John Katzenbach – författare

Happy 53rd birthday, Doctor. Welcome to the first day of your death.When a mysterious letter bearing these threatening words is delivered to Dr. Frederick Starks, 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 guess Rumplestiltskin’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.Ignoring the 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 then there 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, his credit 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 is driven 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-patient relationship, 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, breathless plots, and brilliantly realized characters, John Katzenbach proves once again why both critics and fans alike have crowned him the master of suspense.

Second Lieutenant Tommy Hart, a navigator whose B-25 was shot out of the sky in 1942, is burdened with guilt as the only surviving member of his crew. Now he is just another POW at the fiercely guarded Stalag Luft 13 in Bavaria.Then routine comes to a halt with the arrival of a new prisoner: First Lieutenant Lincoln Scott, an African American Tuskegee airman who instantly becomes the target of contempt from his fellow soldiers. When a prisoner is brutally murdered, and all the blood-soaked evidence points to Scott, Hart is tapped to defend the soldier. In a trial rife with racial tension and raw conflict, where the lines between ally and enemy blur, there are those with their own secret motives, and a burning passion for a rush to judgment, no matter what the cost.From the Paperback edition.

It’s been twenty years since Western State Hospital was closed down and the last of its inmates reintegrated into society. Francis Petrel was barely out of his teens when his family committed him to the asylum, after his erratic behavior culminated in a terrifying outburst. Now middle-aged, he leads an aimless, solitary life housed in a cheap apartment, periodically tended to by his sisters, and perpetually medicated to quiet the chorus of voices in his head. But a reunion on the grounds of the shuttered institution stirs something deep in Francis’s troubled mind: dark memories he thought he had laid to rest, about the grisly events that led to Western State Hospital’s demise. It begins in 1979, when twenty-one-year-old Petrel descends into the state-run purgatory of an overcrowded, understaffed Massachusetts mental hospital. Surrounded by inmates roaming the halls like drugged zombies and raving behind locked doors, well-meaning orderlies, jaded nurses, and patronizing doctors, Francis finds friendship with a motley assortment of fellow patients: a would-be Napoleon, a wise ex-firefighter, and a man obsessed with battling imagined devils. But there’s nothing imaginary about the young nurse found sexually assaulted and brutally murdered late one night after lights-out.The police suspect an inmate, while patients whisper about visions of a white-shrouded “angel.” But the striking and mysterious prosecuting attorney who arrives to investigate has her own chilling theory—about the grim, telltale “signature” left on the victim’s body, a string of unsolved sex killings, and a very real devil who, by chance or design, has come to turn a madhouse into a slaughterhouse.Now, with the past creeping back to haunt his thoughts, and nothing but a pencil and the bare walls of his bleak apartment, Francis surrenders to the overwhelming need to tell the story of those nightmarish days. But because the crime was never solved, it’s a story doomed to remain unfinished. Until, like Francis’s long-buried recollections, the killer resurfaces . . . with a vengeance.A tour de force narrative journey through the eerily unpredictable mind of an utterly unusual hero, The Madman’s Tale will keep even the most astute thriller reader uncertain, unnerved, and unable to resist the tantalizing twists and turns of this fiendishly suspenseful shadow show.From the Hardcover edition.

Scott Freeman is a man of reason–a college professor grounded in the rational and practical. But he becomes uneasy after finding an anonymous love letter hidden in his daughter’s room: “No one could ever love you like I do. No one ever will. We will be together forever. One way or another.” But the reality of Ashley’s plight far exceeds Scott’s worst suspicions.One drink too many had led Ashley, a beautiful, bright art student, into what she thought was just a fling with a blue-collar bad boy. But now, no amount of pleading or reasoning can discourage his phone calls, ardent e-mails, and constant, watchful gaze. Michael O’Connell is but a malignant shadow of a man. His brash, handsome features conceal a black and empty soul. Control is his religion. Cunning and criminal skill are his stock-in-trade. Rage is his language. The harder Ashley tries to break free, the deeper Michael burrows into every aspect of her life, so she turns in desperation to her divorced parents and her mother’s new partner–three people still locked in a coldly civilized triangle of resentment. But their fierce devotion to Ashley is the common bond that will draw them together to face down a predator. For Ashley’s family, it is a test of primal love that will drive them to the extreme edge–and beyond–in a battle of wills that escalates into a life-or-death war to protect their own.From the bestselling master of suspense, John Katzenbach, The Wrong Man is an elegantly crafted and breathtakingly intense read that asks the question, “How far would you go to save the child you love?”From the Hardcover edition.

'Happy fifty-third birthday, Doctor. Welcome to the first day of your death. You ruined my life. And now I fully intend to ruin yours.'You have exactly one fortnight, starting tomorrow morning at 6 a.m., to discover who I am. When you succeed you must purchase one of those tiny ads at the bottom of the New York Times front page, and print my name there.'If you do not succeed, then . . . you will take note that the second sheet of this letter contains the names of fifty-two of your relatives. If you are unable to purchase the ad as described, then you will have this choice: kill yourself immediately or I will destroy one of these innocent people.'Until the moment he opens the letter, New York psychologist Dr Frederick Starks has led a quiet and, so he believes, blameless life. He has no idea why he's being judged by this unknown tormentor a former patient - who then lethally begins to demonstrate the potential of his, or her, threats. As the layers of Starks's carefully constructed life are stripped from him, he quickly finds himself a powerless pawn in a psychopath's devious game of vengeance.

A noble pursuit. A deadly result.Reporter Matt Cowart has seen this before, a letter from a Death Row inmate pleading innocence. Sure, they''re all innocent. Young girls are raping and killing themselves all the time. But the more Cowart digs into the case of Robert Earl Ferguson, the more he believes that, as a black man, Ferguson is a victim of hate and prejudice, and that the wrong man is going to be executed.Cowart lets fly a series of hard-hitting investigative articles that ultimately not only free Ferguson, but win Cowart a Pulitzer. He''s a hero, a celebrity, a big-hearted guy -- who has unwittingly set in motion a scenario of horror and death....

In John Katzenbach’s debut novel, the brutal murder of a young girl leads Malcolm Anderson, reporter for The Miami Journal, into an obsessive hunt for a ruthless mass murderer in this fast-paced thriller that was adapted into the film The Mean Season starring Kurt Russell and Mariel Hemingway. When a beautiful young girl is found dead by with a .45 bullet in her head, Malcolm Anderson is handed the front-page story of his lifetime. But as he chases after the career-changing lead, Malcolm becomes a bit too obsessive in his chase for quotes from the victim’s family and friends, material for the photographer, and the publication of the story in the paper. Upon investigation of the crime scene, a note is found in the murdered teen’s pocket that reads “Number One,” sending the effort to identify the murderer into a race against time. As he continues his obsessive hunt, Malcolm begins receiving calls from the killer filled with torturing details of a traumatizing childhood and violent Vietnam experiences, pressuring Malcom to identify the killer and his motives before another murder happens.

A heart-stopping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and J.P. Delaney. Two strangers with one overwhelming link: fear. For him, it''s fear of losing his mind. For her, it''s the fear is of losing her life... Retired professor Adrian Thomas knows all about fear from a lifetime studying human psychology. Now he''s been diagnosed with degenerative dementia, all his thoughts are of ending his own life while he still can. But before he can put the gun to his head he witnesses a kidnapping: a beautiful teenage girl, snatched off the street and bundled into a white van. Jennifer Riggins was picked up by a twisted couple who run the elite subscription-only website, What Comes Next. Viewers can watch what torture befalls their victims and Jennifer is to become the latest star, Victim Number Four. When the police dismiss Adrian as a confused old man, he knows he might be this young girl''s only hope and he begins the race to save her. But, with Adrian''s grip on reality fading with each day, it''s not only Jennifer whose life hangs in the balance... What readers are saying about What Comes Next... ''An experience akin to riding the scariest roller coaster ride'' ''I raced through this book''

Not all fairytales have a happy ending... A gripping psychological thriller that you won''t be able to put down. Perfect for fans of The Girl Before and I See You. ''You do not know me, but I know you. I have decided to call you: Red One. Red Two. Red Three. I know each of you is lost in the woods. And just like the little girl in the fairy tale, you have been selected to die...'' Karen, Sarah and Jordan have nothing in common aside from their hair colour. Red. To the man who has been watching their every move for months, this is enough. Their lives are now in his hands, their stories will only end when he chooses to reveal himself, unless they can find him first...

''Timothy ''Moth'' Turner is a postgrad student and recovering alcoholic. Estranged from his family, Moth''s only lifeline is his uncle Ed, a recovered alcoholic and Moth''s AA sponsor. When Ed doesn''t turn up for a meeting, Moth gets worried. And he has every right to be. Ed is found shot dead in his apartment in an apparent suicide. Moth can''t believe his uncle would take his own life. And soon, after a little bit of digging, Ed is on the trail of a psychopathic killer known only as Student #5. But why would he want to kill Ed? And who is next on his list...

Das Böse. Das Grauen. Die Klinik.Vor zwanzig Jahren, als junger Mann, ist Francis Petrel gegen seinen Willen in eine psychiatrische Klinik eingewiesen worden. Mehrere Jahre hat er dort zugebracht – bis die Anstalt nach einer Mordserie geschlossen wurde. Noch immer hört Francis Stimmen, nimmt Medikamente. Die Erinnerung an die traumatischen Geschehnisse von damals ängstigt ihn, und er beginnt aufzuschreiben, was er erlebt hat – mit Bleistift, auf den Wänden seiner Wohnung. Wer war der mysteriöse »Engel des Todes«, der damals sein Unwesen trieb? Gibt es ihn überhaupt? Oder existiert er nur in Francis'' Schreckensphantasien?

Die attraktive Studentin Ashley Freeman begeht einen folgenschweren Fehler: Angeheitert verbringt sie eine Nacht mit Michael O''Connell, einem Computerfreak und geschickten Hacker. Was sie nicht weiß: Michael ist ein Psychopath – und er hat beschlossen, dass Ashley die Frau seines Lebens ist. Nichts und niemand wird ihn davon abbringen – schon gar nicht Ashley. Unerbittlich stellt er ihr nach, verschärft seinen Psychoterror gegen ihre Freunde und Verwandten. Immer schneller beginnt sich eine Spirale des Schreckens zu drehen, die Ashleys gesamte Familie in die Tiefe reißt …

Ein psychopathischer Serienkiller entführt die Literaturstudentin Anne Hampton und macht sie sich mit diabolischer Raffinesse gefügig. Anne hat keine Wahl: Entweder wird sie die Chronistin seiner Morde – oder sein nächstes Opfer.Detailversessen hält Doug Jeffers, ihr Peiniger, seine brutalen Morde mit der Kamera fest. Aber Fotos allein genügen ihm nicht mehr. Er möchte seine Taten auch mit Worten besungen wissen – und Anne ist sein Werkzeug. Ihre einzige Chance ist Detective Mercedes Barren aus Miami, deren Nichte der Fotograf ebenfalls auf dem Gewissen hat …Der Fotograf von John Katzenbach: Spannung pur im eBook!

Ein Psychiater auf der Jagd nach einem Psychopathen:Im packenden Psychothriller »Der Patient« verwandelt sich das Leben des New Yorker Psychiaters Dr. Frederick Starks in einen Alptraum.Am Abend seines 53. Geburtstages findet Dr. Frederick Starks im Wartezimmer seiner Praxis einen äußerst geschmacklosen Brief: »Willkommen am ersten Tag Ihres Todes!«, lautet der Betreff, unterzeichnet ist das Ganze mit »Rumpelstilzchen«. Natürlich hält der Psychiater den Brief zunächst für einen üblen Scherz, doch schon bald wird er auf grausame Weise eines Besseren belehrt.Der Unbekannte zwingt Starks zu einem teuflischen Spiel: 15 Tage lässt er seinem Opfer, um herauszufinden, wer »Rumpelstilzchen« in Wahrheit ist. Sonst stirbt Starks Familie, einer nach dem anderen – es sei denn, der Psychiater gibt auf und opfert sein eigenes Leben.Starks hat nicht die leiseste Ahnung, wer ihn so sehr hassen könnte – doch aufzugeben kommt für ihn nicht infrage …Der amerikanische Bestseller-Autor John Katzenbach gilt nicht umsonst als »Meister seines Fachs.« (WDR): Seine düsteren Psychothriller zeigen, wie zerbrechlich unsere Realität und sogar unser sicher geglaubtes Leben sein können.Der Psychiater Dr. Frederick Starks hat einen weiteren Auftritt im Psychothriller »Der Verfolger«.

Miami 1995. Als seine Nachbarin Sophie Millstein erdrosselt aufgefunden wird, ist Detective Simon Winter klar, dass ihre Angst berechtigt war: Tags zuvor hatte die Holocaustüberlebende ihm verzweifelt berichtet, ihr sei der Schattenmann begegnet – jener Nazi-Scherge, der damals untergetauchte Juden ans Messer lieferte. Ist er zurückgekehrt, um die letzten Zeugen seiner Taten zu beseitigen?Der Täter von John Katzenbach: Spannung pur im eBook!

Der pensionierte Psychologieprofessor Adrian Thomas bekommt von seinem Arzt eine niederschmetternde Diagnose: Demenz. Damit haben sich seine schlimmsten Befürchtungen bestätigt. Vor seinem inneren Auge erscheint die Schreckensvision seines unaufhaltsamen, unheilbaren Abgleitens in die Dunkelheit. Verstört blickt der alte Mann auf die Straße hinaus und sieht in der anbrechenden Dämmerung ein vielleicht sechzehnjähriges Mädchen vorübereilen. Gleichzeitig rollt ein Lieferwagen heran, bremst ab und beschleunigt wieder: Das Mädchen ist verschwunden. Der alte Professor ist verwirrt. Hat er gerade eine Entführung beobachtet? Wenn es tatsächlich ein Verbrechen war, muss er handeln. Die Frage ist nur, wie. Kann er noch klar genug denken, um das Mädchen zu finden?Der Professor von John Katzenbach: Psychothriller im eBook!

Er ist ein Mörder und erfolgloser Schriftsteller – und will mit einem spektakulären Verbrechen unsterblich werden. Seine Inspiration: das Märchen vom Rotkäppchen. Seine Opfer: drei rothaarige Frauen. In einem anonymen Brief kündigt ihnen der »böse Wolf« an, dass er sie jagen und zur Strecke bringen wird. Die Opfer wissen nichts voneinander. Und sie haben keine Ahnung, wann und wie der Täter Jagd auf sie machen wird. Zermürbt von ihrer Angst versuchen sie, ihr Leben zu retten ...

Matt Cowart, Reporter aus Miami, bekommt Post aus der Todeszelle. Der Fall des College-Studenten Robert Earl Ferguson scheint besonders schreiendes Unrecht zu sein. Der junge Schwarze wurde für den Mord an einem elfjährigen weißen Mädchen verurteilt, doch offenbar ist er Rassismus und Korruption innerhalb der Polizei zum Opfer gefallen. Seine Nachforschungen überzeugen Matt von Roberts Unschuld. Seine flammenden Artikel über den Fall Ferguson bringen Matt schließlich sogar den Pulitzer-Preis ein, über Nacht ist er eine Berühmtheit, wird als Bürgerrechtler gefeiert – und bemerkt zu spät, dass er in einem gefährlichen Sumpf aus Hass und Niedertracht zu versinken droht ...

Timothy Warner, Spitzname »Moth«, studiert Geschichte an der University of Miami - und er hat ein massives Drogenproblem. Jetzt ist er seit hundert Tagen »clean«, doch das hat er nur mit Hilfe seines Onkels Ed geschafft, eines prominenten Psychiaters und so etwas wie Moths Rettungsanker. Als Ed tot in seiner Praxis aufgefunden wird, stürzt Moth ins Bodenlose. Niemals war dies Selbstmord, auch wenn die Polizei noch so sehr davon überzeugt ist. Moths neue Aufgabe im Leben wird es, den Mörder zu stellen. Seine Nachforschungen führen ihn zu dem pensionierten Psychiatrieprofessor Jeremy Hogan, der seit einiger Zeit anonyme Drohanrufe bekommt. Ein unbekannter »Student Nr. 5« kündigt an, ihn umbringen zu wollen. Jedes Mal eröffnet er seinen Anruf mit der Frage: »Wessen Schuld ist es?« Es scheint, als wolle er Rache nehmen für ein Unrecht, das ihm vor Jahren während seines Studiums angetan wurde ...