Analyst

"Happy 53rd birthday, Doctor. Welcome to the first day of your death.
"
When a mysterious letter bearing these threatening words is delivered to Dr. FrederickStarks, his predictable life is thrown into chaos. Suddenly, the psychoanalyst is plunged into a horrific game designed by a man who calls himself Rumplestiltskin. The rules: in two weeks Starks must guessRumplestiltskin's identity and the source of his fury. If he succeeds, he goes free. If he fails, one by one, Rumplestiltskin will destroy fifty-two of Dr. Starks' loved ones-friends, relatives, children-unless the good doctor agrees to kill himself.
"
You ruined my life. And now I fully intend to ruin yours."
Ignoringthe threat is not an option. When one of his patients dies under the wheels of a subway train and a detective investigating the case is struck by a hit-and-run driver, Starks knows his tormentor means business. And thenthere are the messengers sent to guide Starks on his descent, from the seductive woman in a trench coat who calls herself Virgil to a lawyer named Merlin weaving a spell of havoc and lies. His bank account rifled, hiscredit ruined, and his reputation dragged through the mud, Starks must rouse himself from the cocoon of his life, unlock the secret of Rumplestiltskin, and find a way to stop the madman-before he himself isdriven mad.
One thing of which you can be absolutely certain: My anger knows no limits.
A mesmerizing thriller that gives a wicked new twist to the doctor-patientrelationship, "The Analyst's Last Days" weaves a blistering race against time with a tale of identities shattered and chosen, disguises taken and discarded. With his trademark style, breathlessplots, and brilliantly realized characters, John Katzenbach proves once again why both critics and fans alike have crowned him the master of suspense. "From the Hardcover edition."