Projection

I firmly disagree with those who say this is Ablow's weakest book to date. It makes you look very deeply into your own psyche and how you project your stuff onto others both consciously and, more powerfully, from the recesses of the unconscious mind in ways that can end up in either chaos or order. Dr. Ablow is an incredibly intuitive psychiatrist who expresses his knowledge and experience in a way that is exquisitely brought to life with his incisive intellect and compassionate nature expressed in words that are an art form in themselves in how they are refined before selection. This book is a deeply profound study of the psychodynamic called Projection. I find myself asking more questions and doing more inner "homework" in my own psyche as a direct result of the power of his work. The author has a set of big 'ole brass ones to be this utterly transparent with the reader. I find myself in awe and very respectful of Dr. Ablow's enormous capacity to be totally REAL. The teaching in this book is beyond superb, it is brilliant and illuminating. "Monitoring one's own emotions' in reaction to other's behavior is the major message here that Holloway shares with Clevenger. It is one of the key concepts that doctors utilize in therapy to guide the patient toward that "ah ha" experience, and can be brilliantly useful to others as well. I found it a timely reminder. In my opinion, the story is almost ancillary to the powerful inner work that the author puts on the table for us all to share. This is the third book of this series that I have read and can say that they all will be archived cheek by jowl with my medical and psychiatric textbooks. It is a wonderful teaching tool and should be required reading in graduate school. Kathleen Nelson, PhD Psychologist (Ret.) Music Producer

Keith Ablow picks up right where he left off in his first book Denial. Psychopathic plastic surgeon, Trevor Lucas, is now on trial for the brutal murders of 4 people in and around Lynn, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, Frank Clevenger, forensic psychiatrist, knows he's not guilty but can't bring himself to give this information to the police for fear of what it will do to the real killer. This fact torments Clevenger throughout the entire book and just adds to his already existing demons.Trevor Lucas is as psychotic a character as I've ever met in books of this type. He takes over a locked unit for the criminally insane taking hostages at the same time. He asks for one person, and one person only to negotiate with and that person is Frank Clevenger. What Clevenger sees upon entering this hospital makes for some gruesome and rather scary reading.Since Ablow himself is a forensic psychiatrist, everything in this book is incredibly believable. It makes the reader wonder if Ablow has been through similar scenarios in his business. I can't recommend this book enough but do yourself a favor, read Denial first to learn exactly what makes Frank Clevenger tick.

Keith Ablow's PROJECTION is a masterpiece. A wonderfully woven plot with twists and turns along the way. This psychological thriller should go past the book shelves and onto the movie screen.

Projection's gore and violence do not begin to touch the places where author Keith Ablow wants to take us. There is no wasted language, no impertinent paragraphs, not a single word used out of context. Ablow is a master practitioner of the art of writing. With Projection, Ablow comes closer to mastering a genre he has been trying to command for almost a decade. Those of you searching for reasons to deem Projection implausible, need to rethink why you are reading a thriller. Projection is all about two of Ablow's favorite topics - pain and redemption. The pain comes from man's inhumanity to man. I am not sure how redemption gets processed, but Ablow helps us out with that one. Projection is the stuff of brilliance, written by an extaordinary young man. Keith Ablow's work is destined to reach the top. Projection is one giant step in that direction.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Frank Clevenger observes the trial of plastic surgeon Dr. Trevor Lucas with extreme trepidation. The police charged Trevor with killing and mutilating two women. He landed in a psycho ward when he deliberately broke his arm in three places. After Trevor's incarceration, two more identical murders occur, but the police believe a copy cat killer committed the acts of violence. However, Frank knows otherwise, feeling guilty that his testimony helped lead to an innocent person becoming insane for crimes he never committed. Furthermore, Frank never expected Lucas to gain total command over his residential psychiatric unit. Trevor controls all the inmates and has captured several hostages, including a pregnant woman. Trevor demands that Frank visit him, a request the psychiatrist does both out of guilt and a need to reach Trevor so that the situation can peacefully end. Frank knows that he will either die or help his host gain some inner harmony.PROJECTION is a tale about a classic anti-hero performing insane actions to prevent further murders. In spite of the character,s obvious flaw, readers will understand that the tortured individual retains an honorable soul. This allows him to break laws for the good of his "patient. Though this story line is an action-packed psychological suspense, the psychopath and the psychiatrist will fascinate mystery fans too because they are different sides of the same coinHarriet Klausner