Denial

Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychiatrist who;s job it is to delve into the minds of deranged killers and figure out what drives them...but then again, what drives Frank? In this first Clevenger book we are introduced to Frank as well as some of his personal demons as he tries to uncover the truth behind some killings he gets called upon. As the victims pile up and the motives become more bizarre, you'll find that this book is only half through the mind games its playing with you.

Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychologist on the verge of hitting rock bottom. His cocaine habit, penchant for gambling, and his philandering ways have led him to the edge. His love life is in shambles; his job is on the line; and a serial killer is on the loose. This is the first book in a series that came highly recommended. Fortunately, I had been warned ahead of time that the main character, Frank, was not an admirable person up front, but that the book would in fact get better and be hard to put down once the story took off. I was not disappointed. The title, Denial, is very fitting for this particular book, not only in respect to the murdering rage of the serial killer who is acting out on past victimization, but also for the show more main character who is struggling to come to terms with his own abusive childhood and his current addictions and problems with intimacy. I have never been a fan of sex scenes in books and would have preferred they be less graphic in this particular one, but other than that, I enjoyed Mr. Ablow’s novel and look forward to reading more about Frank Clevenger and the challenges he undertakes. show less

I've heard about this author for a while now and have actually had this book on my shelf for several years. I finally pulled it down to read. Generally, when I'm not captivated by a book, I just put it down and move on. This one was tricky. I was not captivated. I didn't really like the main character. I kept thinking "I'm going to give this 2 more pages…." Pretty soon I realized I was 3/4ths the way through and totally hook ed and even was liking Frank Clevenger, forensic psychiatrist, drug addict and alcoholic. There's a serial killer out there and it looks like the killer is using surgical instruments to mutilate.

While this gripped me from the start, I didn't expect to like the main character. Something about Clevenger doing cocaine made me assume I wouldn't like him down the road. But the character is quite compelling and human. And I never saw the end coming ... any of it, really. And I loved the scenes where Clevenger has this healing experience with the stripper (Julia?--been a while since I read it and can't recall her name). My favorite of Keith Ablow's books next to the Psychopath

Okay, Ablow has me very confused. I loved his fiction, was disappointed in his non-fiction and now I've read his first (I think) Frank Clevenger book and hate Clevenger - and not in a good way! His attitude toward woman is crude and shallow. In other books I have liked him a lot. This Clevenger is an addict of every kind WHILE being a practicing psychiatrist and I didn't really want to know him. I kept reading because it was Keith Ablow. I've decided that when Ablow is good he's fantastic and when he is bad he is boring or in this case, his character Clevenger is distasteful. Clevenger is worthy of liking in other books in the series.

In regards to the sex scenes in Denial, you can sure tell the book was written by a male. Totally tailored to male fantasy. This book was my first experience with author, Keith Ablow. I didn’t really prefer how Ablow glamorizes sex, alcohol, drugs, gambling. The actual muder investigation part of the story I enjoyed. I was surprised when the killer was revealed. I have no doubt Keith Ablow is good in his field of work, and it shows in how the book was written. It will be interesting to see what road Frank heads down in the next book in this series, Projection.

At first I wasn't sure if I would like the book as the main character, Frank Clevenger, was not the most likeable person. But as the story progresses and Frank has to both solve the crimes and face the reason he tends to self-destruct, I got more interested in how the story would end. I look forward to reading more about Frank and his friends and enemies in the next book, Projection.