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For the last several weeks, a serial rapist has been targeting young women in the San Diego area. The attacker plans his assaults very carefully and manages to elude capture every time. The cops have no leads and the victims are reluctant to come forward. All that will change when a clinical psychologist discovers a peculiar pattern in the crime and decides to come forward and do something about it. Prescription for Terror is the first novel that introduces clinical psychologist Dr. Cory Cohen, a strong and independent woman with her own private practice in the San Diego area. She is a rape survivor and uses all of her experience and knowledge to help the victims of this brutal assault as well as other problems. When the stalker terrorizing the California city kills one of her patients, Dr. Cohen decides to take action and do her own investigation putting the attacker on the defensive. He will not let the good doctor stop his spree and will do everything in his power to stop her. He will try to assault her, put a bomb in her car, and threaten her insurance coverage. His hubris will prove to be his downfall. One of the things that makes this novel so appealing is that it appears that the author had fun creating Dr. Cohen. Her character is well-developed leaving room for new stories and situations for future novels. Cory tries to do the right thing and cooperate with the police. Naturally, as with all amateur sleuths, she does what she can to get information even if it is completely out of character for her. The book's weakest link involves the criminal terrorizing Dr. Cohen's patients. We get to go into his mind while he does his crimes including the disdain he has with other women. He is very meticulous and makes sure that there are no records that are traced to him making it harder for the police to find him. It would have been nice to be able to have had a detailed account of his past including his knowledge with explosives. He is just shown as a relentless juggernaut that will let nothing stand on his way to get to his goal. He is smart but not that smart making Cory's investigation more believable. Prescription for Terror is a treat to read due to its white-knuckle suspense and moments of humor. Dr. Cohen reads and acts like a real person. The author also manages to include an editorial regarding managed health systems for which many people just take for granted and should be aware. Sandra Levy Ceren's novel was a joy to read and completely refreshing. If you are interested in reading more about Dr. Cohen she is featured in a short story anthology called Criminal Kabbalah. The name of the story is Silver is Better than Gold and it provides a deeper insight to Cory's character not shown in this first novel. It is an interesting read.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, December 2002
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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