The Program - Softcover

White, Stephen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786234121 ISBN 13: 9780786234127

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2002

Synopsis

When a death threat forces New Orleans District Attorney Kirsten Lord and her nine-year-old daughter to accept placement in the Witness Protection Program in Boulder, Colorado, they are assisted by Carl Luppo, a program veteran and former mob hit man trying for one last chance at redemption.

About this title

Review

Alan Gregory, the Boulder psychologist who's starred in Stephen White's long-running series of suspense novels, takes second billing in The Program. The star is Kirsten Lord, a New Orleans prosecutor who lands in Gregory's office after her husband is killed and her daughter's life threatened by a criminal she sent to prison. "Every precious thing I lose, you will lose two" is the warning that sends her on the run until she finally lands in the Witness Protection Program. But the danger's a long way from over. As a prosecutor, she was a loud and public critic of "the program," and as events unfold, it appears that her deadliest enemies may not be safely behind bars.

Some of the most interesting passages put Kirsten and Gregory together in scenes that underscore White's professional expertise. A clinical psychologist in private practice in Boulder, he brings his understanding of human nature out of the consulting room and onto the page. Fans of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware will love Alan Gregory, whose relatively minor role at the start grows as the plot deepens and turns a hunt-and-chase thriller into a multidimensional, complex, and vividly realized novel. Long overdue for a place high on the bestseller list, White may well break out with this one. --Jane Adams

From the Back Cover

Advance Praise for The Program:

"The Program should come with a one-sitting warning label and a couple of Valium. A dynamic woman in jeopardy is forced to team up with the most appealing, self-conflicted mobster since Tony Soprano to try to outwit and survive an insidious, secretive organization. Stephen White's latest puts him alongside Jonathan Kellerman as a master of the psychological thriller. Proceed at your own risk. You'll be thinking about this one for a long time."
—Stanley Pottinger, bestselling author of The Fourth Procedure and A Slow Burning

"A page-turner and a sharp, compelling portrait of a woman and daughter in crisis."
—Iris Johansen, bestselling author of The Search, The Killing Game, and
And Then You Die

"The Program is a prime-time thriller, packed thick with sharp psychological twists and sinister plot turns. White's previous novels have always delivered precision pacing and colorful settings, but he has turned it up several notches with this one, clicking the writing gears into overdrive and delving into areas that are at once gut-check fascinating and keep-the-lights-on frightening. His characters are multi-dimensional and flow off the pages as real as a death threat and as human as a kind neighbor; his dialogue is insightful and Gillette-sharp; and the story he has chosen to tell is a daily-double combo of hard-to-put-down and even harder to forget."
—Lorenzo Carcaterra, bestselling author of Gangster, Apaches, and Sleepers

"Stephen White has a nice touch—he can make spelling bees scary and turn elementary school teachers into believable hit-women. The Program is an exciting ride through a dark region of law enforcement, and there are big surprises at the end."
—Peter Abrahams, Edgar-nominated author of Crying Wolf and A Perfect Crime

"All of the Alan Gregory novels have been spellbinding, but with The Program, Stephen White rises to the top ranks of modern crime fiction. Breakneck plotting combined with penetrating psychological insight make this book an unforgettable experience. This is one of the best thrillers you will ever read."
—William Bernhardt, bestselling author of Silent Justice and the forthcoming Murder One

Praise for the Alan Gregory novels:

"White constructs his labyrinthine plot with the dexterity of a surgeon and the sensitivity of a psychologist."
—Jonathan Kellerman, bestselling author of Dr. Death and Monster

"Stephen White writes thrillers of the first order."
—Nelson DeMille, bestselling author of The Lion's Game and The General's Daughter

About this edition

• Publisher: Thorndike Pr
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0786234121
• ISBN 13: 9780786234127
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 603