After the brutal murder of her father, Emily Quinn finds herself detained at the San Francisco County Jail, charged with first-degree murder for a crime she cannot remember.
Emily’s mother, a wealthy socialite, quickly distances herself from her troubled daughter, but in an attempt to salvage the family name, hires world-renowned psychiatrist, Daniel Lieberman, to assist in Emily’s defense. The famed doctor, an aging, lonely psychiatrist with an addiction to sugar, caffeine, and understanding the human mind, quickly becomes sympathetic to Emily and her tortured childhood.
Together, Lieberman and Emily explore the frightening and twisted world of her damaged psyche, uncovering the complex reasons behind the young woman’s self-hatred and disconnected self-image.
They develop an abiding partnership, weaving through unexpected revelations and disturbing secrets. Of particular interest to the doctor is Emily’s strange attachment to the imaginary girls she sketches—and is driven to personify.
The secrets hidden in Emily’s mind could help with her defense—or confirm the death penalty case against her. But Lieberman senses other secrets hide within the patient’s mind, particularly the events surrounding the unexplained death of her twin sister, Penelope.
A gripping, twisting tale of psychological intrigue, Pages in the Wind enters the mostly uncharted realm of the human mind, seeking truth buried deep within Emily’s subconscious. Lieberman can help her uncover her past, but Emily is the one who has to face it—or remain damaged forever.
I've always been interested in how trauma or abuse can impact identity. I researched the book for two years because I wanted the psychology to line up with what the young woman went through in exploring a horrific and disturbing past.
“This is a mystery book about a family wrecked by violence, secrets, cruelty and tragedy. All of this contributed to Emily Quinn, a beautiful young woman, landing in prison for the murder of her sadistic father. She suffers anxiety, depression, and amnesia for key periods in her life. The prison psychiatrist is a compassionate combination of “Sigmund Freud, Dick Tracy, and the Pink Panther” who uses his superb skills to discover and evaluate an astonishing chain of events. The saga will keep readers glued to this clear, well-written, and surprising narrative. I recommend this gem to all interested in mental problems, human emotions, and survival under seemingly impossible conditions.”
—Rodrigo A. Munoz, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry, U.C. San Diego—President of the American Psychiatric Association 1998-1999
“Pages in the Wind is one of those novels that had me guessing all the time. The author skillfully weaves a complex story entwining a web of family secrets that unfold into horrendous events. With many twists and turns, something unpredictable in the story would be revealed and kept me wanting to read on, right to the end. If you like psychological dramas, full of suspense, this is the book to read.”
—Linda Payne Smith, Creative Writing Instructor and Author of Tin Tubs and Hollyhocks.
“I thought I was watching a movie! The author’s imaginative descriptive words paint a picture of the characters and each scene. The psychological thriller is a real page-turner. A novel you will not want to put down and will want to read more than once as it fully grips you.”—Regina J. Farmer, Director, Los Angeles News Group, Digital First Media
“Pages in the Wind is one of those rare books that grabs you on the first page and doesn’t let go until long after you’ve finished reading. It is a remarkable debut novel by an obviously talented storyteller. We can expect more good reads from Sally Saylor De Smet.”—Jim Lichatowich, Author of Salmon Without Rivers, Salmon People, and Place.
If you're an author or publisher, you've come to the right place. BookBuzzr provides one of the most comprehensive set of book-marketing technologies and services in the world. We're constantly adding new features in a race with ourselves to build technologies that will help your books fly out of book-stores.
