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The Architect (Frank Clevenger #6)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 500 ratings · 62 reviews

West Crosse is a genius at creating spaces uniquely fitting the people who will inhabit them. The catch: he works under a shroud of secrecy, charges his clients a fortune, and then sometimes, in the most skillful and horrifying ways, he kills them...

West has the best of reasons. He's designing lives as well as homes, obliterating everything that is ugly, accidental, or ill

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Paperback, 352 pages

Published May 30th 2006 by St. Martin's Paperbacks (first published 2004)

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May 14, 2012 Sarah Glenn rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Thriller fans, serial killer fans

West Crosse is an architect par excellence, a man of enormous creative vision and sensitivity to the needs of his wealthy clients. This is especially true of the homes he designs for families - anticipating both current and future needs. They are creations of light and space, temples to truth and beauty. Crosse is a man of high ideals.

But I wouldn't want him to design a house for me.

Crosse goes beyond planning perfect homes for his clients, you see. He also plans perfect lives for them. If a mem...more West Crosse is an architect par excellence, a man of enormous creative vision and sensitivity to the needs of his wealthy clients. This is especially true of the homes he designs for families - anticipating both current and future needs. They are creations of light and space, temples to truth and beauty. Crosse is a man of high ideals.

But I wouldn't want him to design a house for me.

Crosse goes beyond planning perfect homes for his clients, you see. He also plans perfect lives for them. If a member of the family is an obstacle to the happiness and growth of the family, Crosse removes that person... and he finds one in each family he works for. An abusive husband, a wife who doesn't want children, a daughter with a drug problem - all of them must die for the good of the family.

Forensic psychiatrist Frank Clevenger is put on the case after the President of the United States begins receiving fan mail from the unsub who has been killing and surgically dissecting wealthy people across the country. Clevenger is beset by personal problems: his love life has taken a downturn, and his continuing problems with his adopted son Billy often steal the stage from the visionary killer on a mission from God. Fighting his alcoholism becomes harder and harder, and finally he begins prescribing Antabuse for himself to prevent falling into the pit for good.
In contrast, the families he meets during his investigation seem to be coming out of their own dark times. They seem calm, even happy... and even relieved at the death of their loved one, though they don't say so out loud. It makes investigating... interesting and nonrewarding at the same time.

I've read several books of Ablow's, and this one was an enormous pleasure to read. Crosse's sense of beauty and clean proportions take him out of the bounds of the 'average' serial killer, while Clevenger's personal life becomes a messy disaster. There are no simple solutions in our hero's world, and he's not going to get them in this novel. For Crosse, though, the mission is clear, and there is no hesitation in his actions. The consequences are horrible. If a movie were made of this book, Hollywood would have to alter the ending. The audience would not accept it.

A side note: the Skull and Bones group of Yale gets a lot of attention in this novel. Crosse belongs to it, and uses its connection to get contracts with the high and mighty. President Buckley (an excellent choice of names) is a member and, given the book's 2005 publication date, was probably meant to draw comparisons to George W. Bush. Ablow casts no aspersions on the Bonesmen, political or otherwise. Membership simply makes them more vulnerable to trusting The Architect and less likely to talk to investigators about other potential victims.(less)

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Dec 08, 2010 Alins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dr. Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychiatrist who could use a psychiatrist of his own. Oh wait, he has one. But he only has time for one visit while tracking down a serial killer who expertly dissects a single aspect of his victim's body.

The backstories in "The Architect" are distracting and really don't add anything. Clevenger is an alcoholic. That addicition inteferes with his bonding with Billy Bishop, a 19 year old recently adopted by Clevenger. Adopt a teenager? Young Bishop's problems wit...more Dr. Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychiatrist who could use a psychiatrist of his own. Oh wait, he has one. But he only has time for one visit while tracking down a serial killer who expertly dissects a single aspect of his victim's body.

The backstories in "The Architect" are distracting and really don't add anything. Clevenger is an alcoholic. That addicition inteferes with his bonding with Billy Bishop, a 19 year old recently adopted by Clevenger. Adopt a teenager? Young Bishop's problems with his own early fatherhood, drug and alcohol consumption keep disracting Clevenger - and the reader - from the pursuit of the murderer, And then there's the ongoing off-and-on affair with Whitney McCormick, Clevenger's FBI boss and occasional lover. Again a distraction. Finally author Ablow inserts his political opinions into the narrative. Yet another disctraction.

Ignore these things and Ablow crafts a reasonably interesting story. West Crosse is a brilliant architect. Educated at Yale, he is a member of the Skull and Bones, the secret society so beloved of conspiracists. His Skull and Bones membership and referrals bring him new commissions. Crosse designs to reflect the innermost desires of his clients, even those desires the clients repress. Crosse wants perfection for his clients, not only in the structures he designs for them, but in their lives. So as author quickly makes apparent, Crosse more or less redesigns his client's families as well by getting rid of those elements he finds disturbing.

Crosse is definitely a bit off the beaten track in a less accomplished way then Hannibal Lechter was. Clevenger applies his forensic psychiatric skills in identifying Crosse as a suspect. This, frankly, happens a bit too easily and is less than credible. But it works because Ablow's storytelling skills are pretty good.

Overall, if you ignore the backstories and the author's political pontifications, Ablow has created a gruesome killer, a moderately interesting chase and an overblown, but enjoyable, climax. Not a bad read at all.(less)

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Sep 27, 2009 martin rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book almost wins a third star for its ending alone - the good guys don't stop the bad guy in the last minute, save the victim or make the world happy and safe.

I read this in a day - it doesn't require too much thought. The cover oversells it (surprise, surprise) but it makes a reasonable attempt at what might be called the "psychopath messiah" crime genre. Married to an architect, I can really recognise and understand the artist / perfectionist mentality described and that for me was the b...more

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Jun 23, 2009 Sandie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: thrillers-and-mystery

This is my first book by this author, Keith Ablow, and it will most likely be my last. His protagonist, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Frank Clevenger, is without doubt the most dysfunctional character in a tale teeming with dysfunctional characters. Clevenger's personal life is a train wreck and he is hard pressed to make it through a day without a few belts of booze. He is unable to make any meaningful contribution to the lives of those he purportedly cares about and any of the folks that he "loves...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Vespertine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, reviewed, favorites

Four stars for originality. Because it is a curious thriller.

First the hero is not a member of the police or the FBI but a psychiatrist and, as such, he only does that, talking to people and trying to understand them or, as he puts it himself, see if their explanations are plausible. He's really a consultant, not a man of action, which is kind of refreshing.

Weirdly enough, we know almost since the beginning who the killer is and what his motives are but it does not make the whole book boring th...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Katharine rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is my second book in my Read Alphabetically Thru The Library Project. The beauty of this project is that I read books that I would never pick up on my own. This is one of those books -- a dark, and at times grisly, thriller. The "Architect" is a diabolical serial killer who believes that he can creatively kill to put people's lives aright. He's scary, to be sure, but he's so implausible that this could have been fantasy. To be fair, it's the sixth one in a series by the author and I have no...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Linda Branham Greenwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: psychological-thriller, fiction, mystery-crime

This is my 3rd book in the series... Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychologist/crime fighter. In this book Clevenger is contacted by the FBI to help them trace a serial murderer who carefully dissects parts of his victims - wealthy victims. Clevenger connects the murders to a well-known architect wes Cross, - an architect who is extremely talented and extremely disturbed. Cross builds the house around the family - their loves, passions, issues - to make the house totally their own. Cross sees h...more

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Jan 09, 2011 Jery rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

Interesting thriller, I feel as if I might have had more sympathy for the protagonist if I had not joined the series midway through. His struggles as the adoptive parent of a troubled child and an alcoholic take nearly as much storyline as the main thread of a brilliant but psychopatic architect who specializes in creating perfect houses and 'life spaces' for people, with the added component of killing members of their family if they don't fit his perception of a perfect life.

I am not giving aw...more

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Jun 13, 2009 Barbara ★ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-medical-forensic, read-2009

This book is spectacular! West Crosse is beyond insane. He is an architect who designs homes based on what kind of family you should have not what you do have even to the extent of murdering someone to make the dynamics work as he sees it. He has murdered seven people so far and FBI psychiatrist Dr. Clevenger is investigating each death and searching for clues as to why they were murdered and who could have done it.

Dr. Clevenger has many personal issues going on at the same time he is hunting t...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Richard Good rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was mentioned in Donald Maass' "The Fire in Fiction", a book on writing fiction, and it was used as an example of how to create an effective and believable villain. I picked up this novel as part of a project I have started, using the examples in Donald Maass' book as a reading list.

Regarding the villainous aspect of the novel, Ablow does a great job of creating a truly diabolical serial killer with a unique and interesting twist. I took quite a bit from this novel in that regard, and...more This book was mentioned in Donald Maass' "The Fire in Fiction", a book on writing fiction, and it was used as an example of how to create an effective and believable villain. I picked up this novel as part of a project I have started, using the examples in Donald Maass' book as a reading list.

Regarding the villainous aspect of the novel, Ablow does a great job of creating a truly diabolical serial killer with a unique and interesting twist. I took quite a bit from this novel in that regard, and I found this aspect to the story refreshing, albeit effectively chilling.

I know The Architect is several installments into the Clevenger series, so I might not be as connected with the protagonist's personal history as I should be, but found myself struggling to relate to his private struggles. Alcoholism...okay, it's an acceptable and understandable flaw. Problems with his adopted son who is now an adult and going off the deep end...not as invested in that one. I think the son needs to figure things out a little more on his own.

The part that kept me rolling my eyes was the romantic relationship with an FBI director, but I can still chalk that up, in part, to unfamiliarity with the back story. It feels like a deliberate element of tension between two protagonists - "Will they ever get together for good; can the relationship withstand the pressures of their respective occupations; will she ever find a "normal" guy to be with (there was a hint of another guy she was seeing, but it was mentioned so passively that it felt all the more divisive); how many times will she let him off the hook for running off to rescue his perpetually dysfunctional son? - so I pretty much skimmed the parts involving the two of them.

On the whole, I did like the story, and I enjoyed the ending, which is what kept this book in the "4" rating. Poor endings really bother me, no matter how good the rest of the story was, and this one took me a little by surprise. In fact, the way this novel was written, I was beginning to see things from the antagonists perspective a little, so the conclusion left me with a feeling of introspection that I don't often get from thrillers.(less)

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Nov 04, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ablow's Frank Clevenger series began with an appearance by this forensic psychologist back in 1998 in Denial. In every subsequent book, we get a great thriller story interspersed with Clevenger's own personal trials, and THE ARCHITECT is no different.

The main storyline of this book, that of an architect who believes he's doing God's work by reshaping the lives of the people he builds houses for, is definitely overshadowed by the story of Clevenger himself. His own battle with alcoholism (remini...more

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Jun 07, 2008 Trudy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kieth-ablow

The issue for some with Ablow's books is going to be that they tend to be very graphic and intense. If you get past the first Ablow book, which I though was the most disturbing, then you should really enjoy his Frank Clevenger series.

As noted in other reviews, I love the series that give you just as much of a story in the main character as the main plot. And Frank Clevenger has quite a story to him as he is as screwed up as they come. A forensic psychiatrist with a thing for booze, coke and the...more

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Feb 21, 2008 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: popularfiction

I thought this book was really pretentious and overdone from the beginning, but it kind of grew on me. The character is overly contrived at the beginning, almost as if the author is trying to over-dramatize the killer's various obsessions and compulsions. By the end, I was genuinely interested in what was going to happen. The suspense picked up mid-book for me.

The narrative simultaneously follows the story of a prestigious architect who also happens to be a self-trained surgeon and a freelance p...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Lori Anaple rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-ass-books-ever, lets-fuck-up-a-family

I love this book! I haven't read it in a long time, but if you like a book with a twisted psycho, then definitely read this! It is the second or third in a series, but it is stand alone. Each book has the same protagonist and you get more and more of his story with each book. The first in the series is Denial. Ablow is fairly graphic and not really for the faint of heart.

This one is my favorite. Who would have ever thought of an architect as one who arranges peoples lives???? Off the hook!

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Jun 26, 2010 Maureen Wagner rated it 2 of 5 stars

While I appreciate what the author was trying to do with this book, I still found myself not very invested in the characters and plot progression. Nevertheless, I found the villain and his peers provided timely political and social commentary, particularly with the protagonist's approach to the relationships in his life providing something of a foil, and I applaud Albow for not choosing a more conventional ending.

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May 14, 2009 Natalie rated it 2 of 5 stars

maniac architect sounds like an interesting idea, pregnant with possibilities. Disturbed psychiatrist on the other hand - seems like a cliche at this point.
I thought the father-son portion of the book was really underdeveloped, pretty raw. Overall, book started out well, but got scattered towards the end. And, really predictable.
Couldn't wait to finish this one, but not in a good way...

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Dec 20, 2007 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the first novel by this author I've read. I didn't realize it was a series of books. However this book was a mystery to me. I have a feeling that it's a middle book of a series where it helps you get to know the character better. It had a lot of personal issues about the main character. You know who the killer is in this book however I didn't find him as smart, evil and fascinating as others. There are some political statements made in this book along with veiled statements about the Bon...more

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Jan 14, 2010 Chrissy Owens rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think I was disappointed with this book partly because I read it on the heels of Murder Suicide. The story was very fascinating, but didn't feel as solid. I got the impression that it was written quickly, and that it may be awhile before we hear from Keith again. I don't know where he's taking his characters, and I'm not sure he does either.

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Sep 11, 2012 Victoria rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller, books-in-a-series, not-for-me

I did not like this book at all. This is the first Keith Ablow that I read, and perhaps a part of my dislike have something to do with the fact that this is the fifth book in a series that was not named on the book's cover... Which is certainly no fault of Ablow's but is a particular pet-peeve of mine. What is the point of writing a series if your publisher doesn't correctly market your novel as a series?! But mostly, I didn't sympathize with the characters and the inclusion of the murderers P.O...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Gerry rated it 3 of 5 stars

I randomly picked this up at my local library – mainly because of the name since I do consulting for architects... thankfully none of them are like the nut case in this story. It has a good number of passages that describe architecture and obviously the author did his research to understand architect “speak”. The plot was fast paced – but the ending was a disappointment.

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Apr 25, 2009 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Keith ablow is not for the faint of heart, he is a foresenci psychiatrist and his books go deep into the heart of pathology of the mind and the horrible things that people do...his first book that i read was almost more than i could do....but after a few months i read the second book and i am glad that i did.

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Dec 30, 2009 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

An interesting mystery in some ways, way too graphic for me in parts. I'm not really a big fan of the gruesome psychopath. Someone had recommended this author, and I've seen the author as a commentator on the news, so I thought I'd give one of his books a try. I'm good.

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Jun 04, 2012 Lexi Muhlenbeck rated it 5 of 5 stars

I literally could not put this book down. Keith Ablow is a great writer of psychological thrillers. I've read one of his other books "Psychopath" with the same character (psychiatrist Dr. Frank Clevenger) which was also a great book.

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Aug 11, 2011 Ricardo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good follow up on the recurring characters, but totally lacking in the development of the villain and his credibility. Just an average read, nothing more

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May 17, 2010 Joe rated it 3 of 5 stars

This series has probably now run it's course, this the 6th in the Frank Clevenger series wasn't bad but was probably a little too similar to the 4th book in the series Psychopath with the same plot.

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Apr 14, 2013 Stephanie Hughes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very easy read but liked the fact that the ending isn't quite as you expect it to be. Not quite a good guy saves the day ending.

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Mar 03, 2013 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book didn't grab me right away but I stuck with it and I'm so glad I did!! I'd never read Ablom before, but I was immediately impressed with his ability to characterize both the "good guy" and the "bad guy" so to speak. The alternating viewpoint adds something special to this work and gives us a glimpse into the mind of a twisted serial killer. Very well done!

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Oct 15, 2010 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Keith Ablow certainly knows how the mind of a psycopath works. After all, he is a doctor of Psychology

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Jul 30, 2009 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the second Keith Ablow book I've read ... and I wasn't disappointed. Really liked the architectural twist ...

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Jan 08, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who likes contemporary mysteries

Recommended to Mary by: Library Book Sale

Shelves: read-but-unowned, 1990-2009, 96-100, bought-at-a-library-book-sale, contemporary-mystery, hardcover

West Crosse is a brilliant, handsome architect with a love of ideal beauty and a commitment to creating it at all costs. But the rich, powerful families who employ him don't realize that he has a dark side: Crosse can't stop at designing their homes, he must make their lives beautiful as well.

To Crosse, that means murdering abusive spouses, a toxic lover, predatory business partners or anyone else who doesn't fit with his ideal of perfection. As Crosse begins his master work, the FBI's Frank Cle...more

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About Keith Ablow

Keith Russell Ablow is an American psychiatrist, New York Times best-selling author, and television personality.

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“For a psychiatrist to be any good, he has to be willing to corner you, close off the easy exits, even when it hurts. It's supposed to. (46)” — 6 people liked it

“He started to feel for himself, which is the only way to start feeling for others. (24)” — 1 person liked it

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The Architect (Frank Clevenger #6)

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