Stephen White Kill Me

Kill Me

Stephen White

Dutton, Mar 2006, $25.95, 352 pp.

ISBN: 0525949305

He is a patient of clinical psychologist Dr. Alan Gregory, happily married with a young daughter, when he had a near death experience while skiing. He is fortunate to survive as his reflexes kept him alive, but as he explains to his shrink, he ponders an exit strategy struggling to decide the bankruptcy point in which death is superior to life. He signs a contract with the mysterious Death Angel Inc. in which he pays them in consideration for them to kill him when his lifestyle reaches the agreed-upon point of no return.

When his health deteriorates, he soon learns about the hidden clauses in his contract, starting with an incident caused by Death Angel agents that occurs while he drives with a passenger on I-70 in Colorado. His reflexes save their lives, but other drivers are hurt, perhaps dead, as nothing prohibits collateral damage.

This thought provoking thriller will leave readers wondering at what point is life not worth living, just like the nameless patient did and eventually acted upon to his regret. The fast-paced action storyline never slows down, yet propels the audience, even the err on the side of life crowd, to consider an exit strategy. Interestingly in what is probably his best work to date, Stephen White's hero, Dr. Gregory serves as a support player to the anonymous star of the deep KILL ME.