Synopses & Reviews
Night Terrors is the third in the critically-acclaimed mystery series featuring psychologist and trauma expert Daniel Rinaldi. In this compelling new thriller, set against the backdrop of a brutal Pittsburgh winter, Daniel is asked to treat retired FBI profiler Lyle Barnes, whose terrifying nocturnal visions cause him to wake up screaming. After twenty years spent inside the heads of the nation’s worst serial killers, Barnes is notonly falling apart psychologically, but also finds himself the target of an unknown assassin, whose mounting list of victims paralyzes the city. Hidden for his own protection by his former colleagues in the Bureau, Barnes secretly escapes, drawing Daniel and a joint FBI-Pittsburgh PD Task Force into a desperate manhunt for the missing agent. Can they find him before the killer does? Meanwhile, a second, seemingly unconnected, case competes for Daniel’s attention. The mother of a youthful confessed killer, now in jail in nearby West Virginia awaiting trial, is convinced that her son is innocent, and appeals to Daniel for help. Against his better judgment, he becomes involved, and soon suspects that much aboutthe case is not as it appears. As
Night Terrors hurtles to its shocking conclusion, Daniel uncovers anunexpected web of murder and madness that not only connects the two investigations, but puts his own life at risk. Complicating matters further is his deepening relationship with the beautiful Detective Eleanor Lowrey. Will the danger closing in around him threaten to ensnare her as well…?
Review
"Although experienced readers will spot the major plot twist chapters ahead of the reveal, psychotherapist Palumbo does a decent job creating suspense in his first novel. Pittsburgh psychologist Daniel Rinaldi is increasingly concerned that patient Kevin Merrick, whom he's treating for emotional trauma after a burglary, is changing his appearance to copy Rinaldi's. When Merrick turns up dead, stabbed repeatedly in the parking garage of the therapist's building and wearing one of Rinaldi's jackets, the police theorize that Rinaldi was the intended victim. Merrick's billionaire CEO father, Miles Wingfield, who surfaces soon after the start of the murder investigation, makes clear that Merrick lied about his name. As he does his own digging, Rinaldi gets involved with Casey Walters, the attractive prosecutor assigned to the case. Predictable plot developments (e.g., the lead comes under suspicion) and behavior on the part of Rinaldi that's inconsistent with his intelligence mark this as the work of a newcomer. Still, the author keeps the pages turning."--PW about
Mirror Image
"This debut novel from psychotherapist Palumbo features a psychologist, Daniel Rinaldi, whose client, a college student, is murdered. But here’s the twist: the victim, for therapeutic reasons, has lately been imitating Rinaldi’s appearance and manner of dress. So naturally Rinaldi believes that he, and not his client, was the intended victim. Wracked with guilt over the incident—he believes his encouragement of the victim’s behavior got him killed—Rinaldi sets out to find the killer. Palumbo, a screenwriter with credits as varied as Welcome Back, Kotter and the classic film My Favorite Year, does an excellent job of building suspense, and Rinaldi, who comes off as likable if a bit self-absorbed, makes a complex
protagonist. A solid first novel, especially recommendable to fans of Jonathan Kellerman, Keith Ablow, and Meg Gardiner."--Booklist about Mirror Image
Review
Psychotherapist Dan Rinaldi has his hands full in the third entry in this series (following Fever Dream, 2011). A confessed murderer in West Virginia tells police hell lead them to the location of his victims body only if Rinaldi comes along. Returning home to Pittsburgh, Rinaldi is literally abducted by a spectacularly arrogant FBI agent and delivered to his new patient, a retired FBI profiler whose decades of communing with deeply twisted minds have unhinged him. Palumbo, an award-winning Hollywood screenwriter turned psychotherapist, uses all his professional experience to craft short, action- and tensionfilled chapters and insightful sketches of people traumatized by violence. The pace accelerates when the stricken profiler escapes from the FBIs protection; the Feds believe hes on the hit list of a determined killer. Since Rinaldi cant do what he was abducted to do, he agrees to meet the West Virginia killers mother, who convinces Rinaldi that her son couldnt have committed the murder he has confessed to committing. A twisty plot, lots of action, and a stalwart shrink make Night Terrors solid crime fare.—
Booklist Pittsburgh clinical psychologist Daniel Rinaldi (Fever Dream, 2011, etc.) finds to his sorrow that even serial killers have fans.
Now that Wesley Currim has confessed to killing wealthy Wheeling coal-mine executive Edward Meachem and led Chief Avery Block and Detective Sgt. Harve Randall to the headless corpse, youd think the case would be closed. But Wes mother Maggie swears hes innocent and provides him with a cast-iron alibi hes determined to repudiate. Do Block and Randall have the right man in custody? Dr. Rinaldi, who went along with them since Wes had refused to talk unless he was called in, cant say. And he has no time to yield to Maggies pleas and break Wes confession because hes been snatched off the street by FBI agent Neal Alcott and plunged into a different nightmare. Even though John Jessup, convicted of killing four prostitutes, has been beaten to death during a riot in an Ohio prison, the pen pal calling himself “Your Biggest Fan” is determined to avenge him by carrying on in his tradition. In short order, the prison guard who killed Jessup, the judge who sentenced him to four life sentences and the Cleveland ADA who prosecuted him are shot. Not surprisingly, Lyle Barnes, the retired FBI profiler who helped nail Jessup, is having night terrors, and Alcott wants Rinaldi to meet with him and calm him down. For his part, Rinaldi wants to be left alone to consummate his stymied romance with Detective Eleanor Lowrey of the Pittsburgh PD. How likely is that when the entire tri-state region is full of serial killers and killers-in-training?
Some thrillers are beach reads. Palumbos are strictly for late at night and for readers who have no pressing engagements early the next day.—Kirkus Reviews
""Palumbos riveting third Daniel Rinaldi mystery (after 2011s Fever Dream), the Pittsburgh, Pa., doctor applies his therapeutic skills to a prickly former FBI special agent, Lyle Barnes, who suffers from night terrors after a career of tracking down serial killers. Adding to Barness woes is a murderer out to get every person who helped put serial killer John Jessup behind bars, including Barnes, who goes into protective custody. Meanwhile, Rinaldi agrees to help Maggie Currim prove the innocence of her troubled adult son, Wes, who has confessed to the gruesome decapitation of a local businessman. Answers prove elusive as the murders begin to pile up, and Barnes escapes from FBI custody. Palumbo ratchets up the stakes in this grisly psychological thriller, but maintains the emotional complexity as Rinaldi weighs his loyalty to his patients against his faith in the FBI.""—Publishers Weekly
""Authentic and fast-paced,'Night Terrors' is a thrilling plunge into the mind of an obsessed killer. Palumbo draws on his vast knowledge as a licensed psychotherapist to bring his characters into focus, and his success as a Hollywood screenwriter to bring his story to a satisfying, climactic end. This is something you don't want to miss!"" —Stephen Jay Schwartz, LA Times bestselling author of Boulevard and Beat.
""In NIGHT TERRORS, Dennis Palumbo takes a brilliant premise and turns it into the kind of thriller most of us wish we could write. Thrills, surprises, and memorable characters. A terrific book."" --Timothy Hallinan, Edgar-nominated author of the Poke Rafferty and Junior Bender thrillers.
""NIGHT TERRORS sends forensic psychologist Daniel Rinaldi on another thrilling, risky ride through the Pittsburgh areas crazies and-not-so-crazies. A brilliant, gripping emotional journey, full of the great characters and satisfying, unexpected turns weve come to expect from author/shrink Dennis Palumbo.""—Thomas B. Sawyer, author of the bestselling thrillers THE SIXTEENTH MAN and NO PLACE TO RUN
""Dennis Palumbo is a master of character, psychology and setting; and Night Terrors showcases these skills to great effect. Highly recommended!"" ---John Lescroart, NYT best-selling author of THE OPHELIA CUT
""Another terrific ride from Dennis Palumbo's Daniel Rinaldi series. A page turner of the first order. I'm looking forward to the next one."" —Bobby Moresco (Oscar-winning writer/producer of Crash and Million Dollar Baby)
""Each time Dennis Palumbo returns to the world of psychotherapist Daniel Rinaldi and his colleagues in Pittsburgh law enforcement, his narrative is surer and his understanding deeper. Don't miss Night Terrors. It's his best yet."" —Thomas Perry (Edgar-winning and NYT best-selling author)
""From the discovery of a truncated corpse in a deserted West Virginia farmhouse in the dead of winter to a breathless shootout in an abandoned Pennsylvania steel mill, the suspense never lets up in this new addition to the Daniel Rinaldi series. Author Palumbo uses both parts of his psychologist-crime writer hyphenate to a create a thriller that nearly kills his hero while giving the minds of his readers several playful twists."" --Dick Lochte, L.A. Times bestselling author (SLEEPING DOG, BLUES IN THE NIGHT)
""In Palumbos exciting second mystery featuring Pittsburgh psychologist Daniel Rinaldi (after 2010s Mirror Image), the police bring in Daniel as a trauma expert to care for Treva Williams, the sole survivor of a bank robbery hostage situation gone bad. Though shes clearly traumatized, Treva has her own secrets, including a former relationship with a cop, another with an abusive thug, and a string of questionable choices. As the center of a messy crime with high stakes, Treva appears to be a link between several unrelated events tainting district attorney Leland Sinclair, whos running for governor of Pennsylvania. When the governors race heats up, Daniel is thrown into a dangerous mix of political intrigue, murder, manipulation, and explosive revelations that could rock Pittsburgh. Palumbo takes the reader into the seamy side of the Steel City, chock-full of corruption and crime, love and loss.""—Publishers Weekly review of Fever Dream
""This debut novel from psychotherapist Palumbo features a psychologist, Daniel Rinaldi, whose client, a college student, is murdered. But heres the twist: the victim, for therapeutic reasons, has lately been imitating Rinaldis appearance and manner of dress. So naturally Rinaldi believes that he, and not his client, was the intended victim. Wracked with guilt over the incident—he believes his encouragement of the victims behavior got him killed—Rinaldi sets out to find the killer. Palumbo, a screenwriter with credits as varied as Welcome Back, Kotter and the classic film My Favorite Year, does an excellent job of building suspense, and Rinaldi, who comes off as likable if a bit self-absorbed, makes a complex
protagonist. A solid first novel, especially recommendable to fans of Jonathan Kellerman, Keith Ablow, and Meg Gardiner.""—Booklist about Mirror Image
Synopsis
After twenty years spent inside the heads of the nation's worst serial killers, retired FBI profiler Lyle Barnes is falling apart mentally. Psychologist and trauma expert Daniel Rinaldi thinks he can help Barnes through his terrible night visions. Barnes, however, is also the target of an unknown assassin whose mounting list of victims paralyzes the city and lands Lyle in protective custody. When Barnes flies the coop, he draws Daniel and the joint FBI-Pittsburgh PD Task Force into a desperate manhunt. Meanwhile, a secondcase competes for Daniel's attention. The mother of a youthful confessed killer awaiting trial is convinced that her son is innocent and appeals to Daniel for help. Against his better judgment, he becomes involved, and soon suspects that much about the case is not as it appears. Daniel is faced with a number of questions. Can he and the law officials find the missing Barnes before the killer does? Will the danger closing in around him begin to affect his personal life, such as his deepening relationship with Detective Eleanor Lowrey? And are these two seemingly unconnected cases somehow linked?
Synopsis
"Authentic and fast-paced, Night Terrors is a thrilling plunge into the mind of an obsessed killer. This is something you don't want to miss " --Stephen Jay Schwartz, LA Times bestselling author of Boulevard and Beat
Retired FBI profiler Lyle Barnes is falling apart mentally. Psychologist and trauma expert Daniel Rinaldi thinks he can help Barnes through his terrible night visions. Barnes, however, is also the target of an unknown assassin whose mounting list of victims paralyzes the city and lands Lyle in protective custody. Then Barnes disappears, drawing Daniel and the joint FBI-Pittsburgh PD Task Force into a desperate manhunt.
Meanwhile, the mother of a youthful confessed killer awaiting trial is convinced that her son is innocent and appeals to Daniel for help. Against his better judgment, he becomes involved, and soon suspects that much about the case is not as it appears.
Can Daniel and the law officials find the missing Barnes before the killer does? Are these two seemingly unconnected cases somehow linked?
About the Author
Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter
, Dennis Palumbo is now a licensed psychotherapist in private practice. He's the author of a mystery collection,
From Crime to Crime, and his short fiction has appeared in
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, The Strand and elsewhere."