Dry Ice

Starred review from January 8, 2007
Contemporary cerebral thrillers don't get much better than bestseller White's 15th novel (after Kill Me
), which deftly combines complex characterization and intricate plotting. White's debut novel, Privileged Information
, introduced Boulder, Colo., psychologist Alan Gregory and the clever but deadly Michael McClelland, a former meteorologist turned killer, whose rampage almost cost Gregory and his wife, Lauren, their lives. In this sequel, while Lauren, a local prosecutor, is absorbed in a sensitive grand jury probe that represents her best chance to demonstrate that she can function despite her MS, Gregory learns that McClelland has escaped from custody and has devised a devious, multilayered revenge scheme against everyone he holds responsible for his incarceration. Almost overnight, Gregory finds his routine existence turned into a Hitchcockian nightmare. Suspected of several murders, he can trust no one. Both established fans and those just now discovering the author's gifts will be turning pages late into the night.

January 1, 2007
Psychologist Alan Gregory has a secret, and one of his former patients, a deranged killer, is taunting him with it. Michael McClellandwho made his first appearance in "Privileged Information" (1991)has escaped a mental institution and is coming after Gregory's friends and family, including his wife, a deputy district attorney suffering from multiple sclerosis. Gregory becomes a suspect in a series of crimes ranging from the murder of a new patient on a neighbor's property to the disappearance of a star witness in his wife's current grand jury case. It soon becomes apparent that McClelland is not the only one trying to set the doctor up for a fall. But why? And what is the secret Gregory has never even shared with his own wife? "New York Times" best-selling author White ("Kill Me") combines a tight storytelling style with a psychologist's eye, offering up plenty of twists. One caveatreaders new to the Alan Gregory novels may find themselves confused or distracted by the many references to past events, secondary characters, and parallel plot lines. An essential purchase for libraries owning previous titles in the series; optional for other collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 11/1/06.]Rebecca Vnuk, River Forest P.L., IL

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2006
In the opening chapters of this latest outing starring Boulder, Colorado, psychologist Alan Gregory, the good doctor is feeling a bit sorry for himself: his wife's MS, utterly unpredictable, is worsening; his clinical business has been anemic since one of his patients was shot to death on national television--" Kill Me," 2006; and he remains haunted by long-held secrets. Just as the novel risks getting mired in this pity party, the story picks up speed when an ex-patient, Michael McClelland, escapes from the state mental institution hell-bent on retribution. No one is safe from this madman--not Alan, nor his wife, Lauren, nor his best friend (and cop) Sam. After all, McClelland tried to kill all three of them (" Privileged Information, "1991) before being declared insane. Secrets are the star here; everyone has them--Alan, Lauren, Sam--and keeping them hidden just isn't working any longer. The big question is, Will Alan uncover the secret that's keeping McClelland on his heels? White's thrillers throw the characters into quagmires and then force them to wade through the psychological muck. Along the way, there's always more than enough suspense to keep readers engaged.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)