The Character Study Approach

[Madison]

Catalina Rinaldi is a woman haunted not just by what she’s done, but by who she’s become because of it. In A Contrite Heart, Tom Milton gives readers an unforgettable portrait of guilt and self-deception. When a stranger confronts her with the truth of her past, Catalina is forced to face everything she’s suppressed the betrayal, the deaths, and the man whose life she helped destroy.

Milton writes with empathy and precision, peeling back layers of fear and remorse until the reader stands inside Catalina’s conscience. Her struggle feels universal, a reflection of how far we’ll go to hide from our own truth.

For book clubs, this story offers an intimate look at the psychology of guilt and the limits of forgiveness. A Contrite Heart isn’t about villains or heroes it’s about human weakness, moral reckoning, and the painful search for peace within oneself.