The Midnight Shrink
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Set in the context of a search for a serial killer, a streetwise psychologist with a social conscience - Dr. David Edminson - treats denizens of the night in his van on the streets of LA's skid row between the hours of 9 PM and 5 AM. He works with his best friends, an LAPD detective and an ER physician; they are all NY transplants committed to social justice and wanting to make a difference. Similar to his patients, Dr. Edminson has built his life on a narrative created in childhood. While working on the case of a serial killer of prostitutes and strippers, he learns that his adored grandfather may not have been the great man he thought he was. Dr. Edminson then goes on a journey to discover the truth about his life and the family from which he has been estranged. What he learns shakes the very foundation upon which he has built his life sending him into an existential crisis.
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The first few sentence of this grabbed my attention immediately:
It was three o'clock in the morning in downtown Los Angeles when the officers got a glimpse of outstretched legs protruding from the shadows. Naked Legs. If it weren't for the buzzing, blinking street lamp catching their attention, the patrol cops would have driven right by.
This follows Dr. David Edminson, an unconventional “street psychologist” who keeps night shift hours, and works from the back of a van in an attempt to help individuals who otherwise wouldn't seek the mental help they need. His clientele ranges from poverty stricken drug addicts to the upper crust, wealthy. The author is a Doctor of Psychology and the book greatly benefits from this, there are none of those overdone “seeing the shrink” scenes that I have often encountered in other books.
David ends up searching for a serial killer who is targeting prostitutes and strippers. His own life is jolted by some of the things he discovers.
This is well written, and kept my attention throughout. I do feel it important to add that after a month between reading parts of this that the story stayed fresh in my head and I was able to continue where I left off without having to backtrack. The author does an especially amazing job of conveying the setting of the story. There is an obvious familiarity there. I love the gritty feel that this story has. If my life hadn't gotten in the way I could have very easily finished this in a couple of hours, but I read fast.