The Deadly Jigsaw Puzzle

Mary Wells, Psychiatrist #1

by Alma H. Bond

My patient, Veronica Vail, was murdered in her Park Avenue apartment. Lt. John Franklin asks my help in finding the killer. We interview her husband Roland, his daughter by a former marriage who never liked Veronica, and Carlos de la Cuesta, a handsome, black-haired drag queen in love with Roland. Lt. Franklin hypothesizes that a stranger broke into the Vail apartment to steal a painting. Roland confirms that an expensive painting has disappeared. A maid named Lottie Lobell tells us that while looking out the window on the day of the murder, she saw a black-haired man run away from the building carrying a painting. He is found and brought in for questioning. Using purely psychological clues, I confront all the suspects with the truth. The killer collapses under my inquisition, and confesses.

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Alma H. Bond, PhD, is a psychoanalyst and the author of 20 published books. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University, graduated from the post-doctoral program in psychoanalysis at the Freudian Society, and was a psychoanalyst in private practice for thirty-seven years in New York City. She ”retired” to become a full-time writer, but now maintains a small practice in addition to writing.

Alma Bond launched her popular "On the Couch" series with Jackie O: On the Couch: Inside the Mind and Life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Her new book, MARILYN MONROE: ON THE COUCH, will be published October 30, 2013.

Her nineteen other published books include: Camille Claude: A Novel; Old Age is a Terminal Illness; Who Killed Virginia Woolf: A Psychobiography; Tales of Psychology: Short Stories to Make You Wise; I Married Dr. Jekyll and Woke Up Mrs. Hyde; Is There Life After Analysis; On Becoming a Grandparent; America’s First Woman Warrior: The Story of Deborah Sampson (with Lucy Freeman); and a children’s book, The Tree That Could Fly.

Reviews

[Amy Shannon]

Mysterious and thrilling

Dr. Bond pens a great story, and introduces Dr. Mary Wells, who assists the NYPD. It's a story that you can tell stems from Bond's experiences, and I like that it's a good solid mystery. With unpredictability, the story has multiple layers and is not just a typical mystery. It's not a typical anything, and it works. I know this is the first book in the series, and I look forward to reading more about Dr. Wells, and anything from Dr. Bond.

[Liz]

DNF. Made it to page 15 and could not read anymore. Writing is weak, stilted, and very dry. After 15 pages I had no interest in the psychologist, the victim, or what actually happened.