Blinded [Hardcover]

White has used the device of telling a story from two perspectives before, notably in his last novel, "The Best Revenge", and he's particularly successful with this tool.

Although the chase starts with Alan, who learns from a former patient, Gibbs Storey, that her charismatic and troubled husband may be a serial killer, he is more of a sideline participant in terms of the action. In this installment, Alan's wife, Lauren, is disturbed by a particularly chilling episode in her battle with MS. Raw emotion and fear about the situation is felt from Alan's point of view -- White doesn't get inside Lauren's head in this novel. Having some experience with friends stricken by the disease, I've always been compelled by the educational and awareness aspects of White's
tales, helping his readers understand the MS complex.

What brings this tale down is a repetitive theme of White's -- the therapist's dilemma in not knowing how much confidential information given by patients can be disclosed to the outside world. White's Gregory seems to chafe under the yoke of having to keep disturbing information confidential, and in this novel, a secondary plot involving disclosures by his other patients emphasizes this theme. White last explored this theme in his 10th book, "Warning Signs", and it wore on the reader then. I'm not sure why he chose to emphasize it again, but it was taxing.

Also missing from the book is White's signature twist of plot in the climax. Although he attempts to surprise the reader, the telltale signs of who murdered the young women in question are all laid out, and come as no surprise, based on the way the action unfolds.

These disappointing features are offset by the voice of Sam Purdy (and his strange fascination with a turducken!)and a somewhat shocking disclosure by Sam near the end of the book. Purdy's always been a favorite of mine; his north-country sardonic humor is offset by his keen read of situations and his odd friendship with Alan.

I expect a little more from White, but I did read the book at record speed, a sure sign that he drew me into his tale, despite
the contrivances that ended up annoying me before I finished.

Still a great series -- this book may not be enjoyable to those who aren't familiar with White's earlier work.

But what's a good psycho thriller without subplots? His wife Lauren is a district attorney in Boulder Colorado. She also has MS, and she suffers a flair-up of her condition here. There's some character development there as Alan and Lauren both learn to deal with one of her episodes. Alan also discovers that there is a leak of confidential information about his clients, and he has to determine where it is coming from, and why it is happening... All before it destroys his practice. And finally, Sam Purdy, Alan's police detective friend, has his wife leave him after he suffers a heart attack. He becomes involved in the potential murder investigation, but isn't quite sure why he feels compelled to do so.

A good read... Not heavy on action until the end, but plenty of interpersonal stuff going on. Probably not his best one in the series, but I still like it a lot.

Psychological suspense is Stephen White's long suit and with "Blinded" he leaves no doubt that he's a master of that genre.
Returning to his popular protagonist, psychologist Alan Gregory, author White presents a multi-layered story of death and deception. What would you do if you were a psychologist seeing a patient who mentions in a rather cavalier manner that she believes her husband has committed murder? The victim is a woman with whom she thinks her husband, Sterling, has had an affair. As if that weren't enough of a shocker - she suspects that he has murdered many other women as well.

What Gregory does is check with his buddy, Sam Purdey, a Colorado police detective. The two embark on what is essentially an investigation of their own.

While suspense mounts White examines at length various ethics issues involved in this conundrum, ie, doctor/patient confidentiality; can a wife be called to testify against her husband?

White, a master of surprises, provides a trunk full in "Blinded."

- Gail Cooke