Dr. Alan Gregory Books In Order

Publication Order of Alan Gregory Books

The name ‘Dr. Alan Gregory’ refers to a series of novels written by Stephen White. The books explore the life of a clinical psychologist that solves crimes.

+The Story

The Dr. Alan Gregory series is normally categorized under the suspense/thriller genre. The books tell the story of Dr. Alan Gregory, a psychologist operating out of Boulder in Colorado. Gregory considers himself to be a competent psychologist, and most of his patients and colleagues would agree.

However, Gregory definitely lives an unconventional life, especially in comparison to his peers in the same field. It has become the norm for writers of detective mystery novels to attempt to breathe new life into the genre by making detectives out of the most unlikely individuals.

In fact, there’s a saturation of detective novels on the market today involving milkmen, librarians and the like, all of them working alongside law enforcement to solve murders and other crimes.

The Dr. Alan Gregory series doesn’t attempt to replicate that trope. Doctor Gregory isn’t some repressed medical professional that uses his free time to catch bad guys. The character is a psychologist and he is more or less satisfied with his work.

It isn’t Gregory who goes out of his way to look for trouble. Rather, trouble keeps landing in his lap. For example, the first book in the Dr. Alan Gregory Series finds the psychologist dealing with the death of a patient.

As a shrink, Gregory knows enough about the patient to provide insight into her murder. However, there is a professional code in place that prevents the good doctor from revealing information given to him by his patients.

While Gregory understands and appreciates the purpose of this code, his resolve is tested when more of his patients begin to die. And as the police begin to suspect him of the murders, he is forced to use what he knows about his patients to identify the true causes of their deaths before the police decide to book him for crimes he did not commit.

The author, Stephen White, is a psychologist by profession, and he understands the perils that the field of psychology can attract, especially for a doctor that is unfortunate enough to deal with those more unhinged patients.

The books Stephen White produces in the Dr. Alan Gregory series are supposed to thrill and entertain. There are numerous plot twists and turns, and the characterization of Gregory’s patients and friends makes for compelling reading.

However, these books also aim to educate readers about psychology as a whole. Stephen digs into all the ways the field impacts and is impact by the different circles of the world. And he doesn’t always place Doctor Gregory at the center of all his mysteries.

There are twenty books in the Dr. Alan Gregory series. Gregory is the primary protagonist of most of the books. However, sometimes, Stephen relegates Gregory to the role of supporting character in favor of elevating some of Gregory’s colleagues into the spotlight.

Chief amongst these characters that will sometimes receive added attention is a police detective in Boulder that works with and against Gregory.

The Dr. Alan Gregory Books have been commended for playing with topical mysteries. The mysteries are either relevant to the prominent issues of the years in which the books were published or they highlight issues that often go unnoticed.

Throughout the series, Gregory struggles with a sense of discontent. Even when his life is smooth sailing, he is typically looking for so much more. The trouble Gregory gets into sometimes blows back against his family.

Stephen White believes that he was fortunate to end the series at a time when it was still popular. In fact, Stephen admitted that the popularity of the books was a factor in his decision to end the series. Certainly, Stephen was convinced that there were no more Alan Gregory stories to be told. But it also made sense to him to bring the series to an end at a time when people wanted more.

+The Author

Stephen White was born on Long Island. He attended the University of California at the Irvine and Los Angeles Campuses. Though, it was at Berkeley that he finally graduated. That was in 1972.

The author dabbled in a lot of activities before settling on writing. This includes flying small planes and acting as a guide at Universal Studios. He also waited tables and tended bars. He finally got his doctorate in psychology in 1979 and made a bit of a name for himself when he published a study looking at the impact marital disruptions can have on men.

Stephen White’s career has seen him work in the private and educational sectors. His most notable posting was at a pediatric cancer department at the Denver Children’s Hospital. Stephen took the job at a time where there were barely a dozen pediatric oncology psychologists in the country.

Despite working as a full-time psychologist in 1989, Stephen managed to get his first mystery novel written. The Dr. Alan Gregory series came about sometime after.

+Privileged Information

Alan Gregory is a successful psychologist and it seemed like he had quite the bright future. But then a female patient of his died under mysterious circumstances. Rather than grieving for her, Alan found his time consumed by her diary, which accounted the patient’s sexual obsession with him and painted Alan in a negative light.

Alan Gregory wants to avail his assistance to the police if it will help them catch the murderer. But the only help Gregory can avail involves revealing confidential information about his deceased patient, which would go against the ethics of his field.

As more bodies begin to turn up, all patients of his, the police quickly look to the good doctor as the prime suspect, forcing him to investigate the string of murders to clear his name.

+Higher Authority

When attorney Lauren Crowder is drawn into a chaotic sexual harassment case, Dr. Alan Gregory is unable to predict that violent consequences that will follow. As the case begins to encompass prominent political elements, a killer emerges and throws an unexpected spanner into the works.