Line of Fire by Stephen White

[while posting this review, I think I've noticed a first. This is the first book reviewed by all 3 principles here at MRB, so take a look at each entry in our archives.]

 Fire season is still in full swing outside of Boulder, Colorado. Psychotherapist Alan Gregory, his ADA wife Lauren, and kids have to be vigilant for evacuation calls.

Alan is buds with Sam Purdy (wasn’t that the name of a cop in the movie In The Heat Of The Night?). In the previous installment of this series, it looks like Sam protected Alan’s family by staging a suicide of a perp who had been threatening Alan’s children in a rental house outside of Boulder in the next county. Alan knew about what Sam did and both are doing their damn best at watching out for anyone asking the wrong questions.

A couple other loose threads from the prior book pop up. One has just been released from jail and is looking for a place to rent and inquires about the house where the ‘suicide’ took place. Another isn’t as obvious. A woman makes an appointment with Gregory and after a number of sessions, sure seems to be a woman who may or may not be having an affair with the husband of Alan’s partner, Diane.

Then word gets out that an autistic child who lives near the suicide house has information about who went in/out the night of the death. The DA of that county contacts the Boulder DA who drops the case in Lauren’s lap.

Now Sam and Alan are fixated on what will come out and when. Lauren knows nothing about what happened and investigates as normal. Alan’s partner Diane is flipping out and a new fire has blossomed up in the canyon just over the ridge from where family Gregory live.

This is my first book by Stephen White (a practicing clinical psychologist). Alan and Sam and the main characters and Hunter’s presentation of the friendship seems pretty real and genuine. The developments of the 2 plots (the ‘suicide’ and the affair) are carefully revealed and the scene where they intersect, well I’d be lying if I said I didn’t gasped when they did.  Kind of sorry I didn’t start this series at the beginning as that might be wise course if these seem interesting.

East Coast Don

 

Line of Fire by Stephen White

I’m an avid reader of crime novels and international thrillers, which is a significant difference from being a writer of such books, so I approach this review with some caution and a mountain of respect. The 20-volume Stephen White series about protagonist Alan Gregory has been a good volume of work, sometimes allowing White to slip into my power rotation of authors and other times remaining on the cusp of being there. We at Men Reading Books have read all of his stories, and have reviewed about half of them. As noted in my last review, his characters have been fully fleshed out, and White apparently agrees since he’s announced this is the penultimate novel in the series.

What you do to bring such a long body of stories to a fitting conclusion? What would you do to try to be fair to your beloved characters and tie together so many story lines that have been evolving in progressively more complex directions? That certainly seemed to be the intent of the author with this book. As usual, White’s writing was strongest and most compelling as he wrote about doctor-patient relationships between psychotherapist and client, transference and countertransference issues in ethically-challenging circumstances. Gregory was weakest in trying to pull together so many plot lines in too neat a package.

This is far from being a stand-alone novel. One would not pick this book up as the first in the series. Rather, you should only dive into this book if you are intimately familiar with the gradual character development over the last 15 years. I was still pretty hooked on the story until about the 75% part, and then the believability factor simply went away at the same time the complexity of the plot expanded. Furthermore, the resolution was not a surprise.

I’m so disappointed that I’m not motivated to quickly pick up the final book in the series, and I know that those of us who have been steady fans is exactly who White is writing for. Maybe I’ll get there, but my queue of waiting books will have to get pretty thin to make me pick up that last Alan Gregory novel.

Remote Control by Stephen White

Let me define “airplane book:” a book that is entertaining enough to occupy your time for a cross country flight, but not one that is so gripping that it would interfere with a nap, or even break your heart if the flight ended and you left it in the seatback pocket when you deplaned. Remote Control by Stephen White is just such a book. Alan Gregory’s wife, Lauren Crowder, a deputy Dr. Alvarez who is losing her vision to multiple sclerosis, has fired her gun in the midst of a snowstorm in Boulder, Colorado. A gravely wounded man is found a distance away, and she is arrested for what may become a capital crime. Alan’s good friend, detective Sam Purdy, can’t be the lead investigator because of his relationship with the perp who has become persona non grata with the Boulder PD. Meanwhile, White develops a subplot about Emma Spire, the daughter of a world renown politician who was assassinated because of his pro-choice stance. Emma was caught on video as she cradled her father as he died from his wounds. She is a sort of Caroline Kennedy type, well-poised, loved by most, and a tabloid sensation to everyone. A few years after the assassination, Emma decided to go to law school, became an intern at Lauren’s firm, and this ultimately lonely woman has been befriended by Lauren. Emma’s privacy is being threatened in the most intimate way possible and the shooting had to do with Lauren’s attempt to defend her friend. The story moved along quite well until the extraordinarily convoluted ending. This story did not live up to the other books I’ve read by this author, who I’ve already identified as being a possible member of my power rotation of authors. One average read won’t turn me away from more of his novels.

Critical Conditions by Stephen White (an Alan Gregory Novel)

This is my second Stephen White novel and at least the fifth one reviewed in the blog. Midwest Dave has already been a long time fan of this author, and now I’m fully on board with that. Alan Gregory, a clinical psychologist, and his pal detective Sam Purdy team up to solve another murder mystery. White has a talent for creating a cast of compelling cast characters who repeat and evolve from one book to the next, while mixing his stories with new persons that are specific to the current story. In Critical Conditions, the reader is forced to accept a couple remarkable coincidences in terms of who knows whom, but that was not too much for me to swallow, and I kept reading. After all, Boulder, Colorado, where much of the story takes place is a small town, and therein lined much of the unfolding drama amongst the characters.

Little Chaney Trent is dying of a viral cardiopathy, and the only treatment, while promising, is not proven. The managed care company has denied payment for “experimental” treatment which would mean flying her to Seattle where a couple of doctors have developed the new treatment protocol, which probably involves a heart transplant. But, there are no guarantees that even if Chaney’s parents could raise the money, that the treatment would work. Meanwhile, Dr. Ed Robilio, the owner and CEO of MedExcel insurance company lives and works right in the Boulder. And, Ed suddenly winds up dead, shot twice in his own home, and Chaney’s 15-year-old sister is found with lots of evidence suggesting she did it.

There are multiple plot changes which I did not see coming and White kept me guessing until the end. And, this brief review is not doing justice to the rich subplots. I may be moving Stephen White into my power rotation of authors, so I’m ready to take a look at his next book in the series. Unfortunately, Kindle does not have all of his early books, so I’ll grab the earliest one I can, Remote Control.

Compound Fracture by Stephen White

Compound Fractures is Stephen White’s final book in a series that has spanned decades. Lead characters, the intellectual, reserved and physically fit psychologist, Dr. Alan Gregory and the overweight, red neck, hockey loving, Boulder police detective, Sam Purdy are unlikely best friends throughout.  In this final work in the saga, that relationship as well as nearly every close relationship in Alan’s life is scrutinized… real or fake, loyal or betrayed?

In White’s previous book, Line of Fire, Alan witnesses his wife, Lauren being murdered by his dear friend and colleague, Dr. Diane Estevez.  In the months that follow Alan’s world unravels.  Now he must grieve the loss of his wife, ponder the complexities of why his colleague did this, and defend himself from the DA’s unwarranted suspicions.  Even though Alan witnessed his colleague shooting his wife, Diane is not arrested.  Alan suspects Diane’s politically powerful husband, Raoul is spending some political capital to avoid her incarceration. Meanwhile, Alan has a patient that is ‘working’ her way through college by acting as mistress to wealthy clients.  He discovers her most regular client is Raoul.  Professional ethics prevent him from sharing this with authorities.

Elliot Bellhaven, the Boulder District Attorney and Lauren’s former colleague has ambitions for higher public office.  Paranoia envelops Alan when he discovers Elliot is investigating him. Is he after Alan for Lauren’s murder or for Alan’s involvement in a murder his friend, Sam committed in another county some years earlier?  Can Sam be trusted?  Is he the one behind Elliot’s inquiry of Alan?  Or is Elliot threatened by an old crime Sam is investigating that may implicate Elliot?

   

In the midst of all this, Alan learns that Lauren had not been totally faithful to him.  Ironically, the extraordinary psychologist is himself in need of the healing he has administered for decades.  He finds himself on the brink of emotional collapse not knowing who he can trust or if anyone is truly trust worthy.

And so we say farewell to Dr. Alan Gregory and Sam Purdy who had become Stephen White’s life-long venture.  I’ve read and enjoyed every one of his books going back to the 1980’s.  Interestingly, one of my blogger buddies, West Coast Don has recently dipped his toe in the water of one of White’s earlier works.  This is truly the best way to experience White’s talent.  Buckle in and enjoy a deeply satisfying ride.

Privileged Information by Stephen White

I’m on a streak of finding well-seasoned prolific authors that I have not known about, and thanks goes to friend Mark Rogers for this excellent psychological thriller/crime novel. Stephen White has written 20 novels and this is the first of the Alan Gregory series, a clinical psychologist. There are lots of similarities in this novel to the work of Jonathan Kellerman, a comparison which is a favorable one for me. As a psychiatrist/psychoanalyst, I found Privileged Information to be better than most such novels which, among other things, explore the sexual boundaries of doctors and patients. Although Gregory is accused of doing so, in this story, the doctor does not sleep with his patients. Rather, White works a clear understanding of transference into the story and explains how that plays out with his patients and their fantasies. How does a doctor deal with false charges while still honoring a patient’s right to confidentiality? Of course, death does not change a patient’s right to confidentiality.

The book starts with Gregory being informed by a police detective of the apparent suicide of one of his patients, a death which greatly surprises him. Then, more of his patients die, and he struggles to understand the connections between those events. The character development and the unfolding of the plot are very well done. This is an old book, written in 1991, and since it is the first of the series, I guessing that I have lots of good stories to look forward to. I literally did not put this one down, finished it in less than a day. I’ll immediately acquire another one of his books and put it in the "to be read" stack.

Line of Fire by Stephen White

Stephen White was in my power rotation long before I knew the term ‘power rotation.’  But somewhere along the line his tales became tired. He seemed to be trying too hard to create new adventures for his Boulder, CO based main characters clinical psychologist, Dr. Alan Gregory, and police detective, Sam Purdy…a formula gone stale.  Then like an NBA star in the last two minutes of the Championship Game, White comes through to score with his most provocative Gregory/ Purdy based thriller yet, Line of Fire.

Alan Gregory has practiced clinical psychology for years and lives with his Assistant DA wife, Lauren in a secluded scenic setting on the outskirts of Boulder.  They have a young daughter and have adopted a preteen boy who was the son of their neighbor killed in an accident while traveling in Israel.  Sam Purdy, a Boulder County detective is Alan’s best friend.  Alan has shared both professional and personal crisis with Sam and they share one profoundly dangerous secret.  In a previous story, Sam had murdered a woman in the adjacent county that was threatening to harm Sam’s and Alan’s families then staged the death scene to look like a suicide.  Though they rarely discuss the event, they are each constantly rationalizing the woman’s death and live in fear that new evidence will be discovered to implicate Sam’s involvement and Alan’s knowledge and subsequent cover up of the crime.

Line of Fire opens with Sam asking Alan to help identify a hospital patient who is in a coma in ICU.  They inadvertently discuss their shared secret in the presence of the comatose patient.  The man had suffered injuries from an automobile accident while evacuating ahead of a deadly home destroying forest fire.  The police find illegal drugs in his wrecked car and the DA is contemplating charges pending his recovery.  Unable to identify the ‘John Doe’ patient in a coma, Alan and Sam begin referring to him as Comadose.

Lauren rarely discusses her legal cases with Alan but one day begins sharing information about a cold case in the next county concerning a woman’s supposed suicide.  She consults his professional opinion about the victim’s apparent state of mind given the evidence at the crime scene and reveals that a new witness has come forward.

Meanwhile, Alan’s longtime office partner and friend, Diane is overwrought by the wild fires nearing her home but this is just one trauma in a long string of unfortunate events that has plagued her in recent years. On the verge of emotional breakdown, her professional, marital and personal relationships are all in jeopardy.

The next week a new patient, Amanda makes an appointment with Alan.  Amanda says she is seeking treatment to help her friend who is contemplating suicide.  In a therapy session Amanda reveals her psychological needs are much more self-centered.  Her psychological problems date back to a sexual relationship with her dying older brother when she was 15.  Her so called suicidal friend is actually her employer and she is employed as his concubine.  After several sessions Alan realizes Amanda’s employer is actually Diane’s husband.

Comadose comes out of his coma, recovers from his injuries, and is released from the hospital.  The police are further investigating his case but have not yet arrested him.  He has two prior convictions and can’t afford a third.  Comadose approaches Alan and reveals that he overheard Alan and Sam talking about their illegal involvement in the staged suicide in the next county.  Comadose is looking to blackmail Sam into getting his drug possession charges dropped.  Any hope of Sam and Alan avoiding the consequences of their moral lapse seem to be evaporating.  Everything and everyone dear to Alan seems in jeopardy yet even with all his training he is ill prepared for what happens next.

Line of Fire is Stephen White at his best.  The psychological sparring, the complex relationships between the main characters and the interconnection of various storylines tied together efficiently in the end are what makes the Alan Gregory series a hit.  Line of Fire accomplishes all this and more.  The author even throws in his annoying ‘I love Boulder’ details in ways that only add to the plot.  White has announced he will write one last book in the series putting his well worn fictitious figures to rest.  It’s time for the series to end but if the last installment is anything like Line of Fire, I can hardly wait.

The Last Lie by Stephen White

I’ve been a fan of Stephen White’s Dr. Alan Gregory character based thrillers since the beginning in the late 1980’s. Dr. Gregory is a clinical psychologist in Boulder, Colorado married to a deputy district attorney, Lauren. They live on the outskirts of town on a patch of 10 acres with only two homes, both decades old but with magnificent mountain views. In previous books both the husband and wife neighbors are murdered and Alan and Lauren have adopted the couple’s introspective 11 year old son, Jonas. 'The Last Lie' is the latest in the series but not his best. It is like touching base with an old friend and finding you have lost some of your connection.

‘The Last Lie’ begins as the neighboring house (formerly Jonas’ home) is sold. Alan gets off on the wrong foot with his new neighbor, TV-star lawyer Mattin Snow, by walking his dogs on Snow's property. After Snow's housewarming party, to which Alan is not invited, an unnamed female guest claims Snow raped her. With Snow’s livelihood at risk, the lawyers for both Snow and the victim quickly begin to work out a private financial settlement with the victim agreeing to complete confidentiality. Gregory becomes entangled in the case ethically when he learns that the victim is the patient of a psychologist-in-training under his supervision. Shortly after the alleged rape, the hired chef for the housewarming party is murdered. Lauren is assigned to the case as DA. To further complicate the situation, Sam Purdy, a Boulder police detective is Alan’s best friend and Alan’s office partner, Diane is a friend of his new neighbor’s wife. So, with all the professional confidentialities, Alan is unable to share or discover the true story of what took place from any one person. His relationships become tenuous with everyone including his new adoptive son who is still adjusting to his new life and grieving for his parents and former home.

As Alan collects bits and pieces of the events that took place the night of the housewarming party, he finds himself in a unique position to gain justice for all. But his knowledge of the events and his inability ethically to divulge that knowledge put his life and lives of his family in jeopardy.

White is a good story teller but I thought he droned on a bit with the detail in this one. He spends a lot of time developing characters we already know from previous books in the series. We get it he loves Boulder, Colorado. The scenery is beautiful and everyone is health and environmentally conscious….yada, yada, yada. What is interesting is the complexity of Alan's relationships with each character. He is forced to pump them for information in the most subtle ways thereby employing his own professional skills. He never really gets to be himself, always the psychologist even with family and friends. So, I’ll read more Stephen White for old time sake but I think it’s time for some new characters.