Denial

Frank Clevenger #1

by Keith Ablow

Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychiatrist who hates authority, fears intimacy, uses sex as an aesthetic, is tortured by his professional mistakes, and can't free himself from the shadows of a brutal, alcoholic father and an absent, unfeeling mother. But it is precisely this injured psyche that allows him to understand the deranged behavior of the mental and emotional outcasts who cross his professional path.

As Denial opens, all of Clevenger's understanding and expertise are put to the He has been asked to rubber-stamp the mental competence of a homeless schizophrenic who has confessed to a particularly grisly murder. As evidence of a shocking series of murders begins to mount, Clevenger will be forced to confront his own most terrifying and powerful demons.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller

263 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Keith Russell Ablow is an American psychiatrist, New York Times best-selling author, and television personality.

Reviews

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get into this one, the main character is flawed flawed flawed. Then I realized why he is the way he is and I kept learning more as I continued to read. Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychiatrist and is in need of a therapy himself. He treats himself with cocaine and alcohol and anything else he can think of further damage himself. He does care about his patients and that is what won me to his side. I really don't think I'd like him as a person, but I'd want him as my therapist. What life has thrown at Frank, lets him empathize with other damaged souls.
I will be reading more of this series and in sequential order. I don't normally do this.

[Feyre · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uff. Wie unsympathisch können Charaktere sein?! Hier war wirklich niemand dabei, der oder die irgendwie Sympathien in mir auslöste. Der Schreibstil war okay, die Geschichte fing vielversprechend an. Leider war auch die Auflösung nicht gut - ich meine nicht, wer es getan hat, sondern wir damit umgegangen wurde. War leider einfach nicht meins.

[James F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started to read this book I didn't realize that this was the first fiction novel for this author. So I was critical about the writing of this mediocre story. However I did not give up on it and continued. the main character is not likable he is a psychiatrist who has a few bad habits cocaine,gambling, drinking, and chasing women. Thru half the book you come to understand where Frank Clevenger has evolved from. At that particular point you start to connect to the good Doctor and appreciate where he is in this mixed up world. The base line of the story is about a serial killer that mutilates the bodies of his victims. They arrest a homeless man that is at the scene of the murder and need the Doctor to verify that he is able to stand trial, rather than going through the motions he believes that he did not commit the murder. Shortly after another woman is found killed and brutalized the same way. I enjoyed the book was it the best book I ever read. No!
Did I want to find out what happens next YES!
I believe the writer will become more proficient as he continues writing fiction.

[Ella · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending seem abrupt and stupid.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly don't know what to think about this novel except that it had very dark themes that the protagonist was dealing within himself with his inner demons and within his line of work in trying to put the puzzle pieces together in tracking down a serial killer that eventually turns out to be much closer to home than originally expected.

But I found the protagonist really unlikable and really couldn't relate to him or empathize with him, it felt like half of his problems were self-inflicted and could have been avoided if he made better decisions.

I almost gave it a two-star rating but this book wasn't for me.

[Dokusha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein Protagonist auf Koks, rauchend, trinkend, spielend, sexversessen... es ist ein bisschen übertrieben, Ablow lässt nichts aus. Aber ansonsten liest sich das Buch gut, und das Ende ist auf gewisse Art auch rührend.

[MaryAlice]

Reason I gave up on Denial by Keith Ablow ~ I could not muster up any feeling of caring what happened to main characters. The story started out interesting: women found murdered, breasts cut off, homeless man calls police telling them he killed a virgin.

From there it turned into porno, S&M scenes, perverted doctors and the women who loved being degraded by them. I kept wondering when the story would get back to the deranged homeless man, determining if he did indeed kill the women.

By that time I truly stopped caring if the psych doc would go into drug rehab, and win back his lady. If I say anymore I would need to add Spoiler Alert.

[Delilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was slightly disappointed in this novel. When a forensic psychiatrist writes a crime thriller, I expect a level of introspective intensity in the characters that I just didn't see demonstrated by Mr. Ablow. There were elements of cleverness that kept me reading this otherwise mediocre story; I appreciated the raw raunchiness and the thoroughly unlikable protagonist. At the same time, I wanted the author to step up his appeal to both my visceral love of the macabre and my ability to read above a junior high school level, and I didn't feel satisfied when it was through.

[StarMan · Rating 3 out of 5]

IN SHORT: Tropes, Tawdriness, & Twists.

or: Sex, Drugs, & a Possible Serial Killer

Notable for many damaged characters, lots of sex, and an ending that may suprise some readers. Overall it was good. There were a couple of too-convenient plot developments that didn't feel plausible. I liked the presence of several possible suspects, even though I guessed the culprit very early on.

VERDICT: 2 to 4 stars, depending on how much you like your protagonists doing drugs & strippers.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a poor example of American literature. I expected a mystery novel, similar to the Criminal Minds show, and all I received was the story of a cocaine addicted psychiatrist who couldn't keep it in his pants. Not something I would ever pick up again.

[Nevena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nakon čitanja ovakvih knjiga nekada se zaista zapitam – zašto naši izdavači toliko potenciraju na objavljivanju samo novijih „popularnih“ naslova koji se često pokažu kao čist promašaj ❌😤 kada ima toliko starijih izdanja kao što su ove knjige koje zaslužuju svu našu pažnju 👏🏼💯. Kako sve više čitam, tako sve više dolazim do zaključka da su upravo ti stariji naslovi mnogo bolje napisani, originalniji i savršeniji od ovih „hit“ knjiga koje su danas popularne, a zapravo su meni baš mlake (ne sve, ali... naginje ka tome da je to ipak velika većina). 😐 I nije mi jasno zbog čega ovaj serijal nije preveden do kraja…
⭐ Autor Keith Ablow nije „samo“ pisac – on je i bivši forenzički psihijatar 🧠, što je ogroman plus jer se to u pisanju vidi i te kako. On ne izmišlja „bolesne umove“ da bi šokirao – on ih razume, secira ih, objašnjava, razlaže, i to tako precizno da imate osećaj da čitate klinički dosije najizopačenijih umova, a ne samo fikciju. 👁️🖤 Njegov stil pisanja je direktan, oštar, brutalno iskren, ali opet dovoljno atmosferičan da vas drži u stalnoj neizvesnosti, čuđenju i zapanjenosti dok čitate o likovima koje on stvara.
⭐ Glavni lik i nosilac ovog serijala je forenzički psihijatar Frank Clevenger. On je briljantan u svojoj profesiji, jedan od najboljih forenzičkih psihijatara, ali njegov privatni život je jedno veliko sivilo. Bori se sa zavisnostima, traumama, destruktivnim ponašanjem, i dok pokušava da „zaviri“ u umove najopakijih ubica – vrlo često se suočava i sa svojim sopstvenim demonima. 🥃💊🌀
I ono najzanimljivije – nikada ne znate da li će njegova strast da razotkrije istinu dovesti do rešenja... ili do potpunog sloma. On je emocionalno nestabilan, ponekad sebičan, često iritantan, ali beskrajno fascinantan i realan lik. Jedan od najkompleksnijih likova koje sam ikada srela u trilerima. 🔥🧩
⭐ Neću vam puno toga otkriti o samoj radnji, ali ukratko – jedna po jedna bivaju ubijene devojke koje rade u jednom striptiz klubu i Franka angažuju kako bi pokušao da odgovori na pitanje ko bi mogao biti ubica i kakav bi mogao biti njegov psihološki profil. Prva knjiga nam mnogo više opisuje kompleksnost Frankove ličnosti i njegovu životnu rutinu do opisa same istrage – iako ćemo na kraju ove prve knjige doći do zapanjujućih otkrića… Druga knjiga je je još mračnija i intimnija dok i dalje pratimo Franka njegovu borbu sa ličnim demonima, a ujedno i čitavu razvrzlamu oko pomenutih ubistava i nekih drugih – novih… Kraj me je ostavi o u čudu!
⭐ Ove knjige bih preporučila svima koji vole kompleksne glavne likove u psihološkim trilerima poput sledećih autora: Chris Carter (i njegov detektiv Robert Hunter), Patricia Cornwell (i njena dr Kay Scarpetta) kao i Tess Gerritsen ( i njen tandem Isles i Rizzoli) tako i Keith Ablow ima svog Franka Clevengera. 😊

[Andrea Corley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often that I get enough time to pick up an actual book and read! But I was on vacation and I just happened to take two books with me, Denial being the first one I picked up! Boy did I have to buckle my seatbelt, but I was in for the ride of my life with Frank Clevenger!

I've had the paperback copy of Psychopath for probably a decade, and me being the OCD person that I am, could not read it until I read the other 3 books in the series first! So finally, I found a copy of the first three books! I had just gotten it before I left before vacation which is what made me throw it in my bag, and I am SOOO glad that I did! That book made my vacation that much more enjoyable!

Frank Clevenger is nothing short of a hot friggin mess! And that is putting it nicely! But holy cow, it's like that train wreck that you know you shouldn't be watching, but yet you can't peel your eyes away from it? That's how I felt with this book! I knew I shouldn't be reading it, but I just couldn't help it! Frank is a Forensic Psychiatrist who, when on the top of his game, he is the very best at what he does. Even when he's quickly sliding down a slippery slope, he's still the best! That is why he is needed on this murder case, which eventually turns into trying to find a serial killer! However, will all of Frank's indiscretions get in the way of catching the killer? I was on the edge of my seat and just had to keep reading late into the night to find out!

This is one helluca roller coaster ride that you will seriously be glad you rode! I honestly can't wait to read the next book in this series because I have to find out what ole Frank is up to next! Seriously, you've GOT to start this series! You don't know what you're missing! This is one of the best books I've read this year!

Just a warning though, this book does contain sex, drugs, murder, and just total out-of-control chaos!

[Kitty | MyCuriousReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intelligently written and original.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly broken protagonist who is a psychiatrist assists the police on some murders involving body mutilation. A horribly unlikable man but the author still engenders pity for him

[Tara Kable · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, not really sure quite what to say about this book! It was a real page turner, but in the same effect as a train wreck...You just can't look away! Frank is totally messed up, his girlfriends are totally messed up, and the book was beyond graphic with the sex scenes. Definately not for the squeamish or faint of heart. I definately recommend reading these in order, as there is a lot of back story on Frank and why he is the way he is. A great book, but definately not "light" reading.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many dysfunctional characters, short bursts of raw sex (no romance). About 50 pages into the book I was ready to quit because I couldn't deal with the characters that lacked my respect and had no self control. But I plodded on and the story did suck me in.
With things coming to a conclusion, I was ready to give this 4 stars. But the end was just ridiculous. Characters that are narcissistic, emotionally immature, have no self control, and no social skills.
I wish I hadn't wasted my time.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by my friend Chris Tran. Very graphic in the sexual scenes and no holds barred in the depiction of a doctor on a down spiral of drugs, sex and alcohol. Not for the squeamish, but well plotted.

[Nicole]

I learned that people are not what they seem on the outside and you should try to to find something that is deeper and hidden in that person who seems shy on life.

[Anastasia Brickner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unbelievably horny. Well written, enjoyable read. Accidentally recommended it to my mom

[rndgmoat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fresh off reading a "real" book of genuine artistic merit, I felt the need to once again wallow in more crap. When I knew I was going to be having a sleepless night staying overnight at a clinic, I knew I needed some kind of page-turner nonsense that might keep me reasonably engaged, but that would also not really suffer if sleep deprivation caused me to forget a few plot threads or tangential characters. Boy did this book deliver on that promise.

Published in the mid-90s as part of a general post-Silence of the Lambs boom for so-called "psychological thrillers," this book captures a lot of what is ridiculous and absurd about these mysteries, in which the killer is investigated not by a classic detective, but by a detective of the mind--a profiler or other psychologist. This book is written by a psychiatrist of small fame and, as a result, contains a fairly refreshing amount of grounded commentary on trauma, drug addiction, childhood abuse etc...but also then takes those observations and injects them into this trashy and overheated work of misogynistic ultraviolence. What a bizarre book.

Our flawed protagonist is Frank Clevenger, an almost comic caricature of a "dark" anti-hero detective. He's got issues, man! Frank is scarred by his traumatic childhood and, despite being a wealthy and good-looking example of male wish fulfillment (a character tells him, at a blood-soaked murder scene, that he could have been a model), is constantly telling us how fucked up and in pain he is. He submerges those feelings through a heroic intake of cocaine and almost comically graphic sexual encounters (An actual line, voiced by the inner monologue of Frank after he is asked by a stripper he has just given a facial whether he enjoyed the act: "I thought of telling her not to flatter herself, that I had ejaculated on better-looking faces, which happened to be true.).

Despite apparently failing in private practice, we are led to believe that Frank's job taking appointments in criminal cases is sufficient for him to afford a giant mansion and a Range Rover (the Rover is basically another character in this thing). Frank's got a kinky and equally damaged lover named Kathy; when we meet both these characters for the first time, it is during a cringeworthy description of a blowjob.

Anyway! Setting aside that this professional man with a family put his name to this porny book, the real action gets going when Frank gets a call about one of those crazy killings that only happen in books from this era, as they all raced to do outdo each other with clever descriptions of innovative mutilation. A woman is found raped and killed; she's also had her breasts hacked off. Fodder for lots of black humor from the gritty cops in this book I can tell you that! Frank gets involved because he's been hired to evaluate whether the suspect--a cliched mentally ill Vietnam veteran--is competent to give a confession. (This is a big deal, because, if he isn't...then what? The criminal procedure here seems to be only tangentially connected to reality, but that's neither here nor there in this book). Frank, being a brilliant bastard, of course believes there's more to it than one crazy bum.

When more bodies start piling up--all while Frank's life spirals down the drain--his suspicions are confirmed. More improbable events occur before Frank, of course, figures out the real killer. Along the way, we get lots of debauchery, a lot of sermonizing about trauma, some rather shocking references to child sexual abuse, all intercut with scenes of either graphic sex or violence.

So how do I rate this thing? I have to admit, despite the cliches and many groan-worthy parts (such as Frank improbably being given a chance to catch the bastard by the chief of police because, damn it, you're our only hope), the book has an efficient, airport thriller feel to it that makes it hum along. It is over the top and very stupid, sure, but it's also kind of compulsively readable and ridiculous. Not to mention that the central mystery--while retrospectively obvious--is actually kind of well-done.

Anyway, I'm not sure this book deserves to be revisited out of its cultural moment. It's gross and ridiculous at many points, sure, but if you like spicing your reading list up with a little trash, this is a great one. I didn't even get into the guy driving around with a dead stripper's clit ring dangling from his rearview mirror, or the disturbing references to rough anal sex! I did love flipping to the author's photo to see his grinning face just to be like...what did you coworkers think? Anyway, screw it, three stars for being such a wild read.

[Cheyenne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A while back, I picked up Psychopath somewhat randomly from my local library and really enjoyed it, particularly because I'd never really read crime fiction from the perspective of a forensic psychologist before, and that's something of particular interest to me. So when I had the chance to go back to the beginning of the series and read book 1, I absolutely took it. However, stepping into this novel felt very different than my memories of book 4. The opening chapters of the book seemed almost in a hurry to run around the bases of crime fiction cliché, rapidly giving our protagonist a toxic relationship and a cocaine habit that made him feel almost like a caricature. He was also constantly psychoanalyzing everyone in rather clichéd ways, though given the age of the book, this might have been more in line with the psychology of the time. The book definitely also felt aged in how it handled transgender issues. Though the protagonist was referred to as liberal multiple times throughout the book (at least once by himself), he still analyzed the trans person he came across in a somewhat questionable way, and she was constantly misgendered throughout the entire scene she was in.

There were also some elements of the central plot that felt questionable to me. I found it strange that Kathy mutilated Rachel's body, given that the mutilations prior to her death were very specifically to remove body parts that Trevor had operated on. It didn't fit her MO, unless she was specifically trying to make that murder seem more consistent with the others so Trevor would be set free. It felt a little inconsistent, like the mutilations in the end were more for sensationalism on the part of the author and less because they actually made sense with the murderer. However, I appreciated having a female killer using a violent murder weapon, since this is not common, especially for an older book. Frank's complete lack of ethics or propriety also bothered me a bit. Obviously someone doing cocaine on the clock is going to be less than responsible, but by the end of the book, I was still a bit shocked by how he chose to resolve the situation in which he found himself, and it did nothing to redeem him to me as a character. I'm still a bit surprised this man turns into the character in Book 4, who I remember to be a much more believable and competent psychiatrist (but maybe part of that is the two years between readings).

I would not have kept reading this series if I'd started with this book, but because I enjoyed Psychopath, I feel compelled to keep going and see how Frank develops as a protagonist over time.

[Tareq Yassine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really engaging book. I just picked it up from the public library.

It was about a psychologist who solves crimes. He analyzes victims and the potential accused of the crimes. He looks into himself and others.

It was interesting to get into this psychology and learn what's beneath the surface. It wasn't pretty!

Quotes:
"The straight path will only take you where somebody else wants you to go"


"People react predictably, especially when they don't have time to think"


"Even your irritation with me is a programmed reaction. We are creatures of habit"


"Everything terrible is something that needs our love"


"As a psychotherapist, I had always felt at home coaxing the healing process. The goals of treatment were subjective ones. Recovery could be a matter of opinion. Kathy's work was definitive -- delivering new life. Was that why she felt comfortable invading my life as dramatically as she had"


"I doubted I could make her feel anything. Her own suffering had deadened her"

[Dorie · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you take all the things I don't care for in a character, roll them into a into a ball, and wrap it up with an attitude towards life that I equally don't care for........this novel would pop out. You can skip sections at a time and miss nothing. .....this is just plain crappy writing, and for me, worthless. I am really hoping this is not the same attitude of all his novels, because I have looked forward to reading this author, from friend suggestions and reviews on here. For me, it is hard to take a sex and drug addict seriously...esp. one borrowing money from his mother to buy enough drugs to make it to the next stripper bar....if sex, porn and drugs are your thing, this is for you. But it's not written well or engaging.... just blunt and boring.

[Ken Schloman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first volume of the Frank Clevenger series about a criminal forensic psychologist. I have to say I first read #4 of the series and wanted to go back and get more of the protagonist's back story. While the story line is about a series of grisly murders, to me the novel is a character study of a very flawed and really unlikable "anti-hero". As the novel develops , you can see how messed up Clevenger really is and how he tries to fight his demons. In that regard the novel succeeds. As to the solving of the murders, the solution reminds me of a made for cable TV movie. It doesn't grab me and just doesn't seem to work well. Still a decent read.

[S D]

When I first started reading this, I nearly gave up.

Partly because I tried to figure out who the author was and learned that has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple patients and frequently diagnosed former President Barack Obama as having "abandonment issues," without ever having met or treated him.

Partly because the main character is such a prick.

But I finished it, and the second half is much stronger than the first part. The author is still a dubious figure, to say the least.

[Reader_Shark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in a few days. Dr. Clevenger is a psychiatrist for the cops who is fighting his own demons by being a coke head also. Anyway bodies start turning up and they catch one homeless guy - it turns out not to be him - lock up a plastic surgeon - turns out not to be him - it is Frank's sometimes live in doctor girlfriend. She was abused by her father as a child and anytime her boyfriends stray she kills the other woman. Dr. Frank doesn't turn her over to the police - he takes her to a private psych house.

[Anthony Yvonnica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The basic plot of the story, figuring out who did it, was good. But I did not enjoy the book.

Frank Clevenger is a dirt bag. He may or may not be a good psychiatrist, he may or may not be haunted by ghosts from his past, but he is about as unlikable a character as can be.

I also didn't see the need for the graphic sex in the book. I get it, adults have sex, but I didn't need the blow by blow details each time.

It will be a while before I consider readingFrank Clevenger Book 2

[Igor Gligorijevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Svi smo mi, baš svi, obogaljeni i iskrivljeni. Većina nas očajnički se trudi da otera svoju izobličenost s vidika i iz misli. Naše patnje alhemija duše pretvara u zavisnosti, čireve, moždane udare, mržnju, čak i u ratove. Ali jedan veoma mali broj ljudi, koje možemo slobodno zvati i anđelima, pojavljuje se nepredvidivo u našim životima i sprečava nas da bežimo od sebe.”

9/10

[Donna Hulsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank Clevenger is one of the most flawed heroes I have ever read about. Drug using, womanizing, very flawed. He is a therapist, and a forensic psychologist, and there is a serial killer on the loose. The serial killer is killing and mutilating women. Won't ever bother with this author again.

[Jennifer Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Clevenger might be a forensic psychiatrist, but his own life is a mess. A girlfriend who is mad at him, a coke habit that keeps him running, and a reputation to polish keeps him exhausted. In the first novel of this series, I found myself rooting for him, even though I wasn't sure I liked him. His slowly exposed vulnerabilities left me looking forward to the second book.