White Lies

I'm so glad I discovered Anna Salter's books and only wish there were more of them. The unmistakable feel of authenticity in the way Michael Stone approaches her job makes the stories all the more absorbing and suspenseful. Her knowledge and instincts make her very good at telling the victims from the perpetrators, but like the shrewd police officers in many a thriller, she can't just take matters into her own hands. She's bound by a strict code of ethics that can often seem as much a hindrance to justice as a guarantee of protection for the innocent. In "White Lies," Salter also calls the media to task for exploiting child abuse; false allegations are just as ratings-grabbing as the real thing, and sensationalizing either is so much easier than digging for the truth. Fortunately, we've got Dr. Stone to do that.

Psychologist Michael Stone deals with some fairly complicated cases of unusual sexual expression. When a physician comes to her for assessment, we are led into a web of events that are thoroughly engaging. Author Anna Salter provides Stone with a wonderfully strong and likeable personality. Michael Stone is a woman on a mission. She is strong and determined. She speaks her mind. She is no pushover therapist who accepts everything her clients have to report to her without question. White Lies grows into a complex mystery that takes time to unwind. As a reader, I was totally taken by the story. Salter is an excellent storyteller.

As a lover of medical mystery yarns and a professional who appreciates the author who 'gets the medical facts right', WHITE LIES by Anna Salter is at the top of my favorite book-list this year.But beware, once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. To borrow a phrase from the fascinating forensic psychologist, Micheal Stone----Dr. Salter's main character: "Too late to back out now!"

Another excellent novel by Anna Salter! Through the personal and professional life of Dr. Michael Stone, Anna Salter presents yet another gripping story that is interesting, suspensful and so informative. In a terrific book that I couldn't put down, the author teaches so much about the real life work she does as a forensic psychologist, reinforcing what I had learned when I saw her do a professional presentation. I also professionally work with people who have sexually offended, and I was impressed with how much I learned from the benefit of "hearing" Dr. Stone's thoughts as she faces and experiences the various characters and events in White Lies. While I know the story Salter tells in White Lies is very realistic, it's also scary to know that there are people out there like her character, Dr. Larsen.

I started reading Salter with Shiny Water, then Fault Lines and then this one--she just keeps getting better and better. If you haven't read her before,suggest trying her from the first one--it doesn't matter in terms of your understanding--but the building story she's doing with the female lead is so wonderful that it'd give you more 'oomph' to start from the beginning. Ms. Salter, please write more--and faster. And thanks for an extraordinary read!