"Police therapist Dot Meyerhoff helps a young woman find her birth parents and unburies dark family secrets in this psychological thriller.
Police psychologist Dot Meyerhoff's caseload is usually filled with cops—which is why she's hesitant to help an adopted teenager locate her birth parents. But the teen's godmother is Dot's friend Fran and a police widow to boot. How could Dot possibly say no?
Once Dot starts digging into the case, though, she's drawn into a murky world of illegal adoptions and the choices a young pregnant woman might make as a last resort. Soon there's only one thing Dot knows for sure: the painful truth of what happened all those years ago might heal one family—but it's certain to destroy another.
'Call Me Carmela is a firecracker of a read, a tour de force.' —Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James novels
'Ellen Kirschman sees into people's hearts: not just those of the victims, or of the good guys, but the hearts of all her characters. With a rare delicacy of language she lets us know that no one's innocent, but no one's past redemption, either—except those who refuse to try.' —SJ Rozan, author of The Mayors of New York"
"'Highly satisfying . . . Perceptively treats complex racial, feminist, personal, and political issues while providing intimate knowledge of cops' shop procedure.' —Publishers Weekly
Officer Randy Spelling has always wanted to be a cop. The eager rookie comes from a law enforcement family and, at least as far as police department psychologist Dr. Dot Meyerhoff is concerned, the young woman is up to the challenge. But when Officer Spelling mistakenly shoots and kills a pregnant teen, the community is outraged, and the family of the victim demands justice. Feeling protective of the traumatized cop in her care, Dot tries to stop Officer Spelling from her desperate attempts to apologize to the girl's family. But Dot's efforts fail, with catastrophic results. Now Dot is taking this into her own hands, despite the police chief demanding that she back off. For Dot, this case feels all too personal for her to walk away, even if it means being in the line of danger herself."
"'A deftly crafted novel of compelling complexity,' this first book in the mystery series featuring cop therapist Dr. Dot Meyerhoff is 'absorbing' (Midwest Book Review).
As her police department's newest hire, police psychologist Dot Meyerhoff has a lot to prove. Especially since everyone on a small-town force doesn't see any reason for a shrink on staff. So when the rookie cop commits suicide, everyone's looking to blame Dot—even Dot herself. Dot knew Ben Gomez was struggling to adjust to police work, but how had she missed the signs that he was at the end of his rope?
Now, with Ben's and her reputation on the line, Dot goes looking for answers. What she discovers is the dark underbelly of a town—and a police force—who have very little patience with a woman who asks too many questions. Dot is determined to get to the truth behind the young officer's death—even at the risk of losing her job. Or her life . . ."
"In this mystery series featuring cop therapist Dot Meyerhoff, Dot's sleuthing after a tragic fire leads her to a former client-turned-criminal mastermind.
When a trailer park fire takes the life of a lonely, wheelchair-bound man, police psychologist Dr. Dot Meyerhoff is doing double duty counseling the first responders involved, especially the traumatized dispatcher. But talking with the distraught young 9-1-1 operator about the dying man's last words leads Dot to wonder if there's more to this fire than meets the eye. Soon the department is looking for an arsonist and Dot is doing some investigating on her own. But when she discovers a former patient is orchestrating crimes from behind bars, Dot is suddenly in over her head. Not that a challenge has ever stopped her before. Only this time, she may put her own mental health—and her mother's life—on the line . . ."
