Category: Mystery/Suspense Publisher: Eric Praschan
ISBN-10: 0988174707
Type: Fiction
Pages: 193
Copyright: September 13, 2012
ISBN-13: 9780988174702
Therapy for Ghosts is about a female therapist, Cindy James, who begins experiencing bizarre health episodes which trigger resurfacing memories of a childhood she had forgotten. In an ironic twist, Cindy is forced to undergo therapy in order to solve the mystery of her memories and the dark family secrets hidden beneath them.
Some memories will find you no matter where you hide…
Cindy James is a cognitive behavioral therapist in a quiet Missouri town, but her precisely patterned life spins into chaos when she is besieged by panic attacks. Forced to undergo counseling with a new, peculiar therapist in town, Tony Prost, Cindy defiantly resists both his unnerving charm and the truth behind the haunting images that are unleashing her anxiety.
As Cindy’s memory flashes increase in frequency, she is jolted by the terrible deed her beloved mother committed to gain their freedom from her father. That memory is one clue to the mystery behind her compulsive behaviors: carrying a headless Raggedy Ann doll throughout the five-story mansion in which she lives alone, spot cleaning the mansion’s thirty-one rooms, and crying herself to sleep in an empty red room. Cindy slowly recalls her grandmother’s dominating, divisive presence and a violent history shrouded by years of silence, binding three generations. She soon realizes that the key to her future is buried in her past, but finding the truth means embarking on a harrowing journey back into the heart of her darkest fears.
Professional Reviews
Fine, absorbing psychological thriller
Eric Praschan's book comes with an amusing premise, charting the meltdown of Cindy James, a cognitive behavioral therapist, who is in critical need of...cognitive behavioral therapy. The story quickly turns serious, as Praschan explores her tortured psyche, leading us to the unimaginable trauma that keeps her imprisoned, like a ghost, in a house already haunted by her childhood tormentors. Judging from the crackling dialogue between Cindy and Tony, the therapist who loves and helps her, Praschan is well versed in the challenges of the doctor-patient duet. This is a fine and well-written psychological thriller. And I am partial to any male author who seeks - and succeeds - to create a full-dimensioned woman narrator.
Praschan's first novel effort is a home run thriller.
Cindy James has some dark secrets. Her problem is she doesn't remember them without great effort and sometimes trauma. Eric Praschan's first venture into the novel format is a fast-paced psychological thriller. One in which the reader is immediately sucked into the underworld of a troubled psyche. Cindy's efforts to recall and learn more about her past will keep you turning pages and wanting more from this writer. Great work Eric!
Deep Family Secrets. Classic Suspense
Deep family secrets. Classic Suspense. The quality of writing is original, engaging and seamlessly flawless. This is a hidden gem, that when discovered will gain many reviews and accolades. I was folded into the complex web of the story till the end. Bravo Eric, your talents run deep and it will be exciting to read your next book!
