The Deadening

Psychologist John Werner is a “cutter.” Behind closed doors he slices his arms with a razor to numb a secret past. A new job at a rural Minnesota clinic, though, offers hope for a better life. Things begin well. But when he crosses ethical lines and falls in love with a client whose soon-to-be ex-husband is an elusive drug kingpin, his world is turned upside down. John’s indiscretion is repaid with shocking violence. Stretched thin by a growing drug war and under investigation for internal corruption, a local law enforcement agency is unable to make a related arrest. So John takes the law into his own hands. Deadened emotionally, the psychologist resorts to special training he’s tried desperately to forget to exact revenge, unwittingly helping a troubled sheriff bring peace to his county. But at what cost? And what role did a dirty cop play in the kingpin’s business? Finally, what secrets still remain after the last gunshot is fired?

Set against the backdrop of a cold Minnesota winter, The Deadening is a psychological thriller with several twists and turns that will leave readers breathless long after the final page is turned. It’s also a surprising love story.