By C.J. West
Fever Dream
by Dennis Palumbo is the second Daniel Rinaldi mystery. Palumbo is
building a series that goes well beyond the mystery in each book by
deepening our understanding of a wide ranging cast of characters.
Daniel Rinaldi is a consulting psychologist to the Pittsburgh Police
Department and as an outsider and a mental health professional, he gives
us interesting insights into the struggles facing the cops that
begrudgingly call him to work for them. Rinaldi is also affiliated with a
psychiatric hospital and meets with patients and former patients that
give us an unvarnished view of characters suffering from mental illness.
For the writers here, Palumbo's characterization of characters with
mental illness alone is reason to study his work.
Fever Dream opens with a bank heist that spins out of control and
becomes a hostage situation. In the first two dozen pages, Palumbo
displays his mastery of the genre by planting the seed that a twist is
coming, even this early in the book, and then delivering it in a way
that is at once unexpected but also foreshadowed. The plot continues to
twist, deepening with each turn. The possibilities seem endless as the
book nears its conclusion offering connections to several characters
with plausible links to a crime that itself morphs as the story unfolds.
Palumbo’s work as a licensed psychotherapist gives him insight into
human relationships that really sparkles in his writing. In Fever Dream
the relationship between Treva Williams, one of the victims in the bank
heist, and Eleanor Lowrey, one of the detectives investigating, was so
strongly done I had to stop reading and consider how well the reveal had
been written.
Here is another example of a relationship splendidly portrayed:
“She noticed me then, too, and we exchanged brief, sad smiles.
And not just because of our shared grief about Andy’s death.
It was more or less the way we always greeted each other
other, no matter how much time had gone by.
And probably always would.”
In the passage above, Palumbo describes a heart-rending longing between
Rinaldi and a former coworker that is so poignant you can’t help but
feel his angst. Relationships deepen in this second novel, and Rinaldi's
pain is visceral even as he works to help solve the bank heist and
treat Ms. Williams, his emotional struggles bubble to the surface.
Palumbo masterfully manages to deepen numerous series characters while
telling a story that can be enjoyed without having read the previous
book.
Seasoned writers talk about focusing on character and allowing the story
to grow out of character. Fever Dream displays Palumbo's mastery of
both. He delivers a great mystery with characters that really sparkle. I
highly recommend
Fever Dream, and
Mirror Image, the first Daniel Rinaldi mystery.
Palumbo works with writers to help them overcome writer’s block and
other mental obstacles to producing their best work. For the writers who
regularly visit CFC, you’ll want to check out his book,
Writing From The Inside Out.
This is a great resource for writers to understand how their emotions
and their perspective on their own work affects their productivity.
If you’re looking for more from Dennis Palumbo, you can find him at
www.dennispalumbo.com. You can also listen to my
Blog Talk Radio interview with him as we discuss his books, Mirror Image and Writing from the Inside out.
