Every Fifteen Minutes

Starred review from February 2, 2015
Bestseller Scottoline (Keep Quiet) casts an unflinching eye on the damaged world of sociopaths in this exciting page-turner. The personal life of Dr. Eric Parrish, chief of the psychiatric unit at Havemeyer General Hospital in Philadelphia's suburbs, is even more of a challenge than his job. His wife, Caitlin, has filed for divorce, and, as a result, he rarely gets to spend time with his seven-year-old daughter, Hannah. Distraction arrives in the forms of Kristine Malin, an attractive medical student, and a friendly, flirtatious friendship with emergency doctor Laurie Fortunato. Things start to unravel for Eric when he has to field a sexual harassment claim and is implicated in the murder of a young woman. The misfortunes pile up, and both his career and his custody battle for Hannah are placed in jeopardy. Many characters who seem to be gunning for Eric are likely candidates for a sociopathic diagnosis. Once the red herrings are dispatched, the identity of the culprit who plots his downfall is a genuine surprise. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Literary Agency. Author tour; 250,000-copy first printing.

June 15, 2015

In what seems like a split second, Dr. Eric Parish's life as chief psychiatrist at Havemeyer General Hospital, devoted father, and committed husband falls apart. His wife files for divorce; he is suspended from his post at the hospital after a female medical student files a sexual harassment complaint against him; and he is allowed only limited contact with his beloved daughter, Hannah. Parish's problems are caused by a nameless, invisible sociopath who has targeted him for destruction. George Newbern does an excellent job reading this psychological thriller and bringing each character to life. Newbern captures the cool, unemotional demeanor of the sociopath, the confused desperation of seven-year-old Hannah, and the nervousness of Parish's troubled patient Max. VERDICT This stand-alone work is recommended for all Scottoline and psychological mystery/thriller fans who enjoy surprise endings. ["A nail-biting stand-alone with two heart-pounding climaxes and several pulse-racing twists": LJ 3/1/15 starred review of the St. Martin's hc.]--Ilka Gordon, Beachwood, OH

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 29, 2015
At the start of bestseller Scottoline’s standalone thriller, Dr. Eric Parish, the head of the psychiatric unit at Havemeyer General Hospital in suburban Philadelphia, is experiencing a professional high and a personal low. His team’s psychiatry service has just been ranked #2 in the nation by U.S. Medical Report, while his wife Caitlin has filed for divorce, sold the family home, and is trying to limit his visitation time with their daughter, Hannah. Things take a downward turn at work too, when Kristine Malin, a med student, sues him for sexual harassment, and almost simultaneously, the uber-antagonistic wife of a violent patient is threatening another suit against him and the hospital. Topping things off, Eric becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a young woman. The chronicle of his decline is infrequently interrupted by the first-person narration of a homicidal sociopath who claims responsibility for Eric’s dire state. Since this mysterious killer is already a character in the story line, reader Newbern is posed with the problem of giving it away vocally. The actor (TV’s Scandal) solves that difficulty by having several characters sound somewhat like the murderer. In addition to keeping the killer’s identity a secret (and the reveal is a genuine jaw-dropper), Newbern maintains just the proper pace to take us through the book without being stopped by some of its hero’s less honorable moves. A St. Martin’s hardcover.