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Name of the Stranger
Never get involved with a patient ... Especially the one threatening your life ... Robert Sutherland seemed harmless enough ... then Dr. Mason Stevens announced he was closing his practice. A thrifty mind and an inadvertent best-seller gave him the means to travel. Soon Dr. Stevens is at peace half-way around the world ... until Sutherland appears. Was it just coincidence the former patient also left San Francisco, and settled in Morocco? Growing hostility convinces Stevens it’s time to develop a healthy case of paranoia -- because he never knows when Sutherland might decide to bump into him. "Name of the Stranger" is a contemporary thriller, written in the spirit of Patricia Highsmith, about a mental patient demanding "closure" -- but the hapless psychologist won't close this case without a fight.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 24, 2016
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About the author
Johnny Strike
6 books2 followersGary John Bassett known as Johnny Strike, was an American writer, mostly known as songwriter, guitarist and singer of the proto-punk band Crime based in San Francisco.[
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 29, 2017
Name of the Stranger, published by Bold Venture Press, is everything a good thriller should be -- taut, streamlined, and with a protagonist forced to commit a disagreeable act for the sake of survival.
The story follows Mason Stevens, a psychologist burned out from both the rigors of his job and the unexpected fame as a result of his book Rational Voodoo becoming an unexpected runaway bestseller. After he decides to close his practice and take a sabbatical in Morocco, he is plagued by his patient Robert Sutherland, whose obsessive dependence on Dr. Stevens becomes increasingly toxic, culminating in a devastating climax.
In addition to being a page-turner that stands alongside the best works of Charles Willeford, David Goodis and Jim Thompson, Name of the Stranger uses a first-person narration that engages the reader by being direct, introspective, self-aware and unflinchingly honest. In addition to Dr. Stevens’ occasional wisecracks to Sutherland providing excellent comic relief amid the disturbing state of affairs, the character development is as realistic and thorough as it gets, no doubt owing to Johnny Strike’s previous practice in mental health counseling.
The story follows Mason Stevens, a psychologist burned out from both the rigors of his job and the unexpected fame as a result of his book Rational Voodoo becoming an unexpected runaway bestseller. After he decides to close his practice and take a sabbatical in Morocco, he is plagued by his patient Robert Sutherland, whose obsessive dependence on Dr. Stevens becomes increasingly toxic, culminating in a devastating climax.
In addition to being a page-turner that stands alongside the best works of Charles Willeford, David Goodis and Jim Thompson, Name of the Stranger uses a first-person narration that engages the reader by being direct, introspective, self-aware and unflinchingly honest. In addition to Dr. Stevens’ occasional wisecracks to Sutherland providing excellent comic relief amid the disturbing state of affairs, the character development is as realistic and thorough as it gets, no doubt owing to Johnny Strike’s previous practice in mental health counseling.
Displaying 1 of 1 review