Dennis Palumbo on Between the Lines

Barry Kibrick talks with Dennis Palumbo, renowned psycologist and oscar nominated screen writer, about his new book, . Now, with his new book, "Phantom Limb", and delve deep into the psychology of life through his writing. 

Promoting Crime Fiction Reviews Dennis Palumbo's PHANTOM LIMB

Psychologist Daniel Rinaldi’s newest patient has made a deal with him: he’s got just one hour to talk her out of committing suicide. Then she’s kidnapped

This fast-moving American thriller is narrated by  Rinaldi, and involves a good cast of classic noir characters: wise-cracking ex-actress Lisa Harland and her rich, older husband, Charles, who runs most of the city; ex-vet security guard Mike, and James, Charlie’s wastrel son; the enigmatic kidnapper Julian, and his tame thug, Griffin. On the side of the angels are spunky Agent Gloria Reese, good cop Polk and bad cop Bigler. Rinaldi is a genial hero, still carrying baggage from his past. The action is constant, with guns, explosions, hair-breadth escapes and a tense ending with a surprise perp.

The dialogue is snappy. This is the fourth Rinaldi novel, and although previous events are mentioned, there are no spoilers, and it reads well as a stand-alone.

A page-turning American thriller with a likeable psychologist hero.


You can order PHANTOM LIMB from your favorite independent bookstore, or from the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.

You can also order PHANTOM LIMB direct from Amazon.

Read more at Promoting Crime Fiction

'Phantom Limb': A Conversation With Dennis Palumbo

 

Photo: Nathanson's Photography

Dennis Palumbo is a thriller writer and psychotherapist in private practice. He's the author of the non-fiction book, Writing from the Inside Out and a collection of mystery stories, From Crime to Crime. He has also been writing the Daniel Rinaldi mystery series. He was formerly a Hollywood screenwriter, whose credits include the film My Favorite Year, which was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay. He was a staff writer for the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter. Currently, he blogs for the Huffington Post and has a column, Hollywood on the Couch, for Psychology Today.

His mystery-thriller series concerns Dr. Daniel Rinaldi, a psychologist and trauma expert, who consults with the 
Pittsburg Police. His specialty is treating victims of violent crime who suffer from the traumatic after-effects of those experiences. Rinaldi suffered such a trauma when his wife was killed during a mugging. Though he too was shot, he lived, but struggled with survivor's guilt long afterwards. Now, his mission now is to help others deal with their trauma symptoms, but in the process, he manages to get heavily involved in police investigations, often to the consternation of his police colleagues.

In Phantom Limb, the fourth book in the series, Dr. Rinaldi consults with a prospective patient, a woman he last saw thirty years ago in Playboy. Lisa Campbell, ex-starlet and current trophy wife of elderly tycoon Charles Harland, plans to kill herself at 7 o'clock that evening. Daniel has only fifty minutes, the length of their session, to talk her out of it. Soon after Lisa leaves his office, she's kidnapped. As a psychologist who may have heard critical information, he's ethically bound not to share what they discussed. So, Rinaldi must navigate tricky waters to help the police locate Lisa. Rinaldi find himself amid a tangled web of kidnapping, murder, sexual deviance, and family secrets.

It seems in some respects, Daniel Rinaldi bears a resemblance to you. True?
He does, in the sense we're both born and raised in Pittsburgh. We both went to Pitt. We're both Italian-Americans and the big similarity other than we're both psychologists, is we straddle the Pittsburgh of old and new. When I went to college, the city was loaded with steel mills. They're all gone now. Industrial Pittsburgh has been replaced by a high-tech, sophisticated city. Daniel and I are very aware of that change, from a formerly dingy city, with its skies filled with smoke and ash, and coal barges going up and down the Allegheny River, to what it is now: a city with gleaming skyscrapers and clean air.

Daniel is also some things I'm not: he's a former amateur boxer; he's brave and resourceful, which I'm not (Laughter). The things he gets involved with would have me running in the other direction. Kirkus Reviews called him 'Jack Reacher with a psychology degree.' (More laughter).

As a psychotherapist yourself, how much of your training do you bring to the Daniel Rinaldi novels?
I've been a licensed therapist for almost twenty-eight years. For three-and-half years, I worked in a psychiatric hospital with schizophrenics. Earlier in my career, I spent five years in training on trauma theory with the nation's leading trauma expert, Dr. Robert Stolorow. That's one of the reasons I made Daniel a trauma expert. In most thriller novels, the effects of trauma on crime victims are never dealt with. In the Daniel Rinaldi series, these effects are very important. That's part of what my training as a psychologist brings to the writing.

The Daniel Rinaldi novels are written from the first-person perspective. What are the advantages of this style?
For me, the advantage is we get to be inside Daniel's head and thoughts. From that perspective, we really hear his voice. Rather than hearing a removed, third-person authorial voice, we get to stay within Daniel himself; we're inside his head. So, not only will he say something to another character, but he'll also think something to himself, something to which the reader is privy. We get a solid sense of who he is. I also like that by using the first person, the reader only knows what Daniel knows. Often, in thrillers, the reader knows what the bad guy is thinking. So, from a first person perspective, it's a bit more difficult to build suspense, but I'm able to do it. I construct the story so enough dread is foreshadowed to make the reader worry for Daniel.

You've been outspoken about the thriller-mystery genre being a venerable one. Will you talk about that?
Many people question the literary quality of crime thrillers. I think crime novels, from Sherlock Holmes on, have done what Tom Wolfe said, 'The purpose of a novel is to show the details of an era's status, to demonstrate its culture.'

If you want a picture of Victorian London, read any Sherlock Holmes novel. It's revelatory. I don't think there's a better dissection of modern marriage than what's depicted in Gone Girl. Whether it's Camus's The Stranger, or Conrad's Heart of Darkness, they delineate the era in which they were written. And, they're crime-mystery novels. There's tremendous literary value in these works.

There's a tendency to think of literature, and crime novels as inhabiting two separate spheres, as being in different categories. The best crime novels are indeed literature. I don't think there are better writers than Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos, or for that matter, Dostoyevsky, Twain, Hugo, or Dickens. To one or another extent, they all wrote novels about crime. When it comes to writing, there's good writing, mediocre writing and bad writing. That's it.

What has surprised you about the writing life?
What's most surprising to me is that success in writing is much more about craft than talent. It's really a matter of hard work and diligence. It's not sitting around, drinking absinthe, and waiting for inspiration. It's hard work. You sit down every day at the typewriter or keyboard, and do the work. And hopefully, thirty-five years later, you have something to show for it.

What do you love about the writing life?
I've been a writer since I was twenty-two. The thing I love most is the creation of a completely different world in a novel. Screenwriting is a collaborative process; things get rewritten by various people; they're then interpreted and changed by directors and actors. If, in the end, there's any resemblance to what you initially wrote, it's a small miracle. But in my Daniel Rinaldi novels, I get into his head and construct his world. I love that. I love creating a whole new world.

What advice would you give novice writers?
My advice is very simple: don't follow trends; don't try to copy other people's success; keep giving the readers you, until you is what they want.

Congratulations on writing Phantom Limb, the fourth in the Daniel Rinaldi mystery-thriller series. Publishers Weekly called it "twisty," "satisfying," and said it "ends on a cliffhanger." I found it to be a riveting novel.

Mark Rubinstein
Author of Mad Dog House and Love Gone Mad

Follow Mark Rubinstein on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mrubinsteinCT


Reposted from The Huffington Post

The Crime Writers Chronicale Interviews Author Dennis Palumbo

Dr. Daniel Rinaldi and the Phantom Limb…

Dennis Palumbo's new smooth-as-silk book with psychologist and Police Department consultant Dr. Daniel Rinaldi—PHANTOM LIMB—will knock your socks off! Page one will hook you… and you won't stop for lunch, dinner or sleep! This new book by Hollywood former screenwriter for bigtime shows grabs you by the throat and does not let you go til the end.

Kirkus Reviews said, "Jack Reacher with a psychology degree." I've read all the Reacher books… and Dan Rinaldi has more heart, soul and compassion!

Dennis is the author of a mystery collection, FROM CRIME TO CRIME, and his short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and The Strand.

We are delighted to welcome Dennis Palumbo back to Crime Writer's Chronicle today!

Thelma Straw



Thelma: Is Lisa Campbell based on a real person? Or a composite? You had me by the throat with her first

appearance on p. 1.

Dennis: Prior to becoming a licensed psychotherapist, I was a Hollywood screenwriter for 17 years. During that time I met a number of women like Lisa—women "of a certain age" who were once young, naive actresses exploited for their looks in less-than-meaningful films. In PHANTOM LIMB, the character of Lisa is a composite of such women, for whom I have both sympathy and respect for the fact that they're survivors. Plus, like Lisa, these women tend to have razor-sharp, expletive-laden tongues.

Thelma: You have the cop lingo and mannerisms down pat. Did you train with the police?

Dennis: No, though I've met with a few police detectives over the years. Mostly what little I know comes from research.

Thelma: As a real therapist do you base your characters on real people? Like Noah?

Dennis: Interesting that you should ask that question, since Noah Frye is the only recurring character who is in fact based on a real person. He's loosely based on a patient I met thirty years ago when I was an intern at a psychiatric facility. Like Noah, this person was a paranoid schizophrenic, but as funny, smart and sardonic as a Vegas stand-up comic. Though the details of his life are vastly different than what I created for Noah, he's the source of my character's rueful view of the world and what is commonly thought of as "crazy wisdom."

Thelma: Your dialog and actions move so well - does it come easily or do you re-write a lot?

Dennis: First of all, thanks! I work hard on making the action sequences flow smoothly, which does entail a good bit of re-writing. This is not the case with dialogue. Perhaps because of my former career as a screenwriter, dialogue tends to come easily for me. Plus I love writing it.

Thelma: Daniel Rinaldi is a complex, intriguing man. Where did you find him?

Dennis: Mostly I just looked in the mirror. Like me, he's from a blue collar, Italian-American family, born and raised in Pittsburgh. He's a Pitt grad, a therapist and a bit of a maverick when it comes to some of the more hide-bound beliefs of the mental health profession. We also share the same sense of humor, and a love for the Steelers. Unlike me, he's a former amateur boxer. He's much braver and more resourceful than I am, too. Most of the situations he finds himself in would have me running the other way. Kirkus Reviews calls him "Jack Reacher with a psychology degree." Trust me, that's not a description that would apply to me!

Thelma: You are a superb wordsmith. Your prose is so vivid. I love "Women… defined by their jewelry." Have you always been a writer?

Dennis: Again, thanks for the kind words. Yes, I've been writing since I was in college and worked for the Pitt News. Even after I came to Hollywood to write scripts for TV and film, I was writing prose, mostly mysteries. Fun fact: the same week I was hired to write on staff at the ABC-TV series WELCOME BACK, KOTTER, I sold my first mystery short story to ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. I must admit, that was one of the best weeks of my then-young life, for which I was both grateful and astonished!

Thelma: Why do you write mysteries?

Dennis: I guess because I've always loved them. The first time I encountered them was when I was about 10 years old, stuck in bed with the flu, and my Dad got me a hardbound, illustrated ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. Believe me, it was love at first sight. I haven't stopped reading mysteries since. On a slightly more serious note, I think I enjoy reading—and writing—mysteries because they combine my two favorite aspects of story-telling: a compelling narrative and an exploration of the human condition. Which is probably why I'm so grateful for my dual career as a therapist and a mystery writer: both jobs involve this same exploration.

Thelma: You have worked a lot in other teams. Do you see yourself as a team player rather than as a solo artist?

Dennis: If I understand your question, you're referring to the collaborative nature of film and TV writing. If so, the truth is that this aspect of the creative process in Hollywood was the one I liked the least. One of the joys of novel writing is that it is a solo effort. Other than comments and concerns from my editors (which have always seemed to me to strengthen my books), as a novelist I get to write what I want, how I want. So, if I'm being honest, I guess I'm not much of a team player: as both a therapist in private practice and a novelist, I like working solo!


Thelma: Why did you choose the term "phantom limb" as a title?

Dennis: Actually, it more or less chose me. As you know, one of the main characters in the novel is an Afghan vet who lost a leg in combat and suffers from the condition known as "phantom limb." Though his leg is gone, he still experiences it as attached to his body. It itches; it feels cold. In my novel, I use the phrase "phantom limb" both in its literal sense as a medical condition, but also as a metaphor for that felt sense of loss we all experience when faced with a trauma like a divorce or the death of a loved one. That sense that the missing person is still "here," still in our lives. When we find we have to remind ourselves that the person is in fact gone.

Thelma: In your opinion, why do many crime writers , often mild people, choose such strong themes?

Dennis: Because we all have operatic inner lives! No matter how calm and appropriate our outer persona, the face we show the world, we have within us deep feelings of grief, rage, and passion. I know, because I've seen it for almost 30 years in my therapy practice. I also feel it within myself. That's why perfectly nice people can write about psychopathology, sexual crimes, and violence. I believe, as writers, we all have the whole range of the human condition within us: in other words, we can envisage everything from a nun to a serial killer. Most good writers let this rich, dark, troubling inner world run free on the page… which, by the way, is where it belongs!

Thelma: Harper Lee once said that writers have to have thick skins. What is your comment on that?

Dennis: The thicker the better! And I say this as someone who survived the slings and arrows of a Hollywood writing career. The hard part is having enough sensitivity to create living, breathing characters that reflect real life… and yet a thick enough skin to tolerate rejection, criticism, and failure. If you're like me, sometimes I walk that fine line pretty well, and sometimes I don't. I recall once, when I was grieving a rejection of something I'd written, a friend said to me, "Look, don't take it personally." To which I wanted to respond, "How should I take it? Impersonally?" I think the best way to handle the ups and downs of a writing career is to just keep giving them you, until you is what they want.


Thanks, Thelma, for asking me to participate in this interview. I hope your readers enjoyed it. For those interested in learning more about my Daniel Rinaldi series, please go to www.dennispalumbo.com

Reposted from The Crime Writers Chronicle

My Book, The Movie: Dennis Palumbo's Phantom Limb

Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter (My Favorite Year; Welcome Back, Kotter, etc.), Dennis Palumbo is now a licensed psychotherapist and author. His mystery fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, The Strand and elsewhere, and is collected in From Crime to Crime (Tallfellow Press). His acclaimed series of crime novels (Mirror Image, Fever Dream, Night Terrors and the latest, Phantom Limb) feature psychologist Daniel Rinaldi, a trauma expert who consults with the Pittsburgh Police.
 

Here Palumbo dreamcasts an adaptation of Phantom Limb:

As before, regarding my previous Daniel Rinaldi novel, Night Terrors, I still favor Anthony LaPaglia for the lead role in the movie version of my latest, Phantom Limb. He’d be perfect for the driven psychologist who consults with the Pittsburgh Police. But I could also see Robert Downey, Jr., for his mixture of intelligence and wry humor. Plus, now that he’s gotten into super-hero shape, I could believe he’s both a veteran therapist and a former amateur boxer.

For the role of Lisa Campbell, one-time Playboy Playmate turned Hollywood horror movie scream-queen, and now a mature woman unhappily married to a ruthless tycoon, my first choice would be Susan Sarandon. She has just the right combination of seasoned sexuality and smart-ass attitude. I think Sharon Stone would also fit the bill quite nicely.

Lastly, for the role of one of the main bad guys, an emaciated, bone-thin black sheep of a wealthy family, I envision the indie director John Waters. While not primarily an actor, he’d be perfect for the cunning, sleepy-eyed Ray “Splinter” Sykes. Though Crispin Glover would also be fine. Or Billy Bob Thornton.

Learn more about the book and author at Dennis Palumbo's website.

My Book, The Movie: Night Terrors.

The Page 69 Test: Phantom Limb.



Reposted from America Reads--Marshal Zeringue 

Dennis Palumbo Discusses and Signs Phantom Limb: A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery Saturday, January 10th, at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena

Taking the Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries: This FREE mini-workshop demonstrates that the key to writing a good whodunnit or crime thriller is an understanding of how the characters' distinct wants and needs collide with each other. When done right, a good plot reveals character, and good characters make the plot compelling.  Whether you’re writing the coziest of British-style mystery or the edgiest of hard-boiled thriller, this informative, entertaining workshop is for you. 

Saturday, January 10th, at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.

The workshop starts at 3 PM, followed by Q & A  and book signing

 

About Phantom Limb: Psychologist and Pittsburgh Police Department consultant Daniel Rinaldi has a new patient. Lisa Harland, a local girl, once made a splash in the dubious side of Hollywood before hitting rock bottom. Back home, she married one of the city's richest and most ruthless tycoons. Upon exiting his practice, she's kidnapped by an unknown assailant. Summoned to the Harland estate, Danny is forced, through a bizarre sequence of events, to be the bag man on the ransom delivery. This draws him into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a brilliant, lethal adversary. Phantom Limb, fourth in the acclaimed series of Daniel Rinaldi thrillers, will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

Those wishing to get books signed will be asked to purchase at least one copy of the author's most recent title from Vroman's. For each purchased copy of the newest title, customers may bring up to three copies from home to be signed. This policy applies to all Vroman's Bookstore events unless otherwise noted. Save your Vroman's receipt; it will be checked when you enter the signing line.   

Phantom Limb: A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery (Hardcover)

By Dennis Palumbo

$24.95

ISBN-13: 9781464202544
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Poisoned Pen Press, 9/2014

Other Editions of this Title

Portland Book Review on Dennis Palumbo's Phantom Limb "The best yet .."

 

 

Psychologist Becomes Embroiled in Murder Mystery   Buy On Amazon

By Dennis Palumbo

Poisoned Pen Press, $24.95, 336 pages

Daniel Rinaldi is a psychologist with a private practice in Pittsburgh. At a first appointment with a patient, he is stunned to see that his new client is Lisa Harland, a former Plalyboy model and actress. She is from the Pittsburgh area and returned after her career faltered in Hollywood. Now she is married to a very wealthy local tycoon, and she tells Rinaldi that she plans to kill herself by 7:00 p.m.  It is up to him to persuade her to live and to get to the bottom of why she wants to die. But as she leaves the appointment, she is kidnapped and held for ransom, an event that soon drags Rinaldi into peril.

Phantom Limb is the fourth mystery featuring Daniel Rinaldi, an intrepid hero who frequently finds himself drawn into puzzling and dangerous situations while trying to help his patients. This novel is the best yet, with an engrossing plot and entertaining characters who frequently stumble into trouble. The author has sprinkled the pages with beautiful descriptions that add to the enjoyment of this action adventure.

Reviewed by Fran Byram

Reposted from Portland Book Review 

My Book: Phantom Limb by Dennis Palumbo

In my new Daniel Rinaldi thriller, Phantom Limb, one of the main characters is an Afghan vet who lost his leg to an IED while out on patrol with his unit. Now, stateside, he struggles with a growing substance abuse problem, as well as some of the predictable psychological aftereffects of such a life-changing trauma.

Moreover, he often experiences the bewildering sensation that his missing limb is still attached to his body. It itches, aches, or feels cold. Often, at night, while his prosthetic leg is propped against the wall across the room, the former Marine tosses and turns in bed, maddened by the tingling, burning sensation in his “phantom limb.”

Prior to becoming a licensed psychotherapist, I did intern work at a private psychiatric facility where I encountered a number of amputee patients suffering from this condition. But it wasn’t until I began researching the new novel that I discovered that up to 80 percent of people with amputations experience phantom limb sensations. Fortunately, in most cases, the symptoms lessen over time.

But what causes this extraordinary syndrome? At present, there’s no exact answer. For many years, the accepted theory was that once a limb is amputated, the severed nerve endings continued to send signals to the brain. Which then re-wires itself to adjust. To put it simply, from the brain’s standpoint, this meant the severed limb was still “there.”

However, more recent research suggests that phantom limb sensations originate in the peripheral nervous system, not the brain. They are the result of alterations in the body’s wide neural network, outside the primary areas in and around the brain. Of course, none of these theories do much to reduce or eliminate the patient’s uncanny experience. Just as most treatment methods have shown less than hoped-for results. Patients have been prescribed everything from anti-depressants to biofeedback, muscle relaxants to hypnosis. In some cases, doctors have tried electrical nerve stimulation. For example, inserting an electrode into the spinal cord, and then delivering a small electric current to relieve discomfort.

Regardless of treatment approaches, both the sudden loss of an arm or leg, as well as the phantom limb symptoms that often occur, are indicative of the psychological trauma accompanying such extreme injuries. Whether caused by an explosive device buried in the sand or as the result of an auto accident, the sudden loss of a limb is an emotional as well as a physical disruption of a person’s world.

In my novel, the character’s phantom limb symptoms serve as a metaphor for the sense of absence we all feel when a part of us—either due to an actual physical injury or some deep personal loss, such as a painful divorce or the death of a loved one—is wrenched away. Leaving nothing, to our mind’s eye, but a persistent, almost palpable ghost. Gone, and yet not gone.



Dennis Palumbo, Phantom Limb, Poisoned Pen Press, September 2014

This article first appeared in Mystery Scene Fall Issue #136.

Reposted from Mystery Scene Mag.com

  

Reviewing the Evidence Reviews Dennis Palumbo's Phantom Limb

PHANTOM LIMB by Dennis Palumbo Poisoned Pen, September 2014 250 pages $14.95 ISBN: 1464202567 Buy in the

Dennis Palumbo has written a fourth mystery featuring psychologist Daniel Rinaldi, consultant for the Pittsburgh Police Department. As in previous books of this series, Rinaldi spends little time in his office listening to patients and much time chasing after perpetrators and rescuing victims. At the start of the book, the initial appointment of a new client - former porn star Lisa Hartland, now the trophy wife of an aging multi-millionaire - ends with Rinaldi punched unconscious and Lisa kidnapped. Lisa had visited Rinaldi because she was on the verge of suicide and wanted one last chance to be talked out of killing herself. The real reason for her despondency is not revealed until later in the book. This assault and kidnapping is only the first of a long string of heinous crimes perpetrated by a pair of sadistic criminals.

Although the police and FBI believe they can identify the culprits, Palumbo presents us with a number of possible accomplices and masterminds. Rinaldi has the skills that allow people to confide in him and he is able to eliminate suspects by having them open up to him. He is able to figure out their psychology and understand what makes them do what they do, but he is not easily able to find and stop them. He comes close to death more than once, as does his ally, FBI agent Gloria Reese. Rinaldi never seems to get enough sleep or food, as his phone is constantly ringing to inform him of either another crime or another demand for him to respond to.

Lisa's husband Charles, a self-centered invalid in a wheel chair, is clear that no expense will be spared for his wife's return and plans to meet the ransom demand of several million dollars. For reasons that we soon learn, the kidnappers want Rinaldi to deliver the ransom personally. He agrees to do this, as Lisa is his client, and this decision involves him in a series of violent and deadly events. All his cleverness and resilience are needed as he faces these harrowing situations.

One of the author's skills is creating a strong sense of place. As in previous Rinaldi books, the city of Pittsburgh - its neighborhoods, its weather, its bars and outskirts - figure strongly in the tale. Palumbo has also created a multi-layered, enigmatic character in his protagonist. Although an educated professional with a cerebral job, Rinaldi is quick to lash out with his fists when provoked. We learn that an abusive childhood with a father who forced him to fight has left him with deep anger issues. And then there is the back-story of his dead wife Barbara, supposedly killed during a robbery. The kidnapping/murder cases are solved by the end of PHANTOM LIMB, but Palumbo leaves us with a personal Rinaldi cliffhanger. The reader will eagerly await the next volume in this series to learn how that plays out.

§Anne Corey is a writer, poet, teacher and botanical artist in New York's Hudson Valley.

Reviewed by Anne Corey, November 2014

A Conversation with Mystery Author Dennis Palumbo

Q & A with Dennis Palumbo

We are delighted to welcome author Dennis Palumbo to Omnimystery News today.

Dennis is the author of a mystery series featuring psychologist and Pittsburgh Police Department consultant Daniel Rinaldi. The fourth book in this series is Phantom Limb (Poisoned Pen Press; September 2014 hardcover, trade paperback, audiobook and ebook formats) and we recently had the opportunity to talk with him more about it.

— ♦ —

Omnimystery News: Introduce us to Daniel Rinaldi.

Photo provided courtesy of
Dennis Palumbo

Dennis Palumbo: My series character is Dr. Daniel Rinaldi, a psychologist and trauma expert who consults with the Pittsburgh Police. His specialty is treating the victims of violent crime: those who've survived the kidnapping, the rape, or home invasion, but still suffer from the traumatic after-effects. Rinaldi himself suffered such a trauma when his wife was murdered during a mugging. Though he himself was also shot, Rinaldi lived and struggled with survivor guilt. Now his mission is to help others deal with their own trauma symptoms. However, he also manages to get involved in some of the crimes himself, much to the consternation of his police colleagues. There have been four books in the series so far: Mirror Image, Fever Dream, Night Terrors, and the latest, Phantom Limb.

OMN: How has the characters changed over the course of these four books?

DP: I've had my characters age and change, and plan to continue to do so. People get married, fall off the wagon, get romantically involved with other characters in the series, etc. In fact, if the comments I get from readers is any indication, they're very interested in the lives of my supporting characters. Especially that of Noah Frye, a paranoid schizophrenic who also happens to be my lead character's best friend; Sgt. Harry Polk, the detective who bumps heads with Daniel Rinaldi during each case, and Polk's partner, Det. Eleanor Lowrey, with whom Rinaldi has an on-again/off-again romantic relationship.

OMN: Is Daniel Rinaldi based on anyone you know?

DP: Daniel Rinaldi bears a remarkable similarity to his author: both are Italian-American males, born and raised in Pittsburgh, and graduates of the University of Pittsburgh (the first in their respective families to go to college). We also share a beard and glasses, the same point of view about the mental health industry and how to conduct psychotherapy, and a love of jazz and the Steelers. However, Rinaldi is much cooler, braver and more resourceful than his author! He's also a former amateur boxer, another aspect of his character where he and his creator part company.

OMN: Into which genre would you place this series?

DP: I would call them mystery thrillers, or crime thrillers.

OMN: Tell us something about Phantom Limb that isn't mentioned in the publisher's synopsis.

DP: Though the main story concerns a suicidal patient who is kidnapped right outside Rinaldi's office, the subplot of the novel deals with a returned Afghan vet who lost a leg to an IED in combat. The younger brother of Charlene Hines, Noah Frye's girlfriend, the vet suffers from "phantom limb" syndrome, the sense that his missing limb is still "there." That it itches sometimes, or feels cold. As the novel progresses, I use the phantom limb syndrome as a metaphor for the felt sense of loss we all feel when something or someone is wrenched from our lives. The death of a loved one, perhaps, or a divorce. That experience we often have after such a significant loss that the person is still "here." Still walking the earth. Having lost his wife to murder, and his cop father to alcoholism, Rinaldi can easily relate to the unhappy vet's experience. Whether he can help him or not is another matter, especially when it seems the vet might be linked somehow to the kidnapping.

OMN: You mentioned that Daniel Rinaldi bears a remarkable similarity to yourself. How much more of your personal or professional experience have you included in your books?

DP: Certainly my twenty-seven years as a therapist in private practice, as well as my training at a psychiatric clinic, influence my characters: how they relate, the issues they confront. Especially how Rinaldi works with them as a therapist. Moreover, my childhood and college years in a heavily-industrial Pittsburgh serve as a vivid counter-point to contemporary Pittsburgh, whose steel mills and factories have been replaced by state-of-the-art technology firms and world-class medical facilities. I don't base my plots on things that have actually happened to patients (who thankfully have few cases of murder, bank robbery and kidnapping in their backgrounds!), though I use what actually transpires emotionally in a therapy session to inform the way Daniel Rinaldi relates to his patients. Also, my five years of training with Dr. Robert Stolorow, one of the nation's leading trauma experts, lends credibility (I hope) to those aspects of trauma and its treatment that are woven into the narratives.

OMN: Tell us more about your writing process.

DP: My writing process is completely open-ended. I neither write outlines nor character bios. I usually start with a character or situation in mind, and then just start typing. The truth is, I'd rather write than think! Of course, this means the first draft takes me down a lot of blind alleys and into assorted brick walls, but I don't mind. For one thing, you never know what such a detour will produce: a nice exchange of dialogue or a vivid description that can make its way into the final manuscript. For another, even if I write myself into a corner, I always learn something that informs the rest of the book. Maybe a character does something surprising that gives me an idea of how to use him or her in a different manner later in the story. Whatever. This is a dangerous way to write, I must admit. Sort of a high-wire act without a net. In fact, I usually don't know who the bad guy is until about halfway through the book. Then I have to go back and seed in the kinds of details that make the reveal of his or her identity credible. On the plus side, I figure that if I'm surprised, the reader will be, too.

OMN: How accurate are you to the setting of Pittsburgh in your books?

DP: I make every effort to be accurate as to setting. Though I've lived in Los Angeles for the past 40 years, I still visit Pittsburgh regularly. I also rely on maps, Google, and my family and friends still living in the Steel City to help me with certain details. While my memory of the Pittsburgh I grew up in is vivid and reliable, the new, "gentrified" Pittsburgh has changed so much that I need these resources to make sure my depiction of the city as it is now is accurate. But you bring up a funny point: whenever I hear from Pittsburgh residents about my books, it's rarely to discuss the plot or the characters. Usually it's to point out things like, "Hey, you have Rinaldi make a left on Second Avenue. You can't do that during rush hour!" Or "Nobody crosses the river on the Fort Pitt Bridge to get to Mt. Washington! What's wrong with you?" It keeps me humble, that's for sure.

OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?

DP: The best advice I ever got about writing actually came from an acting class I took, over three decades ago, back when I was a working Hollywood screenwriter. The teacher was Darryl Hickman, and his advice about pursuing any kind of show business career was simple but profound: "Keep giving them YOU, until YOU is what they want." In terms of writing, I think this means just write what you want, in your voice, in your own way, about things that interest you. Don't chase trends in writing, trying to emulate the latest books on the best-seller lists. Just write from the core of your authentic self, and do your best to get the work out into the world. If it's your karma, and the stars align, you'll eventually find your audience. I also very much agree with famed golfer Ben Hogan, who was asked once, given his great success, if he considered himself lucky. He answered, "Yes. And the harder I work, the luckier I get." I think that should be pasted up on every writer's wall, right above where they write.

OMN: What's next for you?

DP: As an author, I'm looking forward to writing the fifth book in the Rinaldi series. One of the pleasures of my writing process, as I mentioned previously, is how I get to surprise myself as the narrative unfolds. In other words, I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Daniel Rinaldi is going to get into next. He and I will find out together! On the personal front, the big excitement around our house pertains to our son's first year away at college, three thousand miles from home. Though our excitement is tempered by that gnawing "empty nest" syndrome that everyone warned my wife and me about. Luckily, we now have FaceBook, texts and Skype, and stay in pretty good contact with him. Which means that, to the relief of my friends and colleagues, I can point to something positive about all this new technology, instead of continuing to view it as evidence of the end of Western Civilization. (Though I think the jury's still out …)

— ♦ —

Dennis Palumbo, M.A., MFT is a writer and licensed psychotherapist in private practice, specializing in creative issues. Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter, Palumbo’s credits include the feature film My Favorite Year, for which he was nominated for a WGA Award for Best Screenplay. He was also a staff writer for the ABC-TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, and has written numerous series episodes and pilots. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Pepperdine University, he serves on the faculty of UCLA Extension, where he was named Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

For more information about the author, please visit his website at DennisPalumbo.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook.



Reposted From Omnimystery News

— ♦ —

Phantom Limb
Dennis Palumbo
A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery

Psychologist and Pittsburgh Police Department consultant Daniel Rinaldi has a new patient. Lisa Harland, a local girl, once made a splash in Playboy and the dubious side of Hollywood before bottoming out. Back home, down and out again, she married one of the city's richest and most ruthless tycoons. Lisa's challenge to Danny is that she intends to commit suicide by 7:00 PM. His therapist skills may buy some time — but, exiting, she's kidnapped right outside his office.

Summoned to the Harland estate, Danny is forced, through a bizarre sequence of events, to be the bag man on the ransom delivery. This draws him into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a brilliant, lethal adversary. Complicating things is the unhappy Harland family, whose members have dark secrets of their own along with suspect loyalties, as well as one of Danny's other patients, a volatile vet whose life may, like Lisa's, be at risk. What is really at stake here?

        

The Big Thrill Interviews Dennis Palumbo author of The Phantom Limb, A Dennis Rinaldi Mystery Thriller

By Cathy Perkins

Palumbo’s fourth novel in the series, PHANTOM LIMB, opens with psychologist and Pittsburgh police department consultant Daniel Rinaldi’s new patient: Lisa Campbell, a local girl whose lurid, short-lived Hollywood career sent her scurrying back to the Steel City. Now married to one of the city’s richest tycoons, she comes to Danny’s office with a challenge: talk her out of committing suicide. Though he buys some time, she’s kidnapped right outside his office. The search for Lisa pits the police—and Danny—against a lethal adversary. At the same time, he tries to assist a friend’s brother, a bitter Afghan vet who lost a leg in combat, whose own life now appears at risk. Or is it?

Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter (including My Favorite Year and Welcome Back, Kotter), Dennis Palumbo is now a licensed psychotherapist and author. His acclaimed series of crime novels (MIRROR IMAGE, FEVER DREAM, NIGHT TERRORS and the upcoming PHANTOM LIMB) feature psychologist Daniel Rinaldi, a trauma expert who consults with the Pittsburgh police. All are from Poisoned Pen Press.

You’ve had a fascinating career—screenwriter to psychotherapist to novelist. As a psychotherapist, do you find this background provides insights into human behavior and/or helps develop the hero, villain, and perhaps the victim in your novels?

Definitely! I think the merging of my two careers—seventeen years as a TV/film writer and nearly three decades as a psychotherapist—has benefitted both the writing in general, and my exploration of human behavior in particular. Certainly my ongoing study of trauma has contributed to my understanding of the psychological issues with which the crime victims in my novels grapple. As for my hero, psychologist and trauma expert Daniel Rinaldi, my experience as a therapist in private practice—as well as time spent working in clinics and a psychiatric hospital—has given me a unique perspective on what might motivate a guy like him. As it turns out, he and I share a lot of the same ideas about the flaws in the mental health system and how psychotherapy is practiced. Go figure.

Although officially set in Pittsburgh, your Daniel Rinaldi series has avoided the “Cabot Cove” (kill everyone in town) effect through varied locations for the four books. How important do you believe setting and secondary characters are to a series?

I’m glad that you noticed how varied the locales are in the novels, even though they’re ostensibly set in Pittsburgh. Over the course of the four books (so far!), the stories have taken readers to rural Pennsylvania, as well as parts of Ohio and West Virginia.

I think this gives me greater freedom in the writing, since I’m not forced to situate all the action in Pittsburgh proper. Especially since I believe setting is crucial to giving visual interest and narrative vitality to the story. Just as I believe having interesting, believable secondary characters are crucial to the success of any long-term series. They add realism and context to the world of the hero. In fact, their interaction with my lead character actually helps define him. Moreover, if the emails I get are any indication, readers seem to enjoy watching the series’ secondary characters grow and change. I know I sure do!

As a follow up, I noticed Rinaldi’s love interest has a background role. What place do you see for relationships in action adventures or in suspense in general?

Again, I think the exploration of relationships is crucial to giving any suspense novel realism, depth, and relevancy. If the characters, and the ways they interact, aren’t compelling, why should we care what happens to them? The way I see it, good writing of any type depends on conflict, which derives from the expression of strong emotions. Moreover, if the stakes aren’t high—personally or professionally—for your characters, the reader’s investment in the story won’t be very high, either.

Daniel Rinaldi is a non-law enforcement protagonist who often takes on an independent investigative role, generally chasing the villains in superb action adventure scenes. How do you balance the fine line between a driven character and a reckless risk-taker?   

In Rinaldi’s case, I’m afraid there’s not much of a fine line. Practically every person in his life decries his “hero complex.” One of his colleagues on the force, Sgt. Harry Polk, is constantly reminding Rinaldi that he’s not a cop. But one of the things I strive for in the writing is to show how his emotional wounds, his own personal demons, compel a good deal of Rinaldi’s actions. And how this behavior is the counterpoint to his clear professionalism as a therapist.

Your books are known for well-written action and pace. Do you find this emphasis the nature of the genre or do you think it reflects a larger society or perhaps today’s shorter attention span?

Wow, that question may be above my pay grade! I do think a modern crime thriller needs thrills as well as crime, as long as the action scenes are realistic and seem to emerge naturally from the situation. So as not to seem to dodge the broader question, I do think crime novels reflect society, and have always done so. When I think of 1880s London, my reference point is the Holmes canon. My image of the Boston underworld is half George V. Higgins, half Dennis Lehane. The author Tom Wolfe said that the novel—any novel—has always served to describe a culture’s “status details,” the issues, trends, and mores of the society that the particular novel depicts. This is as true of crime novels as it is of general fiction.

Going back to your psychotherapist role, I found you’re described as a specialist in creative issues. Could you expand on that role?

After all my years as a TV and film writer, as well as a novelist and short story writer going back to the 1970’s, I figured that specializing in creative issues made sense when I started my therapy practice. Though most of my patients are writers in the entertainment industry, I also have novelists and journalists in my practice. As well as some musicians and actors. In my experience, creative people all tend to struggle with the same kinds of issues, regardless of medium or genre: “blocks,” procrastination, fear of rejection, anxiety, depression, and so on. Not to mention the havoc that having creative ambitions can play on relationships! As Robert Frost said, “The one thing all nations on earth share is the fear that a member of the family is going to want to be an artist.”

Tell us something about PHANTOM LIMB that isn’t mentioned in the publisher’s synopsis.

The character of Skip Hines, a returning vet who lost a leg to an IED in Afghanistan, suffers from “phantom limb” syndrome: the strange sensation that his missing limb is still there. That it itches sometimes, and feels the cold. As I got deeper into the writing, I realized that his phantom limb symptoms were a metaphor for the felt sense of loss we all experience sometimes in life. The death of a loved one, a painful divorce. That feeling that the person is not really gone from our lives. That their presence is still with us, as though a tangible thing. Given that Daniel Rinaldi’s wife was murdered, and his father died of alcoholism, he can really relate to Skip’s feeling that something that is gone is still, uncannily, there. At least in his mind.

Okay, enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff? You know, just between the two of us. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, to do onsite research, where would it be?

Easy. Two places I’ve already been and am desperate to re-visit. The first is Nepal, where I trekked for weeks in the Himals. The landscape is breathtaking, the Nepali people the kindest and most generous of spirit I’ve ever encountered. The second place couldn’t be more different: Oxford, whose history and architecture really speaks to the Anglophile in me. I’d love to spend my dotage sitting under a thousand-year-old gargoyle, in some shadowed, forgotten corner of some shadowed, forgotten gothic building, with a glass of Pinot Noir and a good book.

What are you reading now for pleasure?

THE GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt. What an amazing writer!

What’s next for you?

Diving into the fifth Daniel Rinaldi novel. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble the poor guy is going to get into next.

Reposted from The Big Thrill

"Exciting twists in this thriller will keep readers guessing until the surprising conclusion."

Reviewed by Tanzey Cutter


As a Pittsburgh Police Department consultant, clinical psychologist Daniel Rinaldi has been involved in solving several murder investigations, but his favorite job is helping victims deal with the aftermath of violent crimes. He's intrigued by his newest patient, Lisa Harland, ex- Hollywood starlet who's returned to Pittsburgh and married a much-older business mogul; a callous, controlling man. Lisa informs Rinaldi that she's planning to kill herself and he has 50 minutes to talk her out of it. Having accomplished that goal during their session, Rinaldi is shocked when Lisa is abducted and he's knocked unconscious as she leaves his office.

Rinaldi now finds himself part of another police investigation, to the chagrin of several of the detectives, but Lisa's husband insists Rinaldi play an active part in getting his wife back. When the ransom call comes from the kidnappers, they demand that Rinaldi make the delivery -- with no cops involved. It's too late to fulfil that final ultimatum, since the police were called in immediately after Lisa was taken. Of course, things go all wrong during the ransom drop, and thus begins an elaborate and lethal succession of events that will prove fatal for some of those involved. The further the investigation proceeds, the more questions arise about who's involved and why. The answers will be shocking.

PHANTOM LIMB, Dennis Palumbo's fourth exciting Daniel Rinaldi mystery/thriller, moves along at a rapid pace with a distinctive blend of characters strengthening a plot filled with many surprising twists and turns. At the end, Rinaldi is given some shocking, new information about the death of his wife, which should make for an interesting book in the future.

SUMMARY

Psychologist and Pittsburgh Police Department consultant Daniel Rinaldi has a new patient. Lisa Harland, a local girl, once made a splash in Playboy and the dubious side of Hollywood before bottoming out. Back home, down and out again, she married one of the city's richest and most ruthless tycoons. Lisa's challenge to Danny is that she intends to commit suicide by 7:00 PM. His therapist skills may buy some time — but, exiting, she's kidnapped right outside his office.

Summoned to the Harland estate, Danny is forced, through a bizarre sequence of events, to be the bag man on the ransom delivery. This draws him into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a brilliant, lethal adversary. Complicating things is the unhappy Harland family, whose members have dark secrets of their own along with suspect loyalties, as well as one of Danny's other patients, a volatile vet whose life may, like Lisa's, be at risk. What is really at stake here?

PHANTOM LIMB, fourth in the acclaimed series of Daniel Rinaldi thrillers, will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

Reposted from Fresh Fiction

Mystery writer Palumbo keeps his voice set in Western Pa.

In Dennis Palumbo's new novel, “Phantom Limb” (Poisoned Pen Press), a character walks into a therapist's office and puts forth the following scenario: “I plan to kill myself at 7 o'clock tonight. Which means you have 50 minutes to talk me out of it.”

It sounds like a line from a television show or movie, especially given Palumbo's background as a screenwriter for both mediums. But the origin of the scene was not at all pleasant for Palumbo, who is a licensed psychotherapist.

“It would be (comical),” Palumbo says. “Except it happened to me. ... I had been a therapist for about a minute and a half, and a woman came in, who was about 55, and said, ‘I have the pills at home and I'm going to kill myself at 7 p.m. You have 50 minutes to talk me out of it.' ”

“If you can get them to come back, you've got a pretty good shot,” he says.

Palumbo, a native of Penn Hills, has lived in the greater Los Angeles area for 40 years. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, he was a staff writer for the sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter” and wrote the screenplay for the film “My Favorite Year.” “Phantom Limb” is his fourth crime novel featuring Daniel Rinaldi, a psychologist based in Pittsburgh.

The title refers to the sensation that a missing arm, leg or other appendage is still attached to a body. That theme

is woven into a book about one of Rinaldi's patients, a former Playboy model and actress who is the wife of a rich businessman. When she's kidnapped after an appointment with the psychologist (she's the character who threatens to kill herself), Rinaldi becomes inextricably involved in solving the crime.

While Palumbo shares his character's Italian heritage, Pittsburgh background and occupation, he's admits Rinaldi can do things — such as solve crimes — beyond his scope of experience.

“But his point of view about therapy and the mental-health system comes from me,” Palumbo says. “One of the real treats about writing this series is I get to talk about the things I love, like the mental-health industry and Pittsburgh.”

Pittsburgh's prominent role in “Phantom Limb” and the rest of Palumbo's books might seem odd, given that he's not lived in Western Pennsylvania since the 1970s. But that timespan and the distance from California to Pennsylvania have allowed Palumbo to see the city in a new light.

“(Pittsburgh) has a noir quality at night that I think has been unexplored, or unexploited,” he says. “I think the fact I no longer live there allows me to have this feeling. I've been in L.A. for 40 years and to me, writing about Los Angeles would be kind of boring. These are the streets I drive through every day. I don't think it has the same resonance for me.”

What is so very L.A. is Palumbo's clinical specialty: many of his patients have “creative issues.” Often, that's just the tip of their Freudian icebergs.

“Most of my patients are writers and directors and producers and actors and set designers,” he says. “They often come in, presenting with writer's block or procrastination or fear of failure or fear of rejection, garden-variety stuff. But those things are so connected to their personal lives. Within three weeks, we're just doing regular psychotherapy.”

Rege Behe is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.


Reposted From triblive

Dennis Palumbo's Phantom Limb Reviewed Booklist

Phantom Limb.
Palumbo, Dennis (Author)

September, 2014. 336 p. Poisoned Pen


Amputees say a missing arm or leg can itch and demand to be scratched, as though it were still there. That’s a “phantom limb,” and its ghostly presence is one of the keys to this lively novel.

The premise is conventional enough: a has-been film star, married to a gazillionaire coot, is kidnapped. The stock characters are present: the old boy’s bitter, boozy son; officious police and feds; a woman cop who chafes at not being taken seriously; and even the hero, the penetratingly analytical psychologist Daniel Rinaldi. A minor figure, who lost a leg in Afghanistan, waits in the wings as the plot races to its conclusion. But after the kidnap drama ends, there are about 170 pages to go. What follows is a reexamination of the evidence, when the phantom limb makes its non presence known. Could it be that the kidnap-ransom plot was really about something else? We’re on the psychologist’s turf now, and the revelations are more interesting than the author’s attempt to turn this into an actioner. It’s about fragmented people’s attempts to be whole.

Book Keeping Reviews Phantom Limb: A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery by Dennis Palumbo

Dennis Palumbo now has four thrillers (as of September 1, 2014) in the Daniel Rinaldi mysteries set in Pittsburgh, where he grew up. That is one of the features that drew me to the series since I lived there happily for a number of years. It isn't necessary to be familiar with Pittsburgh; but if you are, it's fun to recognize the locations the author describes.

Daniel Rinaldi is a psychologist who reluctantly gets called in by the police from time to time, to help with difficult cases needing his skills. His specialty is traumatized victims of crime including sexual assault. But never fear. Since author Dennis Palumbo is also a psychologist in real life, he never goes too far with the violence or the sex. The focus is on one heck of a good story.

In Phantom Limb, things start off with a bang. Set in Pittsburgh, this roller coaster ride of a thriller is a worthy fourth entry into the series. Hollywood Starlet Lisa Harland now married to a very wealthy older man is kidnapped as she leaves her session with Rinaldi, who of course gets knocked out. Why does the kidnapper insist on Dr. Rinaldi being the one to make the ransom drop?

I tend not to tell too much of the story since part of the fun of thrillers is the surprise and unexpected plot twists. And Palumbo precisely lays out the various story lines, carefully pulling them together at the end. Except, of course, those things that MIGHT be part of the next book.

If you start with the first book in the series, you will feel like the reoccurring secondary characters are old friends. Palumbo has filled his stories with people that are memorable, quirky, cranky, and fun.

I read lots of thrillers and have to say that Dennis Palumbo is one of the best writers in the genre and he gets better with every new entry in this series.

Bottom Line: If you read and enjoy thrillers, add Dennis Palumbo to your list of authors to follow. You won't be disappointed! It's not necessary, but I would still suggest reading the other three books first. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. 

Title: Phantom Limb: A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery #4

Author: Dennis Palumbo

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

No. of Pages: 250 pages

Copyright: September 1, 2014

ISBN: 1464202540

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Dennis Palumbo is a writer and licensed psychotherapist. His first Daniel Rinaldi mystery, Mirror Image was published in 2010, followed by Fever Dream in 2011, and Night Terrors in 2013. He was formerly a Hollywood screenwriter and his credits include the feature film My Favorite Year. He also wrote for Welcome Back, Kotter.

Reposted From Book Keeping

Publisher's Weekly Featurs Dennis Palumbo's Phantom Limb

Phantom Limb: A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery

Dennis Palumbo. Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 978-1-4642-0256-8

At the start of Palumbo’s twisty fourth Daniel Rinaldi mystery (after 2013’s Night Terrors), the psychologist, who consults for the Pittsburgh PD, receives a visitor one afternoon he last saw posing in Playboy almost 30 years earlier. Lisa Campbell, ex-starlet and current trophy wife to elderly, wheelchair-bound tycoon Charles Harland, plans to kill herself at 7 o’clock that evening. Daniel has only 50 minutes to talk her out of it. Soon after Lisa leaves his office, the police inform him that she’s been kidnapped. As a doctor who may have heard critical information that he’s ethically bound by confidentiality not to share, Daniel is in tricky position as he seeks to help the Harland family and the police get Lisa back. He serves as the perfect point of view character, central to the action without needing to clamor for attention. Daniel’s personal story continues to evolve in this satisfying entry, which ends on a cliffhanger. (Sept.) 



Reposted from Publishers Weekly

Drumroll Please! Cover Reveal for PHANTOM LIMB by Dennis Palumbo

Psychologist and Pittsburgh Police Department consultant Daniel Rinaldi has a new patient. Lisa Harland, a local girl, once made a splash in Playboy and the dubious side of Hollywood before bottoming out. Back home, down and out again, she married one of the city’s richest and most ruthless tycoons. Lisa’s challenge to Danny is that she intends to commit suicide by 7:00 PM. His therapist skills may buy some time—but, exiting, she’s kidnapped right outside his office.

Summoned to the Harland estate, Danny is forced, through a bizarre sequence of events, to be the bag man on the ransom delivery. This draws him into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a brilliant, lethal adversary. Complicating things is the unhappy Harland family, whose members have dark secrets of their own along with suspect loyalties, as well as one of Danny’s other patients, a volatile vet whose life may, like Lisa’s, be at risk. What is really at stake here?

Phantom Limb, fourth in the acclaimed series of Daniel Rinaldi thrillers, will keep readers guessing until the very last page.  To be released in September from Poisoned Pen Press. 


Reposted from The Fiction Files