About The Book

A master of the modern psychological thriller, internationally bestselling author John Katzenbach is an unrivaled investigator of that most primal human motive—revenge. A tense, penetrating novel, The Dead Student follows a young man set on avenging the uncle who saved his life, no matter the consequences.

Timothy Warner, a PhD student who goes by the nickname “moth,” wakes up on his ninety-ninth day of sobriety with an intense craving for drink. He immediately calls his uncle Ed, a former alcoholic and now successful psychiatrist who has become Moth’s mentor and father figure. Ed promises to meet him at an AA meeting later that day but never shows up. Moth bikes to his office only to discover a grisly scene: his uncle lying in a pool of blood, shot through the temple. Deeply shaken, Moth dials 911 and waits for the police, who pronounce the death a suicide. Two words are scrawled across Ed’s prescription pad: My fault. But Moth refuses to believe that his uncle would take his own life. Devastated and confused, he calls on the only person he thinks he can trust: Andrea Martine, an ex-girlfriend he has not spoken to in four years, a young woman who is struggling through her own trauma.

Each battling their inner demons, Moth and Andy travel into dark, unfamiliar territory, intent on finding out the truth about Ed’s death and circling ever closer to a devious mind that will flinch at nothing to achieve his own goal of revenge.

Praise

“[Katzenbach] proves he is a genius at handling complex dark plots and characters, and masterfully narrates the most terrifying recesses of the mind. You will read The Dead Student in one sitting.” —ABC Nacional (Madrid)

“My favorite mystery writer is John Katzenbach.” —Joseph J. Ellis, New York Times Book Review

“Boasting one of the freshest and most unlikely duos to appear in crime fiction in some time, the latest thriller by Katzenbach is one of his most enjoyable.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[A] clever cat-and-mouse thriller.” —Publishers Weekly

“New York Times bestselling author John Katzenbach knows how to get into people’s heads, whether it’s in the psyche of his characters, or the minds of his readers. His newest novel, The Dead Student, is a perfect example . . . Each character struggles with his/her own inner limitations and flaws, adding a definitive level of emotional depth and complexity to their journey . . . Katzenbach expertly ramps up the tension by weaving in the twisted rationale of the real culprit. The result is an intriguing tapestry of psychological cat-and-mouse that readers won’t be able to put down.” —G. Robert Frazier, Killer Nashville

Awards

A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Mystery & Thriller for Fall 2015
An Amazon Best Book of the Month (Mystery, Thriller & Suspense) for October 2015
A Finalist for the Killer Nashville 2015 Silver Falchion Award for Best Novel