Striking Back

These men like to hurt women. Now it's payback time for an unknown murderer who's slaughtering the abusers in ways that mirror the ugly violence they forced upon the women in their lives. Maybe the men deserve it. But as the death count grows-and media interest explodes-innocent people could get caught in the killer's revenge.

Los Angeles therapist Gwyn Sanders keeps her ugly family history to herself. More than twenty years ago, when she was still a teen, her violent stepfather died a grisly, mysterious death. Gwyn knows all the secrets but she's not talking about the past-she's too busy trying to change the future by breaking the cycle of domestic violence. The men she counsels aren't saints, but maybe she can change the mindset that makes their lives-and the lives of the people closest to them-so miserable.

But when someone starts killing her controversial clients, Gwyn becomes Lapd's primary suspect. After all, there's the unsolved mystery of her stepfather's bizarre death. Maybe Gwyn has a hidden desire for justice that's far from therapeutic.

Mark Nykanen is an Emmy-winning former Nbc correspondent and the author of acclaimed thrillers Hush, Search Angel, The Bone Parade, Primitive and, writing as James Jaros, Burn Down The Sky. Visit him at MarkNykanen.com.