Necessary Lives - Paperback

As a husband, William Cooper is trying to understand how to save his failing marriage. As a psychiatrist, Dr. Cooper is trying to understand how to save his patients. After his wife is killed in a mysterious hit-and-run accident, Cooper diverts his self-questioning to his patients. How does mental illness transform into mental wellness? Cooper's encounters with professional colleagues only uncovers their own struggles. He decides to interview patients from his distant past, who completed treatment, in order to determine the "curative" elements of their therapy. Cooper becomes romantically involved with one ex-patient, Claire Duval, an attorney in the municipal prosecutor's office. Claire uncovers evidence of racketeering among police, business leaders, and politicians that may rise to the level of the Governor-her step-father. After her boss is murdered and she is threatened, Claire disappears. Cooper's attempt to find and help her endangers them both and leads him to uncover dark secrets that solve the mystery of his wife's death.