The Placebo Effect (Junction Chronicles, #1)

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The Placebo Effect (Junction Chronicles #1)

3.2 of 5 stars 3.20 · rating details · 69 ratings · 33 reviews

Decker Roberts has the dangerous gift of detecting the truth (synaesthesia). But when his carefully compartmentalized life starts to fall apart he has to go on the run and figure out why he’s being targeted. There’s also a government agency hunting him down who seems to know everything about him and other people of “his kind.” How will Decker find out which truth was endan...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published 2012 by Simon & Schuster

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May 27, 2013 Evgeny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-mystery

First things first: I need to mention I received this book in Goodreads giveaways.

Decker Roberts has a dangerous gift: he can reliably tell whether a person tells the truth. Despite his attempt to keep this ability secret while still making very good amount of cold hard cash from this (tax-free I suppose), he still finds himself wanted by a lot of different groups of people including NSA - these are spooky guys is both real life and this book, high-profile lawyers, and a head of a major pharmace...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Jackleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, thriller, first-reads-shelf, canadian, reviews, series, suspence

Four and a half stars

The new novel The Placebo Effect, book one of The Junction Chronicles by David Rotenberg, Canadian thriller with Canadian locations and Canadian humor, is a very thought provoking smart story in addition to being a fast paced action packed adventure crossing from one end of North America to the other. As you are aware I love reading Canadian and was happy to have won this book, a story which I very much enjoyed, from Simon and Schuster in a first reads Goodreads contest. Wit...more Four and a half stars

The new novel The Placebo Effect, book one of The Junction Chronicles by David Rotenberg, Canadian thriller with Canadian locations and Canadian humor, is a very thought provoking smart story in addition to being a fast paced action packed adventure crossing from one end of North America to the other. As you are aware I love reading Canadian and was happy to have won this book, a story which I very much enjoyed, from Simon and Schuster in a first reads Goodreads contest. With a cast of colourful characters, and a truly fascinating concept hook, the story addresses the repercussions of always knowing the truth about strangers while at the same time never being unable to understand or read those closest to us.

The colourful troupe of characters are well drawn and everything you would expect in a good thriller and yet incredibly unique and interesting. What will distinguish a really good book from a mediocre book, for me at least, are the characters, particularly if the main character stands out in my mind. And, Decker definitely stands out. Even if I do not always like Decker, he did manage to get inside my head, if not always my heart. Decker is so well formed that I would expect to find him wandering about the Junction. Decker Roberts is a synaesthete who receives visual clues in front of his closed eyes to distinguish between the truth and a lie. Yslan Hicks is in charge of the file for synaesthesia for a secret government organization and is hunting Decker down; Yslan would very much want to investigate, if not apply, Dickers skills. Emerson Remi is a Princeton educated journalist in hot pursuit of the next big story for which he believes Yslan to be the key and is busy tracking Yslan’s every movement. Henry-Clay Yolles is a pharmaceutical executive on the surface but in reality a gangster complete with hit men, on the brink of making a huge amount of money from the production of a new antidepressant drug and who to his absolute delight has found out about the synaesthetes network and is busy taking full advantage of this secret knowledge. Mike, ratio-man is a synaesthete whose talent of being able to determine the correct balance and ratio for anything, is coerced into working for Yolles Pharmaceuticals by Henry-Clay, and in doing so has exposed the synaesthetes world. Mac Macmillan is a thug and hit man of Henry-Clay whose latest job is to take out Mike and then, Decker who both know too much. Eddie is Deckers best friend and confidant who manages Deckers real life and keeps in contact with Seth, Deckers estranged son. Seth is sick and suffering alone with cancer but wanting absolutely nothing to do with his father.

The story is delivered in short quick sections from third POV from all the above characters and their divergent storylines flow neatly into each other. The writing is crisp, direct and concise and together with the structure of short chapters and the rapid shift between characters, the story maintains a fast pace.

The settings for the book of both Canadian and American cities are very well described. Although I have never been to most of the American cities described, I can say that Rotenberg’s’ description of Toronto was right on the money. The Junction in particular was brought to life in full colour and is both evocative and moody. (Clusters of churches guarding evil right in the middle of the Junction, I will be on the next train out!) I grew up in the Eastern Townships of Quebec and he caught the mood and tone of Stanstead perfectly; a small town inundated with tourists and outsiders for whom the townies must give way. (Don’t we know it.)

Decker Roberts is a human lie detector. He is blessed, or cursed depending on point of view, with the ability to tell if a person is speaking the truth, due to a condition called synaesthesia. (This is a real medical condition that can sometimes be found to develop after head injuries, and reasons unknown, in which a person’s neurological pathway of the senses for vision, hearing, smell, touch and taste get scrambled. So a person with synaesthesia sees what he tastes or hears what he touches.) Decker sees patterns before his eyes when someone speaks to him and these patterns change shape when someone is lying. This skill is limited as he is unable to use this skill with people he truly cares about. Decker in his normal job is an acting teacher. Working as an acting coach, he teaches young actors to reach for the emotions and feelings within themselves and apply these to the character they are to portray in film or on stage. On the side and in secret, Decker has been applying his lie detection skill in the corporate world and making a great deal of money. Decker’s world begins to unravel when his house is burned down, his credit cards cancelled and the building from which he leases a studio for his acting classes is condemned. It seems Decker may have uncovered a truth better left buried. Now he is trying to back track through his latest truth detecting jobs to determine who is out to get him. With Yslan, Remi, Mike and Mac following in Dickers’ wake, the race is on, but the truth for Decker is unusually elusive.

The underlying themes of The Placebo Effect, are in fact about the placebo effect both in medicine and generalized to our popular culture. First, let us review a quick definition of the placebo effect. A placebo is an inert medicine or treatment used in what is called double blind medical studies in order to measure the true effectiveness of a new drug or medical treatment. Double blind just means neither doctor/nurse nor patient know if they received the real medication so that the results are not influenced either way. The placebo effect is a beneficial effect, produced by a placebo drug or treatment, that cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself, and must therefore be due to the patient's belief in that treatment. In other words, patients will improve given any medication or treatment due to their (blind?) faith and belief that the doctor or the medicine will make them better. In short a placebo is a fake, artificial, a lie. Rotenberg is efficient at pointing out all manners of things that are placebos and fake and weaves this theme through the backdrop of The Placebo Effect. Decker like many people in our North American society has lost faith, faith in him, and faith in others. As Decker believes that he harms those closest to him when he uses his gift of lie detection, he keeps a distance from others. Decker is lonely. He really has only one friend and a few acquaintances that he meets through his job as an acting coach. His wife is dead, he and his son are estranged and he maintains a very superficial relationship with all he meets. There is a network website for synaesthetes run by Yslan in order to study and keep track of these special people. Decker only feels good when he is in the chat room of the synaesthetes site connecting with people with similar traits to him. A social media site, in short, a social placebo, his new faith, to which even on the run from killers, Decker will log into in order to feel good.

This extremely interesting novel concept of being able to distinguish the truth from a lie carries the whole story. As a basic thriller recipe, The Placebo Effect starts with the mandatory fast paced exciting story, mix in the type cast sad lonely good guy and evil corporate guy turned evil scientist guys, sprinkle in the mysterious government agencies, and add all the running about that we expect from a good thriller, at the bare bones the story is all ready well on to being a wonderful book. The icing with all those sugary sprinkles that the kids like is the commentary that Rotenberg adds to this story. We are given an examination of our society from the point of view of Rotenberg, a man who has spent many years directing and teaching in the acting business. A business based on fabrications and illusions. Rotenberg’s insights into the current influence of pop culture are very revealing if not dead on. Those sugary sprinkles are the insightful examination of what is real and true in our lives, family and friends in which we can invest our faith and belief, as opposed the false, pretend, placebo pop culture that has infiltrated North American.

My only complaint is that there is a lot thrown into the mix, some of it brilliant, some of it distracting. I admit to be confused and lost at points in the story. To be honest I am not sure all the threads got tied off at the end or if I missed something or if I am just to find out that bit within the ongoing story of the series. But, who said reading is suppose to be easy. But, whether it was me not being able to keep up or the manner of the delivery, I docked the book a half star.

Thrillers are usually fun to read and there is a lot that can be learned from this genre. James Rollins has taught me much about quantum physics and when reading John LeCarre I gain a better understanding of the state of the world politically. Rotenberg has done something completely new and unexpected; he has included a thread of philosophy about life, faith and love and the North American culture in general. I am looking forward to the next book in the Junction Chronicles, A Murder of Crows.
For More see my blog http://jackleenslibrary.blogspot.com/
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Mar 05, 2013 Andrew rated it 1 of 5 stars

“I told him, ‘It doesn’t work on people I care about or family.’”

Decker had thought at the time about telling his father about the lines in his head—how they aligned when he heard a truth—then decided against it, as he decided against telling the southern girl across the table from him.

“My father’s eyes widened then he said, ‘I want you downstairs next Thursday night.’

“I protested, ‘But you and your friends are way better pool players than—’

“‘I know,’ he said.

“‘But I’m not good enough to play wi...more “I told him, ‘It doesn’t work on people I care about or family.’”

Decker had thought at the time about telling his father about the lines in his head—how they aligned when he heard a truth—then decided against it, as he decided against telling the southern girl across the table from him.

“My father’s eyes widened then he said, ‘I want you downstairs next Thursday night.’

“I protested, ‘But you and your friends are way better pool players than—’

“‘I know,’ he said.

“‘But I’m not good enough to play with—’

“‘No you aren’t, but come down and play that lying trick of yours.’

“I really didn’t want to do it, but I did. After their game ended and the men left, my father asked me what statements made by his friends were truthful. I identified the very few truths spoken that night, then added, ‘And Mr. Walsh pocketed a twenty that belonged to you.’

“‘You saw that too?”

“‘Yes.’

“My father nodded slowly. ‘This is pretty interesting, don’t you think?’ he said.

“But I really didn’t find it interesting. I found it scary and isolating. And I didn’t like the way my father looked at me—like I had confirmed in his mind that I really was a freak. So I stopped using it.”

***

Decker Roberts is a synaesthete. Not one of those “silly” synaesthetes who can smell words or see colours and shapes in music (of which I am actually the latter), but an actual benefit to society and the protection of life and liberty. Through some crossed wiring in his brain he is able to tell, with incredible precision, when someone is telling the truth. Sometimes, that is. When there are no possible outstanding factors that might give someone reason to fib. Oh, and that’s another thing: he can’t tell when someone’s lying, only when they’re not being entirely truthful. Which is a round about way of saying that though Decker is in possession of a unique ability, it comes a pre-packaged laundry list of ways it can be circumvented. It’s a little like getting a mobile phone that only works when you’re standing in one specific spot at a certain time of day.

In the years since his wife’s death from ALS, Decker has forged a side-business to take advantage of his particular set of skills. On paper he teaches acting courses and has a past in the Broadway theatre scene. Off the record, however, he is available on a case-by-case basis for jobs requiring him to tell whether or not someone—usually an employee of a business with too much money to burn—is being truthful. When not jetting around North America on one-night-only jobs, Decker makes his home in Toronto, in an area of the city known as the Junction, where he pines for slivers of knowledge as to the wellbeing and whereabouts of his estranged son, Seth, who abandoned Decker years earlier for reasons not explained in this book.

The plot of The Placebo Effect, the first in a trilogy of books, revolves around two primary elements: the NSA’s tracking of known synaesthetes (not unlike the mutant Registration program from X-Men, minus the towering, thirty-foot-tall sentinels); and Henry-Clay Yolles of Yolles pharmaceuticals orchestrating a scam to sell his company’s medication for maximum profit using a carefully calculated ratio of placebos to actual medicine. The ratio itself was calculated beyond a shadow of a doubt by another synaesthete—the tragically simple Mike Shedloski (aka the Ratio Man). Henry-Clay is aware of Decker Roberts and his special skill and puts him to the test—supposedly to see whether or not he can be used as an asset. But when Mike the Ratio Man threatens to reveal Yolles Pharmaceuticals’ underhanded behaviour, Henry-Clay deems both him and Decker as threats to be quickly discarded.

There are a great many more characters and plot elements to the story—too many, in fact, given how little time is spent developing each character. I had several problems with The Placebo Effect, chief among them that it’s simply not very well written, plotted, or paced. The characters themselves are two-dimensional cut-outs. They have back-stories, sure—like Crazy Eddie attempting to regain custody of his daughter, or the mostly-untold history between Seth and Decker—but there is so much jumping around scene to scene, and often with only single paragraphs dedicated to one time or place before moving onto the next, that it is almost impossible to get any sort of emotional or psychological feel for any of the characters. The structure is spastic in how quickly it moves between people and places, and as such there is no room for the narrative or the characters to breathe, to be anything to one another but basic screenplay devices. And when Rotenberg does attempt to give a little depth via comparisons or interests, it is still handed in a frustratingly surface-level manner (eg: using albums, films, and TV shows to illustrate character traits, but not explaining how or what the relation is—such as referencing one’s dislike of The Fountainhead without giving context as to why). And when all is said and done, no actual depth has been added through these plentiful asides, and the reader is left perpetually wanting more—and not at all in a constructive I-can’t-wait-for-the-sequel manner.

Beyond these issues, I found the manner in which topics related to race were handled to be insensitive and heavy-handed, the amount of information which is teased but deliberately held back for future installments to be overwhelmingly distracting (and by holding so much of it back, especially with respect to Seth and Decker’s relationship, it actually harms are ability to take an interest in either one of their lives), and the level of detail—especially with respect to the language and imagery used to explain Decker’s particular synaesthesia—to be startlingly sparse and illustrating a surprising deficit of imagination.

Most egregious though is discerning Yolles’ motivation, especially with respect to his targeting of Decker. At the end of the book I’m left seeing this as a shot-first scenario, where it is Yolles’ fear and lack of understanding about Decker that causes him to go after him in the first place. Had he just left it alone and not done a thing, or waited to see if someone like Decker would actually ever be a threat in the first place, then it might have made sense to go after him. As it stands, the plot of The Placebo Effect feels as if it hinges entirely on Yolles making an incredibly stupid error in judgement, drawing Decker into a plot that would have otherwise passed him by. And all this without touching on NSA Special Agent Yslan Hicks, who vacillates so jarringly between intrigue and being a force of unnecessary oppression and antagonism that by the end I’d lost interest in discovering who she was beneath the surface.

I have a lot more I’d like to say (like how ridiculously simple it is for Yolles to gain Mike’s passwords to the online synaesthete community) but the long and short of it is that The Placebo Effect did not work for me on any level. I like the basic idea of employing synaesthetes in unconventional ways, but at no point does Decker’s skill—or any of the synaesthetic skills presented—feel necessary to the goings on in this book. In the end, too many characters and questions are left hanging for the second book in the series, while not enough has been given for me to know why I should want to read on.(less)

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Feb 06, 2012 Natalie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I get stuck from time to time when I'm reading. Sometimes I can't seem to get enough romance, then I start reading paranormal and can't seem to get enough of that genre, right now I seem to be stuck with mystery, with each mystery/suspense/thriller novel they seem to keep getting better and better. David Rotenberg has a written a great novel, it captured my interest right away, from the very first chapter and I couldn't seem to put it down until I had closed the back cover.

I was provided by Sim...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Kristilyn (Reading In Winter & Winter Distractions) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: physical-book, read-in-2012, review-books-completed, arcs

FTC: I received an ARC of 'The Placebo Effect' from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Being a Canadian, I can’t say that I read a lot of books by Canadian authors, so when I come across one that has references to cities, provinces, and places I’ve actually heard of, part of me feels like the book shouldn’t be a real book because it’s too close to home, while another part of me is proud, especially when the book turns out to be skillfully written by a fellow C...more FTC: I received an ARC of 'The Placebo Effect' from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Being a Canadian, I can’t say that I read a lot of books by Canadian authors, so when I come across one that has references to cities, provinces, and places I’ve actually heard of, part of me feels like the book shouldn’t be a real book because it’s too close to home, while another part of me is proud, especially when the book turns out to be skillfully written by a fellow Canadian.

The Placebo Effect is a fast-paced mystery novel by Canadian author, David Rotenberg. It is about Decker, a guy who has the special ability to tell when people are telling the truth or not. Decker’s life seems to be playing out just as he would like, until one day it seems that someone is out to get him–his credit cards don’t work, his house burns down, and he loses the space where he does his daytime work as an acting coach. Now Decker’s on the run, trying to find out who’s targeted him and why.

The story flows quite quickly from chapter to chapter as the reader is introduced to everyone who knows Decker, or everyone who is trying to get in touch with Decker. The characters were craftily outlined and I really enjoyed the chapters that included Yslan, or Seth, and found the interaction between Decker and his good friend Eddie to be a bit of relief from the serious tone of the rest of the book. I also really liked the craziness of the character Mike–another guy like Decker who can do special things.

I had a few concerns while reading the novel, though. One of these is that Rotenberg does a lot of pop-culture references, including personalities, celebrities, TV shows and movies, which could possibly date the book. There is quite a lot of referencing throughout the novel–characters comparing themselves to an actor or a musician–that I wonder why Rotenberg felt he needed to include so many. I also wasn’t too keen on Decker as he seemed to always voice how real life imitates art, that real people didn’t know how to be themselves, but would rather imitate someone they saw on TV. I felt it was just a little overdone.

My last issue is that there is quite a bit of jumping around from character to character and from event to event. There are numerous characters in the novel and it was just slightly confusing remember who was who when they would pop up suddenly. It isn’t until a third of the way into the book that things start to really make sense and I found myself getting pulled into the story and started to understand–for the most part–who the characters were and what they were doing there, though I found myself having to go back to the beginning a few times to be sure.

Aside from my few qualms, I did like the whole Heroes and Alphas-esque quality the book had. It made me think of regular people having superpowers and whether they choose to use them for good or use them for evil, though in this case, it’s not the bearer of the superpower who has to choose but, rather, someone trying to force them to use their gifts for wrongdoings.

Rotenberg’s book also makes the reader think about real life and whether or not there could be people out there with such “gifts” (or “parlour tricks” as others may see it). I was definitely left thinking about this, long after finishing the novel. That, and the fact that not all businesses–real or fiction–are true to their word: there’s always someone out there trying to bend the truth a little to make some cash.

While The Placebo Effect isn’t the type of book I usually read, what with being new to the mystery genre, I found it to be interesting, educational, and a bit of a page-turner. If mystery novels are your cup of tea, you will probably enjoy Rotenberg’s novel, and be happy to know that this is the first in a series of books. If you’re not into series books, don’t worry–The Placebo Effect works as a standalone novel as well, just enough to whet your taste buds.(less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, suspense

I won a copy of "The Placebo Effect" by David Rotenberg through the Goodreads Giveaway Contest.This book was a real thriller.I was gripped by this story right from the beginning and couldn't put it down.

Decker Roberts is an actor teacher that has the ability to tell when someone's telling the truth.His best friend, Eddie sets up assignments with large corporations that are willing to pay Decker large sums of money for detecting if the people they are planning to hire are truthful.Decker maintain...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, allllll-mine, 2013-yo

First off: I received this book free through first reads (thanks Simon And Schuster!)

*Some spoilers ahead*

As I was lucky enough to receive this book for free, I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately I found it to be pretty mediocre.
The main thing that bothered me was all the improbable things that occurred. Its like Rotenberg was like "yes I want this plot point to happen! Hang logic!"
Things like
- That Yolles would hear a man of questionable mental health going on about ratios and think for s...more First off: I received this book free through first reads (thanks Simon And Schuster!)

*Some spoilers ahead*

As I was lucky enough to receive this book for free, I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately I found it to be pretty mediocre.
The main thing that bothered me was all the improbable things that occurred. Its like Rotenberg was like "yes I want this plot point to happen! Hang logic!"
Things like
- That Yolles would hear a man of questionable mental health going on about ratios and think for some reason that was all the info he needed to hire this man to work on pharmaceuticals.
- That Ratio Man could in a short time devise a ratio that placebo and anti-depressants pills could be mixed. And that there would have been any time/ethics board approval for testing its efficacy which Yolles seems super sure of.
- That placebo ratio is even a thing. If that lower amount of drug is effective than the pill would just be that lower dose, and if a drug doesn't need to be taken every day than that would be reflected in the dosing. That the consumer would need to be fooled by sugar pills in this scenario is ridiculous. Placebo effect is a real thing.....placebo ratio, stupidity.
- That somehow Yolles requires Decker (a man who somehow "sees truth") re: this drug and then is so threatened that Ratio man yelled about ratios near Decker that he is willing to kill one man and try to kill another. Does Yolles plan on standing up near Decker and saying, "Every pill in this Anti-depressant you've probs never heard of till I just mentioned it to you now is real drug". Seems unreasonable.
So yeah this a few of the things I found ridiculous in just the first quarter of the book or so. It doesn't really get more plausible.
Luckily even though I found most of the plot implausible, the writing itself was not bad, and I enjoyed some of the characters. Still, I think that won't be enough to make me want to read the next book in this series or anything else by this author. That's unfortunate because the only storylines I found really intriguing were about how the boy (Decker I assume) ended up on the lamppost and what Decker did to his dying wife and his son. Both of these were definitely left hanging to get the reader to move to the next in the series. Blech.(less)

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Dec 01, 2011 Alana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I disclose that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads!!!
( thanks Simon & Schuster Canada!)

Our MC, Decker Roberts, has the unique ability to 'see' if someone is telling him the truth. Because of this unique gift, how he acquired it, and who else has acquired similar gifts, everyone is after him. This book had so many unique characters in it, a sneaky pharmaceutical company with a dirty head honcho, a hot national service agency agent kee...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: won-free-books

Well first off, I would like to thank Goodreads First Reads for an advance copy of this book.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to. I thought that the concept was intriguing so I was really looking forward to it, and overall it was alright - certainly not bad - but I never got to the point where I can truly say I liked the book.

I did really like that the author is Canadian, and there were a sufficient number of Canadian and hockey references which I thoroughly enjoye...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Gef rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, crime, thriller

I imagine being a human lie detector would have its perks. It would sure help figuring out who left the milk out on the kitchen counter! Sorry. Pet peeve. It'd have its drawbacks, too. I just wouldn't have put money on one of those drawbacks being NSA agents chasing you down. That's one of Decker Roberts' big problems, but it's one of many.

Decker is an acting coach, but his real gift comes from the strange ability to literally see whether people are telling the truth through visual cues when his...more I imagine being a human lie detector would have its perks. It would sure help figuring out who left the milk out on the kitchen counter! Sorry. Pet peeve. It'd have its drawbacks, too. I just wouldn't have put money on one of those drawbacks being NSA agents chasing you down. That's one of Decker Roberts' big problems, but it's one of many.

Decker is an acting coach, but his real gift comes from the strange ability to literally see whether people are telling the truth through visual cues when his eyes are closed. It's not so much that his Spidey senses tingle when someone lies, but he just innately knows when the guy is being truthful or not. It's not a talent he gets to use at parties, but it's a real hit in the corporate world. So, when Decker's bank accounts are emptied, his line of credit is tampered with, and his house burns down, Decker suspects one of his clients has decided he knows too much.

If that's not bad enough, an agent from the NSA has hunted him down as part of a clandestine program to study and exploit synaesthates (where one of the senses like sight gets a few wires crossed with another) like Decker. Then there's the issue of a shady pharmaceutical executive with a new drug due to hit the market and the idiot savant who helped him do it is seeking out Decker, too. Just paint a big bulls-eye on the poor guy's back--or brain might be the more apt body part.

The Placebo Effect is certainly unique in the thriller genre. This whole idea of the human senses being mish-mashed in a way was intriguing, and this version Rotenberg employs with his character, Decker, is something I have never heard of before. I had to wonder at times while reading if it was a complete device of the author's imagination, but I guess there's some legitimacy to it. And the whole corporate espionage and corruption is completely believable and easy to get into.

Some of the suspense was diminished for me though, because the villain is identified rather quickly, so it's less about solving the mystery through Decker's eyes, but just watching him sweat. Where the mystery is lost, the dialog is great, and the subplot of Decker's estranged son was probably the most compelling part of the whole novel. His son wants nothing to do with him and uses Decker's best friend to communicate with him--and hit him up for money.

Decker is a riveting character thrust into a less-than-riveting story. The book works as a stand-alone even though it's the first of a new series, but the pieces didn't feel like they fit as well as they should, even when the disparate plotlines merge towards the end of the book. It does everything it sets out to do, but the longer it went the more it felt like a standard cat-and-mouse chase. It was a pretty good ride, but I don't know how quickly I'll run out to read the second book in the series.(less)

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Apr 18, 2013 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads-giveaways-wins

I won this book for free from the Goodread's First Reads giveaway.

If the website would allow, I would of rated this book a 2.75/5 (It was generally ok).

Some of the reasons I enjoyed this book are:
- The author had a great idea on a plot. I really wanted to win this book based on the summary listed on this website.
- The main character, Decker Roberts, was a likeable character. His synaesthesia gift of knowing if people were telling the truth was interesting.
- The book was mostly based in Canada...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won the 2nd book in the series in a Goodreads giveaway, and the publisher was kind enough to also inlcude the 1st book.

I am fairly new at reading the science fiction genre, but I am finding as long as the books don't focus too much on explaining the actual science, I am quite enjoying them. This book is more of a paranormal/special abilities type book. In someways similar to Stephen King's Firestarter. Although how/why the characters have their special abilites is not fully explained. (which...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Yolanda Ridge rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My thanks to Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book along with the second title in the Junction Chronicles series, which I won through a goodreads giveaway. I have to admit that this is not a genre I normally read - I entered to win because the premise was interesting and I thought some of my family members would enjoy it.

The Placebo Effect introduces readers to the fascinating concept of synaesthetes through the main character, Decker, who is an expert truth detector. The book i...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: won-this-book, arc, canadian, first-reads

This was my first Rosenberg book, but I am sure it won't be my last. I absolutely adore medical suspense, especially when it is as timely as The Placebo Effect. In a world where we are struggling with catastrophic prescription drug prices, this book could be an eye-opener for a lot of consumers. Beyond the practical appeal, I loved the questioning approach taken when revealing the odd abilities of the characters in the novel. The debate as to whether these abilities are biological or paranormal...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Abria Mattina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, review-2012

This book and I got off to a rough start. First it offended me, then it bored me, then the action picked up, and then it petered to an ending that managed to satisfy while still leaving enough loose ends to sustain a sequel.

What offended me almost as soon as I began reading was Rotenberg's portrayal of synaesthetes. I am a synaesthete, and it angered me that people with my condition were labeled "weird-assed wackos" and portrayed as insensible, dangerous mental patients.

Yslan Hicks, a Federal Ag...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Feathzzz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: conspiracy, dreams, paranormal, socially-political, mystery, canada

Not bad. It was alright.

For me the writing was fairly bland, while technically adequate it had zero creativity or prose. I heard the voice but there was nothing rememberable about it; no strength, lyric or individuality.

In contrast the story’s concept was very interesting and given the right kind of support through details. I appreciate the reality of the subtle political undertones. I really particular like this novel’s kind of content so the mediocre writing is redeemed making it a decent, ea...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Irene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

It took me about 7 chapters before I finally became interested in the book. The story's format jumps from one character's situation to the next. Until I learned more about the characters and how they relate to one another, I didn't feel the need to finish the book. I'm glad I stuck with the book, though. Although I can't personally relate to any of the characters, I found the characters to be interesting, once more of their backgrounds were revealed. The fast paced action was exhilirating and ke...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Colleen Coleman rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a really good book! As I read the last words I said out loud "Good Story". I had won "A Murder of Crows" from Goodreads and this one was also included. I made the mistake of reading "a Murder" first so the events were out of order. Both books were hard to put down. Mr. Rotenberg is an excellent story teller and I look forward to the next book in "The Junction" to find out what is going to happen next!

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Apr 01, 2012 Courtney rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

*I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads*

(3.5 stars) I enjoyed the premise of this book, but found it a bit convoluted and hard to remember how all the characters fit in to the story. I liked the slightly supernatural aspect and how everything came together in the end. This is supposed to be the start of a series, and I would be interested in reading the next one.

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Jan 25, 2012 Sarah (Workaday Reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: canadian, read-in-2011

For me, the highlight of this book was the detailed descriptions of Toronto, a city I live not far from. It is unusual for a Canadian city to have such prominence in a book, and it was quiet refreshing. Most people familiar with Toronto will recognize most, if not all, of the locations mentioned in the story. It gave me a quiet thrill to actually know the places mentioned.

Getting to the actual story, I found Decker's ability to be quite unique and very interesting. I have never before thought of...more

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May 10, 2013 Lorri rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read A Murder of Crows first and then came back to this one to figure out the background on the characters. Not as strong a story as Crows, but definitely read this one first if you have the choice.

I'm on the hunt for other books by this author.

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Jun 05, 2013 Veronica Sanche rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this novel. I found the first three chapters confusing but the rest of the novel makes up for it. Great plot - very unusual. All the characters are strong and realistic. Well written. Can't wait for the next two books.

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Nov 23, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Won an advanced copy. It was an easy read and a good read, enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to reading other books in the series!!

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Aug 05, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult

Everytime the story started getting compelling and interesting the author shied away from it. In my mind the real story is the boy in the ice, not the placebo ratios. I wanted more about the boy and more about Decker's family...and was disappointed.

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Apr 28, 2013 Nina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received a free copy of this book thanks to Goodreads and Simon & Chuster.

I found the book intriguing and surprising at the same time, so I would recommend it.

Because of the excessive number of characters, it was quite hard to remember what each person did or said at first, and his/her connection to Decker Roberts. After getting familiar with the names of most of them, the story started to interest me a lot more.

My favourite part: When Roberts realized (and me as well!) the connection betw...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Brenda added it

SoSo...the idea is a good one but I didn't really feel engaged.

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May 21, 2013 Sandy Hoenecke rated it 1 of 5 stars

Just didn't do it for me so I scanned the rest of it

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May 18, 2013 Lynn Kearney rated it 3 of 5 stars

The plot of less interest to me than the Toronto setting!

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Apr 06, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

I recieved this book as part of Goodreads First Reads Giveaways. I have not read a lot of books by Canadian authors, so as a Canadian I was excited to have recieved this book. It was refreshing to read about places that I've been and/or at least heard about, and the Canadian "humour" made me chuckle in spots. The plot is interesting, to say the least, and there is plenty of action and suspense. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series, and also will read some of Rotenberg's...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Louise Walsh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Enjoyable book, good read, hope the author writes more like this.

**Won on GoodReads First Reads**

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Chilling Thrillers: THE PLACEBO EFFECT by David Rotenberg	3	18	Aug 14, 2012 04:28pm
Book One of the Junction Chronicles	1	9	Nov 23, 2011 03:57pm

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About David Rotenberg

David Rotenberg has been a master acting teacher for over 20 years. He has directed on Broadway, in many major regional theatres, for television, and he has published six novels, including the Zhong Fong detective series, all of which are available at your local bookstore or online. The series is in the process of being optioned for film.

David has taught at York University, the National Theatre Sc...more

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“Human beings are not made to take shortcuts,... You're to live your life, moment by moment. Your life isn't here to entertain you - it's to be lived.” — 2 people liked it

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The Placebo Effect (Junction Chronicles #1)

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