George Harrar: Books:
The Spinning Man

Hardcover by Putnam February 2003

From The New York Times, April 6, 2003: Evan Birch, the protagonist of George Harrar's elegant and unnerving mystery of psychological suspense, THE SPINNING MAN (Putnam, $24.95), has a confession to make. ''I've behaved far too well in my life,'' says Birch, a middle-aged professor of philosophy at a small college in an unnamed town. ''I've almost bored myself at times.'' Although beloved by his bookworm wife and whip-smart 10-year-old twin sons, Birch is such an inoffensive soul that it must surely be a mistake when he is arrested in connection with the disappearance of a 16-year-old cheerleader. But as evidence (including the blond hair and tube of ''Red Red'' lipstick found in his car) piles up to the contrary, Birch turns to Wittgenstein for guidance on the ambiguities of language and the vagaries of thought. ''It's only in our language where uncertainty arises,'' he protests of the word and mind games with which the police try to trap him. A graceful and subtle writer, Harrar invites us to identify with the philosopher's struggles to maintain his mental equilibrium, even as the novel dangles the possibility that the mind might not always be in control of the body's behaviors. Just a thought . . . if thoughts can be trusted.

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From The Boston Globe March 30, 2003: George Harrar's taut psychological drama, ''The Spinning Man,'' occurs almost exclusively in the mind of Evan Birch, a professor in the troubled philosophy department in a small-town college. And quite a mind it is, as Birch dissects Wittgenstein, volleys lovingly with his wife over Proust, comforts their twin 10-year-old sons, and takes notice of the peculiar habits of his female students. Despite his tenuous situation at the college, these should be happy days for the handsome, unassuming Birch. His book, ''Disturbing Minds,'' has just been published; his wife, Ellen, his intellectual match, has a thriving, if offbeat, career; and their Adam and Zed are adorable. Whatever tensions exist in the Birch household seem unremarkable -- until he's pulled over by the local police, handcuffed in front of the two startled boys, dragged to the precinct house, and told he's been spotted at the place where a 16-year-old cheerleader recently went missing. Harrar, a Wayland resident, succeeds wonderfully in creating two worlds for us: reality as Birch sees it, and the one we cobble together from the people with whom the professor interacts. Clues open to more than one interpretation are scattered about, and secrets once thought to be inconsequential now seem to threaten the Birch family's well-being. Soon, we find ourselves examining the professor's every word: When he quotes Nietzsche in one of his sparsely attended classes, we're not sure if he's theorizing or defending his behavior. It's a marvelous performance by Harrar, who blends the commonplace and the esoteric with exceptional ease.

Paperback by BlueHen/Berkley February 2004

From Kirkus Reviews:
A harrowing psychological thriller from Harrar (Parents Wanted, 2001, etc.) about a mild-mannered philosophy professor who falls under suspicion of kidnapping.... A splendid exercise in suspense and terror: keeps you guessing right to the end.

From Publishers Weekly (Starred Review):
"This riveting, whip-smart suspense novel by Harrar (First Tiger) follows a philosophy professor under investigation for the disappearance of a teenage cheerleader...The interactions between husband, wife and the police detective crackle with sharp dialogue. The result is a first-rate thriller that offers gut-wrenching suspense, ironic humor and a devious, cerebral suspect, with a stunning finale to boot."

From Washington Post Book World:
A suspenseful, did-he-or-didn't-he plot and an unblinking look at the tensions of family life... an interesting, offbeat read.

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