motivation?
Review: Plot in a nutshell: Dr. David Chapman has an affair with Kate the dancer. A stalker begins to stalk Kate. Problems from Kate's past continue to haunt her. David tries to help Kate. Stalker, affair, and Kate's past all meet in the end.

I think I understand the point Hunter was trying to make, but, just like in his novel Criminal Conversation, he fails to adequately portray the emotions involved in an affair. He leaves many unanswered questions. David appears to be in a good marriage with wife Helen, but Hunter shows no guilt on David's part. He shows David wanting to stop the affair because it is inherently wrong, not because he still loves his wife.

I think the ending somewhat explains why we are never made to fill sorry for Helen or angry at David for having the affair. Still, the ease at which a man can fall into an affair and then begin to lie about it while still supposedly loving his wife makes this book less than it could be.

The ending of the book also makes you think differently about some of the actions of the characters. David could have done a lot of things to change the fate of some of the characters and to make his fate more enjoyable.

This book is short and easy to read. Its not that bad if you are interested in the affair/sex/stalker genre.

Rating:
Summary: What is the motivation?
Review: Plot in a nutshell: Dr. David Chapman has an affair with Kate the dancer. A stalker begins to stalk Kate. Problems from Kate's past continue to haunt her. David tries to help Kate. Stalker, affair, and Kate's past all meet in the end.

I think I understand the point Hunter was trying to make, but, just like in his novel Criminal Conversation, he fails to adequately portray the emotions involved in an affair. He leaves many unanswered questions. David appears to be in a good marriage with wife Helen, but Hunter shows no guilt on David's part. He shows David wanting to stop the affair because it is inherently wrong, not because he still loves his wife.

I think the ending somewhat explains why we are never made to fill sorry for Helen or angry at David for having the affair. Still, the ease at which a man can fall into an affair and then begin to lie about it while still supposedly loving his wife makes this book less than it could be.

The ending of the book also makes you think differently about some of the actions of the characters. David could have done a lot of things to change the fate of some of the characters and to make his fate more enjoyable.

This book is short and easy to read. Its not that bad if you are interested in the affair/sex/stalker genre.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is very Hitchcock-like, and is a well written novel with good characters, a fast-moving plot and an ending sure to surprise. Evan Hunter shows that when writing under his own name or writing as Ed McBain that he is one of the premier storytellers we have today, in any field!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is very Hitchcock-like, and is a well written novel with good characters, a fast-moving plot and an ending sure to surprise. Evan Hunter shows that when writing under his own name or writing as Ed McBain that he is one of the premier storytellers we have today, in any field!

Rating:
Summary: This erotic mystery is neither.
Review: This book's jacket lauds its erotic nature, its subtle twists and turns, and its comparability to Hitchcock's best work. Though the writer is clearly competent, it fails to deliver as advertised. The protagonist's travails will titillate only if one finds self-doubt and spineless anxiety arousing. The reader is drawn into the protagonist's concerns for his marriage, his professionalism, and his affair, but that makes the author's treatment of him (and the supporting characters) all the more contemptuous. I blame the editor and publisher as well -- I believe this manuscript would have been rejected had the author not had such a distinguished pedigree as the author of the Ed McBain novels. This added to my personal disappointment -- I'd hoped this would begin a happy foray into a new author's bibliography. I believe a mystery author has a pact with the reader: the story will be reasonably logical, and the solution(s) will fit the facts available. In Privileged Conversation, Evan Hunter fails to honor this contract. I will not give away the plot -- but I will say I have never felt so disrespected (abused may be more appropriate) by an author in 44 years as a book-lover