Homicidal Intent »

Vivian Chern is a board-certified forensic psychiatrist who has found her niche working within the New Jersey prison system. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, and she trained at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the State University of New York at Buffalo, followed by the Fellowship Program in psychiatry and law at New York University. Vivian lives with her husband, three sons, and a large bull mastiff in New Jersey.

They told her to peer into the mind of a killer.
They didn’t say which one....

It happened in a place of privilege in New York City, when a twelve-year-old boy committed an act of violence that stunned the city and the nation. Now forensic psychiatrist Tamsen Bayn has been hired by her fiancé, who is also a lead prosecutor in the case, to interview the accused boy’s parents and unravel the mysterious causes of an inexplicable crime.

But when she does, Tamsen discovers something more shocking than the psychological history of a family and the pain of a deeply troubled boy. Tamsen begins to examine a shadowy connection between this crime and a pattern of violence around the country.

Suddenly Tamsen is caught between science and the law, between the man she loves and a truth she must pursue. Inside an explosive mystery that involves genius, greed, hope, and murder, Tamsen may become the most dangerous player of all: the one who knows too much....

Publishers Weekly

Drawing on her experience as a forensic psychiatrist, Chern weaves an intricate debut thriller that addresses issues such as child violence, prescription drug use and family relationships. Dr. Tamsen Bayn always longed to be a famous forensic psychiatrist who would serve as an expert witness in high-profile trial cases. When her fianc?, assistant Manhattan D.A. Greg Jolson, asks her to evaluate the parents of a 12-year-old killer, Tamsen seizes the opportunity to examine the roots of child violence while boosting her career. At the same time, Tamsen lands a cushy position at Grandines Pharmaceuticals as the spokesperson for their new drug, Curixenol, an antidepressant that also treats alcoholism. As Tamsen learns more about Grandines, she slowly realizes that the company's miracle drug may have deadly side effects. Chern's prose is detailed, graced with a splash of humor and liberally sprinkled with technical terms such as suicidal ideation, vascular dementia and seizure disorder. The novel's pacing is sluggish, however, and readers will figure out what Grandines is plotting long before Tamsen begins to doubt the company's integrity. A far-fetched conclusion ties up loose ends too neatly, and although this isn't a spine-tingling, psychological thriller, it's a solid first attempt. (Sept. 11) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.