'CONSPIRACY CLUB' Hospital whodunit has a twist

The author is an expert at ratcheting up the tension.
By CAROL DEEGAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"The Conspiracy Club," by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine Books, $26.95)
"The Conspiracy Club," the new thriller by Jonathan Kellerman, is an intriguing mystery involving psychotherapist Jeremy Carrier, who's filled with unbearable grief after the brutal murder of his girlfriend.
Carrier tries to bury himself in his work at City Central Hospital, but pathologist Arthur Chess manages to draw him into his curious circle of elderly friends -- all of whom have an extreme interest in crime and the nature of evil.
But as quickly as Carrier is courted by Chess, the pathologist disappears on a trip overseas, leaving the young psychotherapist confused about Chess' motives.
Suspicion
As more women begin to die in a manner similar to the murder of Carrier's lover, police suspect that he is the serial killer. And as he becomes romantically involved with another hospital staffer, Carrier worries that their relationship has put her in harm's way.
Carrier begins receiving mysterious messages in the hospital's interoffice mail as well as cryptic postcards from Chess. He begins to wonder if all of it -- including Chess' esteemed but enigmatic group of friends -- is tied to the killer's identity.
Of course, the reader is also trying to piece the clues together, but just when the mystery appears to have been solved, there's one last odd twist.
Kellerman, known for his Alex Delaware novels, is an expert at ratcheting up the tension. "The Conspiracy Club" grabs the reader's attention and never lets go.