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Alan Gregory #12
Blinded
In his latest masterwork of psychological suspense, the New York Times bestselling author of The Program, Warning Signs, and The Best Revenge peers into a troubled marriage to craft a shattering tale of secrecy, eroticism, betrayal, and murder.
Psychologist Alan Gregory is juggling his responsibilities as a father, a husband, and doctor when a beautiful woman walks into his office with an astounding admission. Gibbs Storey believes that her husband may have murdered a woman. Then, Gibbs stuns Alan again with another revelation: She thinks there are other victims…and her husband is not finished killing yet.
From the Hardcover edition.
Psychologist Alan Gregory is juggling his responsibilities as a father, a husband, and doctor when a beautiful woman walks into his office with an astounding admission. Gibbs Storey believes that her husband may have murdered a woman. Then, Gibbs stuns Alan again with another revelation: She thinks there are other victims…and her husband is not finished killing yet.
From the Hardcover edition.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published February 3, 2004
98 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
About the author
Stephen White
289 books569 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Stephen White is the author of the New York Times bestselling Alan Gregory novels. In his books, he draws upon over fifteen years of clinical practice as a psychologist to create intriguing plots and complex, believable characters.
Born on Long Island, White grew up in New York, New Jersey, and Southern California and attended the University of California campuses at Irvine (where he lasted three weeks as a creative writing major) and Los Angeles before graduating from Berkeley in 1972. Along the way he learned to fly small planes, worked as a tour guide at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, cooked and waited tables at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and tended bar at the Red Lion Inn in Boulder. Trained as a clinical psychologist, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in 1979 and became known as an authority on the psychological effects of marital disruption, especially on men. White's research has appeared in Psychological Bulletin and other professional journals and books. After receiving his doctorate, White not only worked in private practice but also at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and later as a staff psychologist at The Children's Hospital in Denver, where he focused his attention on pediatric cancer patients. During those years he became acquainted with a colleague in Los Angeles, another pediatric psychologist named Jonathan Kellerman. At the time, Kellerman and White were two of only about a dozen psychologists in the country working in pediatric oncology.
Series:
* Alan Gregory
Stephen White is the author of the New York Times bestselling Alan Gregory novels. In his books, he draws upon over fifteen years of clinical practice as a psychologist to create intriguing plots and complex, believable characters.
Born on Long Island, White grew up in New York, New Jersey, and Southern California and attended the University of California campuses at Irvine (where he lasted three weeks as a creative writing major) and Los Angeles before graduating from Berkeley in 1972. Along the way he learned to fly small planes, worked as a tour guide at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, cooked and waited tables at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and tended bar at the Red Lion Inn in Boulder. Trained as a clinical psychologist, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in 1979 and became known as an authority on the psychological effects of marital disruption, especially on men. White's research has appeared in Psychological Bulletin and other professional journals and books. After receiving his doctorate, White not only worked in private practice but also at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and later as a staff psychologist at The Children's Hospital in Denver, where he focused his attention on pediatric cancer patients. During those years he became acquainted with a colleague in Los Angeles, another pediatric psychologist named Jonathan Kellerman. At the time, Kellerman and White were two of only about a dozen psychologists in the country working in pediatric oncology.
Series:
* Alan Gregory
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
June 16, 2024
Returning to re-read Stephen White’s great thriller collection after a number of years, this summer binge should be a great adventure. White explores another great therapist issue through the filter of a strong thriller novel. When Dr. Alan Gregory has a former patient return, he is confused. However, the story she tells sends him into a panic for a potential killer. All the while, Detective Sam Purdy finds himself with a great deal of free time and begins piecing the slew of murders together, while realising his life is not quite as calm as he thought. White probes the depths of his two key characters in this piece and keeps the reader hooked.
The older he gets, the more psychologist Alan Gregory has on his plate. Now a father and loving husband must be shared with his clinical therapy practice, as well as being best friends with a Boulder PD detective, Sam Purdy. The day Gibbs Storey walks into his office, the past comes flooding back to him. Having worked with Gibbs in joint couples therapy, Alan remembers the struggle she and her husband had at the time. Now, there is a new revelation that will force Dr. Gregory to sift through his memory bank to see if he had any therapeutic clues.
Gibbs is blunt in admitting that she feels her husband is a killer. The nonchalant delivery shocks Alan, but the evidence builds up and he can no longer sit idly by. He cannot share with the authorities what he knows, but Alan wants desperately to make sure the truth gets out. Trouble is, Alan cannot trouble Sam; who’s just suffered a heart attack and is recuperating.
Following Gibbs’ news and connecting the dots, it appears Mr. Storey has been having illicit affairs across the United States and killing the women, or leaving them traumatised. Alan cannot believe it, but it all adds up. With much time on his hands and a marriage on the rocks, Detective Purdy takes a road trip to tie up some loose ends of his own to follow the killing spree, in hopes of making sense of it all. Alan cannot share too much, but his glee that someone is tracking down a killer is inspiring. Will there be more bodies to find or might the killing soon stop? White paints a dark picture with this one and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.
I remember discovering this series years ago, devouring many of the books in short order. When I chose to return, I decided that I would try a complete series binge, getting the full Alan Gregory experience. Stephen White uses many of his personal experiences as a clinical psychologist to pull on ideas and character aspects, which becomes apparent in this mid-series novel.
White’s writing explores his own personal situations as a clinical therapist, peppering in some strong themes and thriller ideas. The narrative forks between Dr. Alan Gregory and Detective Sam Purdy, two of the core characters from the series with different views on life. The narrative builds through both their perspectives, particularly when it comes to their respective personal and professional struggles. The narrative guides the reader as they try to make sense of it all, forced to understand everything up to the strong climax and a great deal of series flavouring. This is one of the stronger novels in the collection.
Plot points drive the story home through a number of key events. The surprises are never ending and there is something that keeps the reader hooked until the truth comes to pass. Using the two protagonist perspective, White creates a great story that never wanes in its delivery. I continue to push through the series, happy with how things are going.
Kudos Mr. White, for a great novel that taps into bth the Alan and Sam perspectives.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
The older he gets, the more psychologist Alan Gregory has on his plate. Now a father and loving husband must be shared with his clinical therapy practice, as well as being best friends with a Boulder PD detective, Sam Purdy. The day Gibbs Storey walks into his office, the past comes flooding back to him. Having worked with Gibbs in joint couples therapy, Alan remembers the struggle she and her husband had at the time. Now, there is a new revelation that will force Dr. Gregory to sift through his memory bank to see if he had any therapeutic clues.
Gibbs is blunt in admitting that she feels her husband is a killer. The nonchalant delivery shocks Alan, but the evidence builds up and he can no longer sit idly by. He cannot share with the authorities what he knows, but Alan wants desperately to make sure the truth gets out. Trouble is, Alan cannot trouble Sam; who’s just suffered a heart attack and is recuperating.
Following Gibbs’ news and connecting the dots, it appears Mr. Storey has been having illicit affairs across the United States and killing the women, or leaving them traumatised. Alan cannot believe it, but it all adds up. With much time on his hands and a marriage on the rocks, Detective Purdy takes a road trip to tie up some loose ends of his own to follow the killing spree, in hopes of making sense of it all. Alan cannot share too much, but his glee that someone is tracking down a killer is inspiring. Will there be more bodies to find or might the killing soon stop? White paints a dark picture with this one and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.
I remember discovering this series years ago, devouring many of the books in short order. When I chose to return, I decided that I would try a complete series binge, getting the full Alan Gregory experience. Stephen White uses many of his personal experiences as a clinical psychologist to pull on ideas and character aspects, which becomes apparent in this mid-series novel.
White’s writing explores his own personal situations as a clinical therapist, peppering in some strong themes and thriller ideas. The narrative forks between Dr. Alan Gregory and Detective Sam Purdy, two of the core characters from the series with different views on life. The narrative builds through both their perspectives, particularly when it comes to their respective personal and professional struggles. The narrative guides the reader as they try to make sense of it all, forced to understand everything up to the strong climax and a great deal of series flavouring. This is one of the stronger novels in the collection.
Plot points drive the story home through a number of key events. The surprises are never ending and there is something that keeps the reader hooked until the truth comes to pass. Using the two protagonist perspective, White creates a great story that never wanes in its delivery. I continue to push through the series, happy with how things are going.
Kudos Mr. White, for a great novel that taps into bth the Alan and Sam perspectives.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
November 20, 2017
Blinded features Stephen White’s familiar duo of psychologist Dr. Alan Gregory and his buddy, officer Sam Purdy. Gregory is trying to deal with his growing toddler along with his wife, who has MS. He sees an old patient, Gibbs Storey in therapy and she tells him that she believes her husband has murdered a former lover and a bunch of other women. Since Gregory can’t go to the police with this, he turns to Sam, who is recovering from a heart attack. They both follow separate investigational paths trying to find out the truth.
This novel is long-winded and not particular interesting at times. It drags on and would be better if it was cut considerably. There is also a lack of believability with much of the plot. Gibbs Storey as a character comes off as not particularly likeable or credible. This is definitely a notch below some of the other Alan Gregory novels I have read. I would advise skipping it.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
This novel is long-winded and not particular interesting at times. It drags on and would be better if it was cut considerably. There is also a lack of believability with much of the plot. Gibbs Storey as a character comes off as not particularly likeable or credible. This is definitely a notch below some of the other Alan Gregory novels I have read. I would advise skipping it.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
June 26, 2011
This is the first book I have read by White, and I am not sure if I will try another. The primary character in this novel is Alan Gregory, a psychologist, whose patient Gibbs comes to him for counseling, as she suspects that her husband is a serial killer. Gregory seems to play loose with patient confidentiality rules and also oversteps the boundaries between doctor and patient. And when the patient has a problem like Gibbs', the chain of events turns ugly.
The plot was fairly predictable, but some of the minor characters held my interest. The relationship between Gregory and his friend Sam, a policeman who is recovering from a minor heart attack, is also well done.
The plot was fairly predictable, but some of the minor characters held my interest. The relationship between Gregory and his friend Sam, a policeman who is recovering from a minor heart attack, is also well done.
December 7, 2010
My least favorite so far in this series. The premise was good, but presentation was missing - I figured this out by half way through. Included way too much "static" that wasn't really relevant to the plot. Definitely NOT a suspense plot, except for a few chapters near the end. Since I'm reading for the suspense and the "solve the murder/other crime" aspect of the novels, many pages of dithering over which questions to answer and how the questions have to be asked to get an answer only slow down the story and make the book boring. This may be the wrong series for me - will have to reevaluate after I finish the last 2 titles I picked up at used book fairs to see if I bother to continue. Alternating chapters narrated by Sam Purdy presented an opportunity not fully exploited to help the reader get to know him better.
July 18, 2010
My favorite Stephen White book was THE PROGRAM.
For me, it's been downhill after that. Every once in a while I read another of his books, just to check and see if it's going to live up to that first one I read, but it never does. He spends so much time describing Colorado weather, the protagonist's wife's agonizing bouts with MS, their dogs and their neighbors, that the plots plod along slowly and the mysteries get lost in the maze of mundane details.
This was one such book.
For me, it's been downhill after that. Every once in a while I read another of his books, just to check and see if it's going to live up to that first one I read, but it never does. He spends so much time describing Colorado weather, the protagonist's wife's agonizing bouts with MS, their dogs and their neighbors, that the plots plod along slowly and the mysteries get lost in the maze of mundane details.
This was one such book.
June 5, 2019
Review to follow ......................
November 19, 2009
After reading two other books by Stephen White, which were excellent, this was a disappointment. I read a little over 1/3 into the book and there was no character development and the one, main? character was not very believable. I kept thinking White was just writing to write another book. For instance, there's a detective going to a phone booth to make an important call, it took 3 pages before he picked up the receiver.........White described unconnected thoughts that were going through this guy's head. That's when I closed the book and returned it to the library.
November 5, 2025
This book turned out to be very interesting. It took some twists and turns and just when you think you have it all figured out, BAM it changes directions.
March 8, 2015
RATING: 3.5
When a psychologist sees a patient, there are certain standards that are used in the interaction between the doctor and the client. As a long-time psychologist, Alan Gregory certainly knows what those rules are. Yet, when stunningly gorgeous Gibbs Storey starts seeing him professionally, he finds himself alarmingly off kilter. He is consistently manipulated by Gibbs, in a way that hasn't happened to him since he fantasized about hooking up with one of the beautiful popular girls in high school.
Putting that problem aside, what Gibbs reveals during her appointments is an astonishing story about her husband, Sterling. He is a sportscaster and a very attractive man. He travels around the country for his job. What Gibbs has discovered is that he killed a woman with whom he had a liaison. As a matter of fact, according to her, he has killed several women. She doesn't feel threatened by him personally but wants him stopped before he can kill again.
Alan turns to a cop friend of his, Sam Purdy, and gives him just enough information to have him contact Gibbs and get the details that Alan cannot reveal due to professional ethics. Sam is on leave after suffering a heart attack, which was followed by the abrupt departure of his wife and son. He travels to Florida to track down a lead and discovers that Sterling has disappeared and presumably drowned after stopping to aid a car accident victim. That seems just a little too convenient to Sam.
While all of this is going on, Alan is dealing with major issues on the home front. His wife, Lauren, has multiple sclerosis and is undergoing a very bad episode which means he has to take on the care of their young daughter and otherwise manage the household. To add to the stress, he finds that various of his patients' confidences are becoming public, and his career is in danger of disintegrating.
White alternated chapters between Alan and Sam. However, when the book started, it was told in Alan's voice for almost 150 pages before Sam became involved. It was a bit jarring to start seeing things from his perspective so late in the book. That being said, I liked the chapters told from Sam's point of view far more than Alan's.
I've enjoyed this series from the very beginning, but the mystery in this book was extremely weak. It was obvious from the start what was going on. The book was saved for me by the strong characterization of Sam and White's skill at detailing the ups and downs of marriage and friendship and the struggle to maintain his professional ethics in the face of startling patient revelations.
When a psychologist sees a patient, there are certain standards that are used in the interaction between the doctor and the client. As a long-time psychologist, Alan Gregory certainly knows what those rules are. Yet, when stunningly gorgeous Gibbs Storey starts seeing him professionally, he finds himself alarmingly off kilter. He is consistently manipulated by Gibbs, in a way that hasn't happened to him since he fantasized about hooking up with one of the beautiful popular girls in high school.
Putting that problem aside, what Gibbs reveals during her appointments is an astonishing story about her husband, Sterling. He is a sportscaster and a very attractive man. He travels around the country for his job. What Gibbs has discovered is that he killed a woman with whom he had a liaison. As a matter of fact, according to her, he has killed several women. She doesn't feel threatened by him personally but wants him stopped before he can kill again.
Alan turns to a cop friend of his, Sam Purdy, and gives him just enough information to have him contact Gibbs and get the details that Alan cannot reveal due to professional ethics. Sam is on leave after suffering a heart attack, which was followed by the abrupt departure of his wife and son. He travels to Florida to track down a lead and discovers that Sterling has disappeared and presumably drowned after stopping to aid a car accident victim. That seems just a little too convenient to Sam.
While all of this is going on, Alan is dealing with major issues on the home front. His wife, Lauren, has multiple sclerosis and is undergoing a very bad episode which means he has to take on the care of their young daughter and otherwise manage the household. To add to the stress, he finds that various of his patients' confidences are becoming public, and his career is in danger of disintegrating.
White alternated chapters between Alan and Sam. However, when the book started, it was told in Alan's voice for almost 150 pages before Sam became involved. It was a bit jarring to start seeing things from his perspective so late in the book. That being said, I liked the chapters told from Sam's point of view far more than Alan's.
I've enjoyed this series from the very beginning, but the mystery in this book was extremely weak. It was obvious from the start what was going on. The book was saved for me by the strong characterization of Sam and White's skill at detailing the ups and downs of marriage and friendship and the struggle to maintain his professional ethics in the face of startling patient revelations.
May 15, 2025
kept me guessing
December 4, 2008
I really enjoy Stephen White's psychological thrillers--though this particular book wasn't so much a thriller as some of his others have been. He also usually starts out slow, building the plot, and then has a fast, startling ending, but not so much this time. It seemed that White was trying out some new writing techniques, perhaps to shake up his normal pattern. He switched between two points of view--the main character, Dr. Alan Gregory, and his best friend, detective Sam Purdy. We basically had two stories side by side with each point of view. First we have Alan Gregory's concerns both with an exacerbation of his wife's multiple sclerosis and a potentially disastrous problem with his clinical psychology practice. Then we have Sam Purdy dealing with a heart attack, self-esteem issues, and marital problems. It is almost as if the attempt to catch a serial murderer is peripheral to the real issues of the book. I also figured out the mystery angle without too much trouble this time; usually White's plots are more convoluted. Perhaps he was spending more of his creative energies on the personal issues of Alan and Sam. There were more clinical psychology aspects in this book, which I have always been intrigued with--delving into psychology, the relationship of truth and lies, the lies we keep from each other and ourselves. And there was a lot of discussion about marriage and love and what makes it work. White really does know how to create a complex, believable character. Blinded is a better book than many on the market but not his best and not really a psychological suspense thriller this time. Oh, the story was set at Thanksgiving time, and they talked about Thanksgiving feasts, deep frying turkeys, and cooking a turduken. I was tickled since I read this novel during the Thanksgiving holiday and those cooking treats were discussed in our family conversations.
April 15, 2014
It's a week before Thanksgiving in Boulder. Psychologist Alan Gregory is juggling his responsibilities as a father, a husband and a doctor. Alan Gregory struggles with a strict agreement, Alan walks a thin ethical line by revealing just the right amount of information to interest Sam Purdy, his friend the detective and to start a search for the missing husband of Gibbs Storey. The search still continues to seek out Sterling Storey.
I would only recommend this book to people who enjoy reading mysteries.
I would only recommend this book to people who enjoy reading mysteries.
May 6, 2011
Audio Book. I hate abridged books. This was a horrible abridgement. The story may or may not have been good but too much was left out and then mentioned later.
July 4, 2021
All the mid-series books have been really good, 4's and 5's, this book included. I really like all the subplots, and White has gotten a lot better about weaving them into the story so that they all make sense and he doesn't have to rely on a lengthy explanation at the end that attempts to tie all the pieces together but that you have to read at least twice to make sure you understand everything. In this installment, the subplots were intriguing but not complicated, so you could keep track of everything and who everyone is, and it ties up nicely at the end without endless paragraphs tying up the knots. There was the murder piece as always, Lauren's MS, the leak from/bug in Alan's office, Sam's marriage breaking up, Sam's heart attack and his post-op journey to not just a healthier life but some soul-searching as well, and an introduction to Carmen Reynoso who has an interesting backstory and who might (and hopefully will) make appearances in future books in the series.
I also really like when White switches narrators instead of it always being Alan; in this book, he alternates between Alan and Sam, and it was cool to see things from Sam's eyes. Though Alan and Sam are friends, Alan seems to both admire Sam and look on him with some disdain (he seems to doubt Sam's intelligence and is definitely disgusted by him physically). This book gave Sam's character more credit; despite his unhealthy lifestyle causing a heart attack, the reader gets to see Sam as a detective, but even more than that, because of the view this book gives into his personal life and through his own eyes, not through Alan's observations, assumptions, and conclusions. I've said in previous reviews that Alan was judgy; he constantly comments on what Sam eats and how Sam eats, but not in a "wow, I'm worried about my friend, he's a heart attack waiting to happen" kind of way, but in a "ugh, look what he's eating and how fast he eats, I'm going to be so healthy and self-controlled with my wheat toast and grapefruit and I'm not even going to finish it, how about that" attitude. It doesn't help Sam, it just makes Alan seem like a snob. You don't get that in this book; not just because Sam is eating healthy because of his heart attack, but because half the book is through his eyes about himself, and coming to terms with hard truths about himself that spur positive lifestyle changes. I think what you also get from this book is confirmation about what you suspect all along: I was thinking about how Sam doesn't focus on Alan that much. He does have a lot going on in his personal life to occupy his mind, but in the case where Sam and Alan intersect in this book, he focuses on the case, whereas Alan focuses on so much else that he often misses obvious clues and ends up after a long time helping to solve the case through what are sometimes very complex circumstances or somehow gets a detailed confession from the killer whilst being held at gunpoint.
What I didn't like about this book (and many books in this series) and why I knocked off a star is that Alan seems to be so constantly tempted by other women. In another book, the first or second in the series after he and Lauren get married, he ends up working with a former girlfriend to solve the mystery, and at one point in the book, after they ended up in a tempting situation, he says something like, "I still don't know if I would have had sex with her or not," as if a decades-old romance with a woman who broke his heart would be a justifiable reason for cheating on his new wife, and it honestly was hard to tell if his hesitation was because he was now married or because he was mad at Sawyer and didn't trust her not to hurt him again afterward. While he and Gibbs don't get into any compromising physical situations, he constantly comments on her looks and how she dresses, and once he realizes that she's trying to manipulate him, he still takes everything she says at face value and ends up missing what the reader figures out several chapters before while the main characters don't realize the truth until it's literally staring them in the face. Lauren has MS and between that and the medications, she can be defensive and moody, and while she's apologetic about the toll it takes on her life and on their marriage and family and Alan always treats her with sympathy and seems to feel sorry for her, his narration of his private feelings about her definitely have resentful overtones and his thoughts are more consumed with a combination of "poor me, my wife has MS" and "look at my patient's tight pants and perfect cleavage" than "my poor wife who has MS and needs my understanding and patience" and "everything about this patient is totally inappropriate." It just makes Alan seem selfish, weak, and immature, like he's in his 30s or 40s but has the libido of an 20-year-old frat boy. Not that having a spouse with a serious and incurable illness could be easy, but there are probably better ways to deal with it (like seeing a therapist, um hello, Alan) than thinking about other men/women.
I also really like when White switches narrators instead of it always being Alan; in this book, he alternates between Alan and Sam, and it was cool to see things from Sam's eyes. Though Alan and Sam are friends, Alan seems to both admire Sam and look on him with some disdain (he seems to doubt Sam's intelligence and is definitely disgusted by him physically). This book gave Sam's character more credit; despite his unhealthy lifestyle causing a heart attack, the reader gets to see Sam as a detective, but even more than that, because of the view this book gives into his personal life and through his own eyes, not through Alan's observations, assumptions, and conclusions. I've said in previous reviews that Alan was judgy; he constantly comments on what Sam eats and how Sam eats, but not in a "wow, I'm worried about my friend, he's a heart attack waiting to happen" kind of way, but in a "ugh, look what he's eating and how fast he eats, I'm going to be so healthy and self-controlled with my wheat toast and grapefruit and I'm not even going to finish it, how about that" attitude. It doesn't help Sam, it just makes Alan seem like a snob. You don't get that in this book; not just because Sam is eating healthy because of his heart attack, but because half the book is through his eyes about himself, and coming to terms with hard truths about himself that spur positive lifestyle changes. I think what you also get from this book is confirmation about what you suspect all along: I was thinking about how Sam doesn't focus on Alan that much. He does have a lot going on in his personal life to occupy his mind, but in the case where Sam and Alan intersect in this book, he focuses on the case, whereas Alan focuses on so much else that he often misses obvious clues and ends up after a long time helping to solve the case through what are sometimes very complex circumstances or somehow gets a detailed confession from the killer whilst being held at gunpoint.
What I didn't like about this book (and many books in this series) and why I knocked off a star is that Alan seems to be so constantly tempted by other women. In another book, the first or second in the series after he and Lauren get married, he ends up working with a former girlfriend to solve the mystery, and at one point in the book, after they ended up in a tempting situation, he says something like, "I still don't know if I would have had sex with her or not," as if a decades-old romance with a woman who broke his heart would be a justifiable reason for cheating on his new wife, and it honestly was hard to tell if his hesitation was because he was now married or because he was mad at Sawyer and didn't trust her not to hurt him again afterward. While he and Gibbs don't get into any compromising physical situations, he constantly comments on her looks and how she dresses, and once he realizes that she's trying to manipulate him, he still takes everything she says at face value and ends up missing what the reader figures out several chapters before while the main characters don't realize the truth until it's literally staring them in the face. Lauren has MS and between that and the medications, she can be defensive and moody, and while she's apologetic about the toll it takes on her life and on their marriage and family and Alan always treats her with sympathy and seems to feel sorry for her, his narration of his private feelings about her definitely have resentful overtones and his thoughts are more consumed with a combination of "poor me, my wife has MS" and "look at my patient's tight pants and perfect cleavage" than "my poor wife who has MS and needs my understanding and patience" and "everything about this patient is totally inappropriate." It just makes Alan seem selfish, weak, and immature, like he's in his 30s or 40s but has the libido of an 20-year-old frat boy. Not that having a spouse with a serious and incurable illness could be easy, but there are probably better ways to deal with it (like seeing a therapist, um hello, Alan) than thinking about other men/women.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2020
as other reviewers mention....this one is alittle weak:-(
This summary/review may have been copied for other sources and is used only as a reminder of what the book was about for my personal interest. Any personal notations are for my recollection only.
**
When a psychologist sees a patient, there are certain standards that are used in the interaction between the doctor and the client. As a long-time psychologist, Alan Gregory certainly knows what those rules are. Yet, when stunningly gorgeous Gibbs Storey starts seeing him professionally, he finds himself alarmingly off kilter. He is consistently manipulated by Gibbs, in a way that hasn't happened to him since he fantasized about hooking up with one of the beautiful popular girls in high school.
Putting that problem aside, what Gibbs reveals during her appointments is an astonishing story about her husband, Sterling. He is a sportscaster and a very attractive man. He travels around the country for his job. What Gibbs has discovered is that he killed a woman with whom he had a liaison. As a matter of fact, according to her, he has killed several women. She doesn't feel threatened by him personally but wants him stopped before he can kill again.
Alan turns to a cop friend of his, Sam Purdy, and gives him just enough information to have him contact Gibbs and get the details that Alan cannot reveal due to professional ethics. Sam is on leave after suffering a heart attack, which was followed by the abrupt departure of his wife and son. He travels to Florida to track down a lead and discovers that Sterling has disappeared and presumably drowned after stopping to aid a car accident victim. That seems just a little too convenient to Sam.
While all of this is going on, Alan is dealing with major issues on the home front. His wife, Lauren, has multiple sclerosis and is undergoing a very bad episode which means he has to take on the care of their young daughter and otherwise manage the household. To add to the stress, he finds that various of his patients' confidences are becoming public, and his career is in danger of disintegrating.
**
Blinded features Stephen White’s familiar duo of psychologist Dr. Alan Gregory and his buddy, officer Sam Purdy. Gregory is trying to deal with his growing toddler along with his wife, who has MS. He sees an old patient, Gibbs Storey in therapy and she tells him that she believes her husband has murdered a former lover and a bunch of other women. Since Gregory can’t go to the police with this, he turns to Sam, who is recovering from a heart attack. They both follow separate investigational paths trying to find out the truth.
**
This particular book wasn't so much a thriller as some of his others have been. He also usually starts out slow, building the plot, and then has a fast, startling ending, but not so much this time. It seemed that White was trying out some new writing techniques, perhaps to shake up his normal pattern. He switched between two points of view--the main character, Dr. Alan Gregory, and his best friend, detective Sam Purdy.
We basically had two stories side by side with each point of view. First we have Alan Gregory's concerns both with an exacerbation of his wife's multiple sclerosis and a potentially disastrous problem with his clinical psychology practice.
This summary/review may have been copied for other sources and is used only as a reminder of what the book was about for my personal interest. Any personal notations are for my recollection only.
**
When a psychologist sees a patient, there are certain standards that are used in the interaction between the doctor and the client. As a long-time psychologist, Alan Gregory certainly knows what those rules are. Yet, when stunningly gorgeous Gibbs Storey starts seeing him professionally, he finds himself alarmingly off kilter. He is consistently manipulated by Gibbs, in a way that hasn't happened to him since he fantasized about hooking up with one of the beautiful popular girls in high school.
Putting that problem aside, what Gibbs reveals during her appointments is an astonishing story about her husband, Sterling. He is a sportscaster and a very attractive man. He travels around the country for his job. What Gibbs has discovered is that he killed a woman with whom he had a liaison. As a matter of fact, according to her, he has killed several women. She doesn't feel threatened by him personally but wants him stopped before he can kill again.
Alan turns to a cop friend of his, Sam Purdy, and gives him just enough information to have him contact Gibbs and get the details that Alan cannot reveal due to professional ethics. Sam is on leave after suffering a heart attack, which was followed by the abrupt departure of his wife and son. He travels to Florida to track down a lead and discovers that Sterling has disappeared and presumably drowned after stopping to aid a car accident victim. That seems just a little too convenient to Sam.
While all of this is going on, Alan is dealing with major issues on the home front. His wife, Lauren, has multiple sclerosis and is undergoing a very bad episode which means he has to take on the care of their young daughter and otherwise manage the household. To add to the stress, he finds that various of his patients' confidences are becoming public, and his career is in danger of disintegrating.
**
Blinded features Stephen White’s familiar duo of psychologist Dr. Alan Gregory and his buddy, officer Sam Purdy. Gregory is trying to deal with his growing toddler along with his wife, who has MS. He sees an old patient, Gibbs Storey in therapy and she tells him that she believes her husband has murdered a former lover and a bunch of other women. Since Gregory can’t go to the police with this, he turns to Sam, who is recovering from a heart attack. They both follow separate investigational paths trying to find out the truth.
**
This particular book wasn't so much a thriller as some of his others have been. He also usually starts out slow, building the plot, and then has a fast, startling ending, but not so much this time. It seemed that White was trying out some new writing techniques, perhaps to shake up his normal pattern. He switched between two points of view--the main character, Dr. Alan Gregory, and his best friend, detective Sam Purdy.
We basically had two stories side by side with each point of view. First we have Alan Gregory's concerns both with an exacerbation of his wife's multiple sclerosis and a potentially disastrous problem with his clinical psychology practice.
July 27, 2020
Blinded follows Alan Gregory, a psychologist, who sees a patient who says her husband has murdered a woman. Possibly several women. Alan gets his friend Sam, a detective, involved. As they both work at approaching the case from different angles, Alan realizes some of the secrets he can’t pass along are starting to get out some other way.
I didn’t realize when I first picked up Blinded that it was the 12th in the series of Alan Gregory. So my review might be a biased on that, because I don’t have the background of Alan - I lack the connection to his character that I’m sure a lot of others would have if they’ve been faithfully reading the series. With that in mind though, it did sort of feel like it could be a stand alone book. It didn’t have a lot of character development for Alan, or Sam, and I assume that is because they’ve been introduced over the course of the series fairly well, but the mystery doesn’t seem to span beyond this book, so you’re not left in the dark about an over arching story the way some mystery series do.
While not a bad book by any means, it is fairly predictable. The writing style is straightforward, and lacks a lot of flourish when it comes to the twists we so crave in a mystery book. For that, it made it feel a bit bland in some spots and dragged on a bit more in others. The predictability might come from how many mysteries and thrillers I’ve read over the years, so some readers might be very surprised by the book, but for fans of the genre they’ll probably see the ending from a mile away.
Saying all that though, for fans of the genre, I can see why the series has gone on for so long. Alan does seem like an interesting protagonist, even without that background character development, and maybe I just started with one of the more tame stories and others in the series will surprise me and shock me. For that, I’m willing to say I’ll seek out more books in the series, and can recommend this one for a mystery reader who is looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon getting lost in with a straightforward murder mystery and domestic thriller.
I didn’t realize when I first picked up Blinded that it was the 12th in the series of Alan Gregory. So my review might be a biased on that, because I don’t have the background of Alan - I lack the connection to his character that I’m sure a lot of others would have if they’ve been faithfully reading the series. With that in mind though, it did sort of feel like it could be a stand alone book. It didn’t have a lot of character development for Alan, or Sam, and I assume that is because they’ve been introduced over the course of the series fairly well, but the mystery doesn’t seem to span beyond this book, so you’re not left in the dark about an over arching story the way some mystery series do.
While not a bad book by any means, it is fairly predictable. The writing style is straightforward, and lacks a lot of flourish when it comes to the twists we so crave in a mystery book. For that, it made it feel a bit bland in some spots and dragged on a bit more in others. The predictability might come from how many mysteries and thrillers I’ve read over the years, so some readers might be very surprised by the book, but for fans of the genre they’ll probably see the ending from a mile away.
Saying all that though, for fans of the genre, I can see why the series has gone on for so long. Alan does seem like an interesting protagonist, even without that background character development, and maybe I just started with one of the more tame stories and others in the series will surprise me and shock me. For that, I’m willing to say I’ll seek out more books in the series, and can recommend this one for a mystery reader who is looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon getting lost in with a straightforward murder mystery and domestic thriller.
April 22, 2018
An impulse buy from the bookstore's sidewalk sale, this book really sits right between two and three stars...more like two stars for its quality, but definitely three for my reading enjoyment. It was a quick, easy read and one I didn't want to put down, although I was a little disappointed when I got to the end and found that my prediction from much earlier in the book proved to be correct. I suppose that should make me feel good, but it was really more of a hunch than anything else, and the book didn't seem to have good clues along the way to either confirm my suspicions or try to lead me off the track - both of which I appreciate in a good mystery. Suspense-wise, Blinded really ended up having very little, which was both relieving (I don't enjoy books that are actually scary) and disappointing (it shouldn't be marketed as a thriller with a stunning climax if it's not). All that being said, I liked the characters and their internal struggles to figure out what to do and why they were doing what they were doing...there are apparently other novels featuring these same characters, and I'd certainly be willing to read more with them in it. Good summer or vacation read when you just want to get swept away into a story!
February 21, 2023
I didn’t realize this book was part of a character series before I started reading it, but like most reviews noted, it works as a stand-alone (sort of). While there are repeating characters, I didn’t feel like I was missing much of the dynamic with starting at the 12th book in. But in that case, why write a character series??
Anyway, onto the plot itself. I found the first half of the book very boring… like the exposition was there, but a lot of the time I couldn’t follow the sequencing and story line to figure out why I cared about these things happening. In the last 1/3rd of the book was when all the parts started to come together, and that’s the part that I enjoyed the most.
One thing I definitely thought was unnecessary was the tension between Sam and literally every female character in this book?? All bc he was fighting with his wife? It didn’t add anything to the plot for me. At least with Alan and Sam fawning over Gibbs, it was relevant bc she was able to trick them into overlooking her as a suspect. The others (the waitress, Holly, Carmen) just felt awkward and forced.
Anyway, onto the plot itself. I found the first half of the book very boring… like the exposition was there, but a lot of the time I couldn’t follow the sequencing and story line to figure out why I cared about these things happening. In the last 1/3rd of the book was when all the parts started to come together, and that’s the part that I enjoyed the most.
One thing I definitely thought was unnecessary was the tension between Sam and literally every female character in this book?? All bc he was fighting with his wife? It didn’t add anything to the plot for me. At least with Alan and Sam fawning over Gibbs, it was relevant bc she was able to trick them into overlooking her as a suspect. The others (the waitress, Holly, Carmen) just felt awkward and forced.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2019
i generally like stephen white's alan gregory series, but this one is my least favorite that i've read so far (which i am not doing in order). the solution to the main mystery driving the action seemed really obvious, but it took the characters a painfully long time to figure it out while the book plodded along. this one also seemed like it had more extraneous and pointless subplots that didn't really tie in or make the story more interesting. i'll still keep reading the series based on the strength of many of the other books in it, but i recommend skipping this one.
April 3, 2025
I was 75% through this book, when I came upon such a huge error. I am shocked that an editor did not catch this. I was really loving this book, and recommending it to my friends and family. There was a situation when Sam, one of the main characters, was in Indianapolis on the night before Thanksgiving. He said it was dead. I mean nothing was open and no one was anywhere and it was dead. This is so ridiculous as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in the Midwest is known as the number one drinking/bar day of the entire year. Someone should’ve checked this out before he wrote that!
February 5, 2024
This was an engrossing & entertaining tale by a new-to-me author that I picked up at last year's library sale. Apparently, I'm way late to the party, as this is the 12th (?) novel featuring psychologist Alan Gregory and his crime fighting cohorts.
I really enjoyed Whites writing style.His characters are complex, and his plotting was suspenseful and interestingly constructed.
I'll definitely look to read others in this series.
I really enjoyed Whites writing style.His characters are complex, and his plotting was suspenseful and interestingly constructed.
I'll definitely look to read others in this series.
April 20, 2025
I must confess that I found Blinded by Stephen White to be rather uninteresting and long winded. I kept hoping for something more, but the book kept failing to deliver. I was on the verge of giving up multiple times and wishing I had done so because it was quite boring and a lengthy read. My opinion might have been different if I hadn’t finished the book and discovered that it’s part of a series. I suppose that’s what happens when you impulsively buy a random book from a hospital cafe for 25p.
March 21, 2022
White has developed many interesting characters in his books: Alan Gregory, Diane, Loren, Lucy, but my favorite is Sam Purdy the plodding, grumpy, health and weight challenged detective of Boulder PD. Sam is Alan's buddy and confidant, but you might need to pay attention to even know they are friends.
November 19, 2024
This is the first book I read by White Stephen - Quite good! Very catchy! However, the end of the book is where reader may start losing interest. I was already expecting some kind of turn due to the development of the characters (mainly Gibbs). But I'm sure I will read at least one more of his other books of the series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2018
I typically have really enjoyed books by Stephen White. This one was not as good for me. I’m no genius, but I was able to guess the main antagonist pretty early in the story. As a whole, I would recommend this author for great summer reading.
July 2, 2020
I liked this author. A psychiatrist tries to hep a mixed bag of patients including one that thinks her husband is a serial killer. Even though I thought I had it all figured out I enjoyed every sentence.
August 23, 2020
When a book is nearly 500 pages I expect a gripping story with well developed characters. Blinded had lots of words but no story. It was void of all suspense. It was predicable. I wanted to quit before I was even halfway through but was hopeful it would redeem itself. Unfortunately it never did.
July 10, 2021
I love that this is a local author with many familiar places and attitudes incorporated into the story. I really like the main characters in this series, they are fully developed interesting people.
March 24, 2024
I was really set on this being a 3 star read for me throughout the whole book. The story line was fine but nothing spectacular for me. The twist in the last 20 pages really caught me off guard though and kept me on my toes, so I'll round up to 3.5 stars.
June 28, 2024
The characters really make this series. Then banter between Alan and Sam is the best. But that banter is also carried out between most of the characters. This book I had the murderer figured out pretty much at the very beginning. But the storyline was still good.
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