Lawrence Goldstone

Reader Comments about THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION

Delacorte Press
ISBN: 9780385341349
(On Sale January 29, 2008)

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Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about Lawrence Goldstone's THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION.

Barb from Mechanicsburg, PA

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
No.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I read P. J. Tracy, David Baldacci, Catherine Coulter, Sue Grafton, Sarah R. Shaber, John Grisham, Dick Francis and a host of mystery authors, as well.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
It was good --- hard to put down. I will recommend it to friends who enjoy this genre.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Probably; it depends on the subject matter/theme of the book.

Carmelita from Bluefield, WV

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION was the first book by Lawrence Goldstone that I have ever read.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I usually read such mystery authors as Tess Gerritsen, Margaret Frazer, P. D. James, M. C. Beaton, Sue Grafton, and the like.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION was well crafted, well plotted and nicely done. The setting details added to the plot, and the characters were well formulated.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
I would read another book from Goldstone in the future. I would thank him for a "good read."

Darlene from Shelby, NC

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
I have never read a book by Lawrence Goldstone before, but I did enjoy it.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I have read Greg Iles, Jilliane P. Hoffman, James Grippando, Kathy Riechs and others.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
This book was well researched. I sometimes felt the research got in the way of the character development. I would like to have seen Carroll and some of the others a bit more rounded. All in all, it was a good read that kept my attention. I would certainly read another book by Goldstone.

Dick from New York, NY

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
No. In fact, I had never heard of him.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I read Alan Furst and Philip Kerr.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
I liked it a lot. Ethics versus science provides the tension. The characters were well drawn.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Yes!

Kay from Austin, TX

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
I have not read another book by Lawrence Goldstone.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
Some recent authors that I have enjoyed are Cornelia Read, Lisa Scottoline, Deanna Raybourn, Chris Grabenstein, Jacqueline Winspear, and Louise Penny. While some of these may be considered more mystery than suspense/thriller authors, I find that the edges of these genres have gotten fuzzy over the past few years.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
I really enjoyed THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION. I had just finished reading a book set in present-day Philadelphia and it was interesting to then turn to this one, set in Philadelphia over 100 years before. I do enjoy a good historical mystery/thriller and this one was quite absorbing. I’m always fascinated when authors include real people among their characters. The historical detail in this book was very interesting and the story carried me along smoothly. While this may be compared to an 1880s "CSI" episode, it included a lot more. The glimpses of life for the upper classes and the lower classes, treatment of women in general and also those women who society considered “not-so-nice”, early pharmaceuticals and what substances were once considered suitable for maladies --- all of these made this book hard to put down.

I work at a public library and moderate a mystery group. I am taking it to the next meeting in order to share it with my members and spread the good word about Lawrence Goldstone.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Absolutely. I’ll look forward to his next.

Marsha from Fullerton, CA

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
No.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I read many contemporary authors --- too numerous to mention. It is my favorite genre.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
I found it fascinating. I was a bit put off by the first chapter, but I continued and it caught my interest throughout the remainder of the book.

Goldstone's research is astounding and his explanations in the Author's Notes are very thorough.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Yes.

Michael from Collingswood, NJ

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
No, this is my first one (although I hope to read more of his works, especially if he keeps writing thrillers such as this one). I had never heard of him previously.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I read Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child (and their great co-authored works), Clive Cussler, Matthew Reilly, James Rollins, Robert Ludlum, James Berry, Brad Meltzer and Dan Brown.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
I loved it! There were great settings, an absorbing plot and interesting characters. As one who has followed the recent controversy over Thomas Eakins's Gross Anatomy portrait, I had never heard of this book and was thrilled to receive it.

Although some of the anatomical terms during the initial autopsy (in the first chapter) were a bit overly technical and not too accessible to the average reader (although physicians probably loved them), the book provided an education as well as pleasure! Victoriana is always fun to read (I was reminded of Clare Clark's THE GREAT STINK). The fact that the characters were not wholly fictional was a bit disconcerting --- I found myself wondering whether the story was or was not factual (a thought which was thankfully dispelled during the conclusion)! It was a truly great read.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Goldstone is an extremely promising writer and I await any further thrillers from him with great anticipation. It's a pleasure to read a really intelligent thriller, for a change.

Patrick from York, ME

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
No.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
Lee Child and James Patterson.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
It was an excellent book. I really enjoyed it.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Yes, most certainly.

Phyllis from Louisville, MS

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
I have not; in fact, this is the first time I've heard of him.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I read David Baldacci, Deanna Raybourn and Richard North Patterson, among many others. I love to read!

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
When I first started the book, I really did not think I would enjoy it, but then Lawrence Goldstone's historical medical tale caught my interest and kept it to the end. It became compelling to keep reading to see what Dr. Ephraim Carroll discovered next. The characters were well developed and the mixture of fiction and history makes this a very haunting and entertaining book.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Definitely.

Richard from Milwaukee, WI

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
No, this is my first one.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I mostly enjoy books that have an international or geo-political theme. So, I like Tom Clancy and W. E. B. Griffin, but I wouldn't call them suspense/thriller authors.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
Well...the medical terms were a bit much for me, and parts were just gruesome for my tastes, but I thought the basic plot was a good one. It was fast paced and I did actually get caught up in the story line. I also liked inclusion of the painter, Thomas Eakins --- I really enjoy art and art history, so this was an interesting aspect for me. Also, incorporating one of his paintings into the cover was a good touch. I found myself looking at the cover intently at times. It enhances the author's words in creating the "feel" of the period. My wife, who is a fanatic "CSI" watcher and has been interested in forensics for 40+ years, will probably love this book. (She's started reading it already, and practically tore it out of my hands the minute I finished.)

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Like I said, suspense/thrillers are not really my bag, and the medical aspects of this work just didn't do it for me. But, my wife is already devouring the copy I won and I can tell that she can hardly wait to get her hands on another of his books.

Angela from East Liverpool, OH

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
No, this was my first book by Goldstone.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I am a big fan of James Patterson and John Saul. I have also read some of Lisa Jackson's and Greg Iles's books.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
Overall, the book was an enjoyable read. It was well written and obviously well researched, medically and historically. I am an educated person, but in some cases I got the feeling that in an attempt to use a varied vocabulary, the author was overzealous in his choice of words and could have selected more common words. I am an historian, and realize the differences in the way we speak today as compared to the time period of the book, but it still felt like it was too much.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Yes, I probably would, depending on the subject matter. A medical thriller during the Civil War period would be interesting.

Brenda from Plymouth, MA

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
I had not previously read any of Lawrence Goldstone's books.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
None.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
While I found that most of the content I enjoyed was the last half of this book, the first half was rather dull and uneventful. I suppose it was needed to tell the story. If one is not a history buff, most of the characters would be meaningless. The end of the book helped, and I believe that information should have been placed in the beginning.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
Yes, I would probably read another book by Lawrence Goldstone.

Martha from Severn, MD

Have you previously read a book by Lawrence Goldstone?
No, I've never read anything by Lawrence Goldstone.

What other suspense/thriller authors do you usually read?
I read Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly, Stephen King, Catherine Coulter, David Hosp, David Rosenfelt, P. J. Tracy, Nelson DeMille, Jeffery Deaver, John Grisham, John Lutz, Robert Crais, Sheldon Siegel, Paul Levine, Steve Hamilton, James Grippando, Randy Wayne White, Jefferson Bass, David Morrell, Mark Gimenez, Beverly Connor and Lisa Scottoline.

What did you think of THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION?
I didn't care for it at all and found it a struggle to get through. I'm not sure who decides in what genre a book is categorized, but I found this one neither suspenseful, nor a thriller.

I thought the story was boring and uneven. I tried to like the characters, but I couldn't develop any empathy or feelings for any of them. Goldstone just didn't make me care about them.

Would you ever read a future book by Lawrence Goldstone?
I think it is highly unlikely that I would ever choose another of his books.

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