Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2019 February 20 • Wednesday

Here's a book I wasn't sure I would get around to reading but I plucked it from the shelf the other day and took it out for a spin: Gertrude Schweitzer's The Obsessed.

That's the cover of the edition I have, though there are apparently several others.

I'm partial to Gold Medal books and I can't remember seeing one before that had so many different covers.

Here's the back cover for the one I have:

Believe it or not, the plot of this book hinges on amputated limbs. I bet nobody was more surprised by that than I was.

It's a suspense thriller that might remind you of Lucille Fletcher's work, in that you're presented with a baffling and potentially dangerous situation and you have no idea what's what.

Basically here are two women in conflict here and the suspense comes from not knowing which one of them is a psycho. The writing breezes along efficiently and enjoyably. The first line is "Dr. Duane straightened and let his breath out gustily, still staring down at the figure on the operating table".

There was a painter named Gertrude Schweitzer who lived at the same time as the novelist. I don't think they're the same person.