Review: Psychotherapy, murder, and romance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 31, 2013
This is a well written and edited murder/suspense novel. Its protagonist, Kate Canfield, is an amateur sleuth who happens to be a happily married psychotherapist whose profession brings her into contact with a large assortment of characters with expertise in many areas, including law, criminal investigation, weapons, and self-defense. Kate is drawn into this adventure when a former client--a retired government assassin with narcissistic personality disorder--dies under mysterious circumstances. With the help of numerous supporting characters, Kate tries to solve the mystery of his demise while staying alive and maintaining her own sanity, friendships, and marriage. To tell the truth, I found the number of characters and complexity of relationships somewhat overwhelming. They include friends, an ambassador, CIA agents, former agents, lawyers, clients, private eyes, cops, doctors, therapists, and the President of the USA. Adding a layer of complexity, the story unfolds from multiple points of view, forcing the reader to put together the pieces of a puzzle. This make logical sense in a murder mystery, but some readers may find it a bit daunting.The novel will definitely appeal to fans of female sleuths. It is not a romance, but Kate's relationship with her husband is central, and her many friends are more important than one would typically find in  male-oriented mystery/suspense. This said, the novel does have its share of action, and the other usual elements; for example, shootings, physical violence, chases, cops, private detectives, secrets, mysterious pasts, and so forth. The author, a retired psychotherapist, provides credibility to Kate's character and her observations on dealing with mental health.