Part of Alex Delaware, book 1
First published 2003
Dr. Morton Handler lies dead in his Pacific Palisades apartment, victim of a brutal murder. The corrupt psychiatrist built his practice on fraud, extortion, and sexual manipulation until someone made him pay the ultimate price. Police have no leads, but they do have seven-year-old Melody Quinn, who may have witnessed the killing. Child psychologist Alex Delaware takes on the delicate task of drawing out what the traumatized girl saw. As he works to unlock Melody's buried memories, the shapes emerging from her mind reveal connections to Alex's own past. What begins as a straightforward murder case transforms into something far more sinister. A conspiracy stretching back four decades threatens to consume both doctor and patient. Alex must expose the truth before an unspeakable evil claims Melody as its next victim.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: conspiracy, murder-investigation, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Pacific Palisades
Period: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s
448 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: child-abuse, murder, violence