An Eddy Bratenahl Novel

Police psychologist Edwardo Bratenahl is a young widower, still mourning the tragic loss of his wife. Bratenahl, an academic and native of the insular Cleveland neighborhood of Little Italy, is asked to assist with the homicide investigation of world-class geneticist Dr. Simon Pederson, who was viciously slain during Sunday mass. Bratenahl is partnered with Mary Kate Calderon, veteran homicide detective. The two soon discover a related murder, which Calderon confesses looks eerily like a scenario she witnessed as a child in Nicaragua.

Several months have passed since Edwardo Bratenahl’s run in with the Red Devils in the woods outside of Cleveland. The police psychologist’s injuries have mostly healed and things are quiet again in Little Italy. But, trouble is on the horizon as Edwardo is contacted by the elderly principal of his old grade school, leading to a revelation involving glass sculptor Amanda Richard’s disappearance and her nephew’s seeming abandonment.

It’s the sweltering summer of 2001 in Cleveland, and police psychologist Edwardo Bratenahl has too many worries in his life. His cat has accidentally destroyed his home— and insurance refuses to pay for repairs. He’s trying to connect romantically with a woman for the first time since the...