Keith Ward

Ablow's latest thriller (after Compulsion) pits his series protagonist, Boston forensic psychiatrist Frank Clevenger, against Jonah Wrens, a spooky serial killer who also happens to be a psychiatrist. The result is a serviceable spin on the now familiar duel between secret-sharing adversaries. What lifts the novel above the endless line of Thomas Harris remakes is the author's ability to create unique, psychologically complex characters. Clevenger, a refreshingly scarred and flawed hero still recovering from his addictions to sex, drugs and rock `n' roll, is facing the additional daunting task of single-parenting a similarly addicted teenage ward. The homicidal Wren is an empathic genius as adept at understanding and curing disturbed children as he is at meeting, speed-reading and rending his hapless victims. Ablow has created full-bodied characters, but they deserve an audio interpretation beyond his capability.

Building on the author's previous book, Financial Aspects of Marketing, Marketing Finance stresses the pivotal relationship between finance and strategy in the marketing process, and clearly demonstrates the techniques and calculations that are necessary to formulate a comprehensive plan.