Rating: 
Summary: Taut Suspense
Review: (Originally submitted 3/18/01)Kirsten Lord was a New Orleans District Attorney before the murder of her husband by a vindictive defendant forced her and her daughter into the federal Witness Protection Program. Transplanted to Boulder, Colorado, with a new identity, her only friend and unlikely ally is a former hit man for the Mob who is also in the Program. Dr. Alan Gregory is a Boulder psychologist appointed by the Program to work with both of them, and it is to Dr. Gregory that Kirsten turns when it becomes apparent that her new identity has been compromised. There is evidence that someone inside the Marshals Service may be feeding information about her to the people looking for her, but there is evidence also that more than one set of thugs has it in for Kirsten Lord. There are many layers to this richly structured story, including a Death Row inmate who might be innocent, a Miami drug lord, bad cops, and rogue U. S. Marshals. I have come to anticipate each new Dr. Gregory novel and this one (with the possible exception of the soap opera-like names) is exceptional.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Psychological Thriller
Review: A Boulder, CO Psychologist is given the job to help a woman who's husband has been murdered by a criminal she sent to jail. Who left the very clear threat "For every precious thing I lose, you lose two." Being a clinical Psychologist Stephen White described everything in the psychological process excellently. His writing is clear and understandable, not to mention enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery/thrillers.
Rating:
Summary: A CAN'T PUT DOWN MULTI-LAYERED STORY
Review: A frightening multi-layered story, The Program introduces a new protagonist for Stephen White - New Orleans District Attorney Kirsten Lord. After Kirsten's husband is murdered by a hired gun, she soon discovers that her own life and that of her nine-year-old daughter's is threatened. Feeling she has no other valid choice she seeks safety in Boulder, Colorado under the Witness Protection Program. However, once in the program she meets another who is being protected, Carl Luppo. He is a lone mob hit man very much, she suspects, like the man who killed her husband. Sensing her danger, Luppo befriends Kirsten; he appoints himself her guardian. But, he is he truly knight errant or persecutor? Kirsten's chaotic life is in stark contrast to the relative tranquility enjoyed by Alan Gregory, a psychological consultant to the Protection Program and his wife who are preparing for the birth of their first child. There's both darkness and light in this suspenseful tale as it reveals the internal workings of the Witness Protection Program and the emotional toll it takes on those who have sought safety. It's a taut, finely paced drama for thriller afficionados. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A CAN'T PUT DOWN MULTI-LAYERED STORY
Review: A frightening multi-layered story, The Program introduces a new protagonist for Stephen White - New Orleans District Attorney Kirsten Lord. After Kirsten's husband is murdered by a hired gun, she soon discovers that her own life and that of her nine-year-old daughter's is threatened. Feeling she has no other valid choice she seeks safety for them in Boulder, Colorado under the Witness Protection Program. However, once in the program she meets another who is being protected, Carl Luppo. He is a lone mob hit man very much, she suspects, like the man who killed her husband. Sensing her danger, Luppo befriends Kirsten; he appoints himself her guardian. But, he is he truly knight errant or persecutor? Kirsten's chaotic life is in stark contrast to the relative tranquility enjoyed by Alan Gregory, a psychological consultant to the Protection Program and his wife who are preparing for the birth of their first child. There's both darkness and light in this suspenseful tale as it reveals the internal workings of the Witness Protection Program and the emotional toll it takes on those who have sought safety. It's a taut, finely paced drama for thriller afficionados. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A CAN'T PUT DOWN MULTI-LAYERED STORY
Review: A frightening multi-layered story, The Program introduces a new protagonist for Stephen White - New Orleans District Attorney Kirsten Lord. After Kirsten's husband is murdered by a hired gun, she soon discovers that her own life and that of her nine-year-old daughter's is threatened. Feeling she has no other valid choice she seeks safety for them in Boulder, Colorado under the Witness Protection Program. However, once in the program she meets another who is being protected, Carl Luppo. He is a lone mob hit man very much, she suspects, like the man who killed her husband. Sensing her danger, Luppo befriends Kirsten; he appoints himself her guardian. But, he is he truly knight errant or persecutor? Kirsten's chaotic life is in stark contrast to the relative tranquility enjoyed by Alan Gregory, a psychological consultant to the Protection Program and his wife who are preparing for the birth of their first child. There's both darkness and light in this suspenseful tale as it reveals the internal workings of the Witness Protection Program and the emotional toll it takes on those who have sought safety. It's a taut, finely paced drama for thriller afficionados. - Gail Cooke
Rating: 
Summary: good whale/bad whale
Review: a harrowing damsel in distress thriller with an inside look at the problems with implementing and living within the witness protection program. dr. alan gregory, the sensitive nineties kind of guy therapist who is the protagonist of this series, plays a relatively minor and uncharacteristic role in this installment: he is called upon to act out his macho side. well above average.
Rating:
Summary: Another clever and well-balanced mystery from White
Review: Alan Gregory is my favorite of the shrink detectives out there. I find his mental explorations refreshingly free from tabloid science, and while he certainly deals with the extremes in human nature it still stays in the believable range. _The Program_ is an excellent series entry and a little bit of a change via its alternating narrators. (Alternating narrators are almost universally done poorly in mystery novels-- this is the well-done exception to the rule.) Points off for some unnecessary plot convolution near the end, but overall great characters and worth the time to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Get with the program
Review: Although this is the ninth in a series featuring psychologist Alan Gregory, in this book Alan plays a minor role. The central character is Kirsten Lord, a former prosecuting attorney whose life was threatened by a drug dealer she convicted. The murder of Kirsten's husband and threats to her daughter lead Kirsten to seek refuge in the Witness Security Program, which refers her to Alan's care to help her make the transition to her new life. Kirsten still fears that the jailed drug lord will find her, and isn't sure who she can trust given her past outspoken criticism of the WITSEC Program. It turns out her fears are well-founded and only the tip of the iceberg. The plot generally follows her efforts to determine who is after her and to elude her would-be captors, leading to an exciting conclusion. I wanted to like this book more than I did. It seemed to me that the author missed opportunities to develop some interesting themes apparently inspired by his work as a clinical psychologist. For example, Kirsten describes her memories as whales surfacing from deep under water. This is an interesting metaphor, but rather than showing us the impact of these unexpected memories on Kirsten, the author simply has her classify them as "beluga" or "killer whale." This suggests a certain immaturity on Kirsten's part, or can it be that the author just isn't that good at portraying his characters' inner lives? In her sessions with Alan, Kirsten becomes increasingly aware of her tendency to play the role of a damsel-in-distress. The attention to the protagonist's psychological makeup led me to believe that the resolution to the story would hinge on her becoming more mature and independent; however, the author provides Kirsten with a knight in shining armor in the form of Carl Luppo, former mobster and current WITSEC star. An epilogue suggests that Kirsten experiences some growth but it seems to be the result of the successful conclusion of her adventure rather than integral to the story. The author's choices in how to develop - or not develop - the psychological themes he raises keep the book a light, pleasant read rather than something more substantial.
Rating:
Summary: Another 5 * s for Stephen White
Review: Assistant DA Kirsten Lord is on the run along with her eight year old daughter. After Ernesto Castro,s drug dealing conviction, he threatens her saying, "For everything I lose, you will lose twice." When Kirsten's husband is shot down by a professional hit man in front of her, she and Amy change their names and leave town thinking they can relocate with the support of friends in her state but without any real protection. When Amy is nearly kidnapped, she asks for help from the Federal Witness Security Program (WITSEC) The story line continues to develop as the reader learns that Kirsten has been a vocal and successful critic of the program and there are many federal agents who do not think she deserves their protection whatever the danger to her and her child. As she joins the program and is relocated to Boulder, Colorado, she requests the help of a psychologist to help her deal with all the trauma that she is dealing with. The psychologist is Dr. Alan Gregory, and old friend from Stephen White's previous books. Dr. Gregory is also treating a second member of the WITSEC program...a mob hit man named Carl Luppo. Carl and Kirsten meet as the suspense grows and Kirsten realizes that she knows someone wants to kill her, but that she cannot determine by herself if it is Ernesto Castro, someone within the WITSEC program, or a third party from an old case that she had prosecuted. The book is worth reading to find out who all the characters are and whether or not they are the bad guys with the intent to kill. Incidentally Dr. Gregory's wife, Laura, an Assistant DA herself, gets involved with helping solve the mystery even though she is nearly ready to have the baby that she and Alan were waiting for in an earlier book. The old neighbor Adreinne is still next door as well even though she plays only a very minor role. The book is a page turner worth reading and Stephen White is an author I will look for again.
Rating:
Summary: THE PROGRAM - Escape from the frying pan into the fire
Review: Being on the run from danger - with no safe place to hide - is a nightmare come true for former prosecutor Kristen Lord and her young daughter. Even the Witness Protection Program provides no shelter from those that are trying to find and kill her. Kristen has made allot of bitter enemies in her career as a prosecutor. Some are hardened criminals seeking revenge; and others are federal agents that she has been openly critical of for their failures and hypocrisy. Kristen's journey to protect herself and her daughter starts when her husband is gunned down in front of her on the streets of New Orleans. It is a professional hit with a message that more violence will strike her. She initially flees on her own accord, only to narrowly escape being tracked down by those seeking lethal revenge. She reluctantly goes into the Witness Protection Program and finds that the good guys don't care much for her either. In an ironic twist, Kristen befriends a fellow protectee, a former mobster and hit man, who takes a strong interest in shielding Kristen and her daughter from the malicious powers inside and out of the Witness Protection Program. A hit man protecting against intruding hit men makes for an interesting plot and dialog between the former prosecutor and the former murderer. The best man in Kristen's life becomes a man with a shady past and allot of notches in his belt. But they become good friends, with her daughter even calling the capo "Uncle." With multiple forces trying to break Kristen's cover and kill her, the pace of this thriller is fast and furious. All secret roads lead to a tense and explosive ending. THE PROGRAM is a fantastic read, with a somewhat dark-humor look at good and evil. The difference between right and wrong get cleverly blurred in this one. And the nightmare of running for safety hits a cord in the pit of your stomach. Few works of fiction can match the psychological, visceral and adrenaline rush of THE PROGRAM.
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