Rating: 
Summary: Ho-Hum
Review: Tried to get interested but I find the character of Alan Gregory just a bore. There are some fine sequences in this book but I felt like I was reading one of those parlor mysteries where the ramblings of the main characters were more important than the mystery itself. When the villian is revealed at the end I found myself not buying it. Maybe because of the lack of real character development or the lack of empathy for Alan Gregory. This is the third Alan Gregory novel by Stephen White that I have read and this time I have asked myself 'is that all there is? I think that this series is worth the effort to read but I warn you not to start with this entry. You may be put off and ignore others from this author which are very good reads. Also be aware that some books of the series shift the main character emphasis from Alan Gregory to Lauren Crowder, his girl firend/wife.
Rating: 
Summary: Alan Gregory Solves Another Tough One
Review: Well, as far as I'm concerned, Stephen White has done it again. He has provided me with another enjoyable and plausible whodunnit with just the right mix of psychological tension and everyday police work. This is also a sad story because Alan happens to lose a man he considers his friend. What makes it worse, is that the friend he loses happens to be his next door neighbor and the husband of another friend, Urologist Adrienne Arvin. Peter Arvin has been in several of the other Alan Gregory novels but this will obviously be his last. His murder is not an isolated one but rather, one that is part of a series. Or is it? Stephen White provides the reader with additional history on Peter and background that explains many things, especially the relationship he has with his wife. If ever a pair appeared mismatched, Peter and Adrienne were. She is a successful urologist but also outgoing and sarcastic in an east coast sort of way. Peter is more introverted and a very gifted carpenter, almost more artist than craftsman. Now that is all over. Behind him Peter leaves his wife, who to be honest, doesn't appear to be overly aggrieved by Peter's murder. He also leaves an infant son. White introduces us to the Arvin's au pair, Lisa who is more than she appears to be. However, Alan Gregory and the reader do not find out the whole truth until much later but Lisa plays a very significant role and is more than a nanny to young Jonas Arvin. Throughout the book, Lauren Crowder, Alan's new wife continues to support him and serve as a sounding board for his psychological theories. She also shows an uncanny knack for playing the sexual tease just when Alan needs that outlet most. White does a nice job of writing about the Gregorys who, we find out at the beginning of this book are just married. That took me by surprise but then again, that's what you get for reading the books in this series out of order. I enjoyed this book as much as the others in the series and from here I head off to read CRITICAL CONDITIONS. I 'm looking forward to more time with Alan, Lauren, Sam Purdy, Adrienne, little Jonas and the dog, Emily.
Rating:
Summary: Alan Gregory Solves Another Tough One
Review: Well, as far as I'm concerned, Stephen White has done it again. He has provided me with another enjoyable and plausible whodunnit with just the right mix of psychological tension and everyday police work. This is also a sad story because Alan happens to lose a man he considers his friend. What makes it worse, is that the friend he loses happens to be his next door neighbor and the husband of another friend, Urologist Adrienne Arvin. Peter Arvin has been in several of the other Alan Gregory novels but this will obviously be his last. His murder is not an isolated one but rather, one that is part of a series. Or is it? Stephen White provides the reader with additional history on Peter and background that explains many things, especially the relationship he has with his wife. If ever a pair appeared mismatched, Peter and Adrienne were. She is a successful urologist but also outgoing and sarcastic in an east coast sort of way. Peter is more introverted and a very gifted carpenter, almost more artist than craftsman. Now that is all over. Behind him Peter leaves his wife, who to be honest, doesn't appear to be overly aggrieved by Peter's murder. He also leaves an infant son. White introduces us to the Arvin's au pair, Lisa who is more than she appears to be. However, Alan Gregory and the reader do not find out the whole truth until much later but Lisa plays a very significant role and is more than a nanny to young Jonas Arvin. Throughout the book, Lauren Crowder, Alan's new wife continues to support him and serve as a sounding board for his psychological theories. She also shows an uncanny knack for playing the sexual tease just when Alan needs that outlet most. White does a nice job of writing about the Gregorys who, we find out at the beginning of this book are just married. That took me by surprise but then again, that's what you get for reading the books in this series out of order. I enjoyed this book as much as the others in the series and from here I head off to read CRITICAL CONDITIONS. I 'm looking forward to more time with Alan, Lauren, Sam Purdy, Adrienne, little Jonas and the dog, Emily.
Rating: 
Summary: Gregory's back, and still being ignored.
Review: [...] Having read enough cozies in my life to still be able to count them on one hand, I have come to the probably erroneous conclusion that the main difference between the cozy mystery and the hard-boiled detective novel is that the investigator in the cozy is never in quite as much immediate physical danger as is the hard-boiled chap. Even if the chap in question isn't too hard-boiled. Such is the case with Boulder, CO psychiatrist Alan Gregory, the hero of Stephen White's open-ended series of mystery/thrillers. regory spends his time getting shot at, beaten about the head, henpecked, and otherwise threatened by a bevy of adversaries and never enjoying it much. The best kind of detective-- an amateur who gets too wrapped up in his cases. In this case, it's hard to avoid. The victim is Gregory's next door neighbor, a woodcraftsman who was designing sets for a theatre production in town. The murder is similar in some ways to a previous murder in Denver, and so the local police start thinking "serial killer." Gregory's PD pal Sam Purdy hires him on as an amateur profiler, and away we go. Stephen White is a solid writer of thrillers, easily as good as any of the A-list names working in the genre today. His lack of widespread readership continues to baffle me. Harm's Way is of a piece with the rest of the Alan Gregory novels, and comes just as highly recommended from this camp. *** 1/2
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