Booklist: Review of PRIVACY

San Diego psychologist Laina Landers runs the Better Life clinic with her partner, Harvey. The practice is hugely successful, and Laina, in particular, has helped many patients turn their lives around with her unique brand of therapy. However, it’s after a patient is taken hostage by her would-be politician husband that Laina proves just how good she is. Risking her own life, she convinces the husband to release his wife and becomes an overnight media sensation. Cal Murray, a reporter angling for a coveted anchor role in LA, is especially impressed with Laina, finding her combination of steely determination, good looks, and professional competence hugely appealing. The two begin a torrid affair, and when it appears a stalker is targeting Laina’s patients, Cal decides to investigate, hoping this could be the story that gets him to LA. Screenwriter and filmmaker Sadowsky gives readers a rapidly paced, suspenseful thriller that makes the most of such hot-button issues as privacy, professional ethics, media malfeasance, and race relations. This one seems bound for the big screen. — Emily Melton