ASIN: B00TR8BWUI
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: 4/14/2015
Format: Other
My Rating: 4 Stars
Dr. Eric Parrish is the chief of the psychiatric unit at Havemeyer General Hospital outside of Philadelphia. Recently separated from his wife, Alice, he is doing his best as a single dad to his seven-year-old daughter, Hannah.
His work seems to be going better than his homelife, however. His unit at the hospital has just been named number two in the country, and Eric has a devoted staff of doctors and nurses who are as caring as he is. But when he takes on a new patient, Eric's entire world begins to crumble.
Seventeen-year-old Max has a terminally ill grandmother and is having trouble handling it. That, plus his OCD and violent thoughts about a girl he likes make him a high-risk patient. Max can't turn off the mental rituals he needs to perform every 15 minutes that keep him calm. With the pressure mounting, Max just might reach the breaking point.
When the girl is found murdered, Max is nowhere to be found. Worried about Max, Eric goes looking for him and puts himself in danger of being seen as a person of interest himself. Next, one of his own staff turns on him in a trumped-up charge of sexual harassment. Is this chaos all random? Or is someone systematically trying to destroy Eric's life? Lisa Scottoline's visceral thriller brings you into the grip of a true sociopath and shows you how, in the quest to survive such ruthlessness, every minute counts.
My Review
Lisa Scottoline delivers EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES, a different twist than her usual legal thrillers, with a psychological suspense of greed and corruption, leaving you guessing the identity of a ruthless sociopath. Dr. Eric Parrish has a successful career as chief of a well-known psychiatric hospital Havemeyer General Hospital outside of Philadelphia. He is controlled, professional and currently balancing his work and personal life. Eric has a devoted staff of doctors and nurses, and well respected. Recently separated from his wife, Caitlin and currently in a custody battle over his seven-year-old daughter, Hannah. However, he soon learns his wife is dating again, and he is not so keen with her choice. He is losing control, as his former wife is selling their home, and he is not getting to spend as much time with his daughter as he would like, plus her boyfriend is always in the way. As the book opens, Eric is consulting on a case with a troubled teen, seventeen-year-old Max Jakubowski through his practice. The teen is OCD and lives for his obsessive daily rituals. His estranged mom is an alcoholic and his dad out of the picture. He currently lives with his grandmother, who is dying. Eric is panic stricken about his grandmother as she is his entire life. In addition, Max’s other obsession is his tutor, Renee and constantly worried about her whereabouts and actions. Eric is concerned about Max’s OCD and violent thoughts and knows he will need to keep a close check on the situation. Eric feels almost like a father figure to Max and will protect him. Soon events begin targeting Eric and his life begins to fall apart. Some of his enemies do not like all his attention at work as the US News and World Report is about to announce his unit ranks second in the nation, so he is high profile. Next a med student files a harassment charge, after he rejects her. Shortly thereafter, Max is upset and frantically calls Eric stating his grandmother has died. Eric knows he has to get to him, as quickly as possible; a suicide risk, and has to help him; however, Max takes off before he arrives at his apartment. When he arrives, he finds the drunken mother. Now Eric is at a mall, holding teens as hostage. Eric has to get to Max to help him; however, the cops do not think Eric is being very forthcoming, as he is trying to keep Max’s file private and at the same time, he may lose his daughter and his professional life. Max announces that he's going to kill teens at the mall; one every 15 minutes before he blows up the King of Prussia Mall. Now, if things could not be worse, Renee winds up murdered. Is Max a real killer and if Eric goes to jail trying to protect Max, how will he be able to help him, himself, and his own family? He does not think Max is capable of killing, if not who is the sociopath? Now, he is a person of interest. Worst possibly timing, when he is trying to get custody of his daughter and his wife is an attorney and she is no help. He has to try and do some investigating on his own, as he is desperate. When I began listening to the audiobook, I had to look down several times to make sure I was reading the correct book, as not the typical Lisa Scottoline book; however, she of course can pull off any suspense, whether medical, legal, crime, or psychological. The narrator, George Newbern gave an good performance with a pleasant voice, keeping the suspense high for an intense psychological mystery with twists and turns keeping you guessing. On a personal note: I had to laugh as the reference to a home in Myrtle Beach, SC. Why would anyone want to live in this commercialized city, no character, full of rednecks? My least favorite area of the southeast US--as a native of the Carolinas was sick of this area as a child with summer beach trips. Charleston, yes or one of the southern islands would have been a more "sought after" geographical location; however, I have to remember, this is fiction.
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About the Author
Lisa Scottoline is the New York Times bestselling author and Edgar award-winning author of 23 novels, including her latest, EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter Francesca Serritella for the Philadelphia Inquirer titled "Chick Wit" which is a witty and fun take on life from a woman's perspective.
Lisa is a regular and much sought after speaker at library and corporate events. Lisa has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Website Twitter
