Fall from Grace

by Susan Kraus

Overview

Some Marriages End with a Bang. . .

Grace McDonald feels blessed - she has a strong marriage, healthy kids, and satisfying work as a therapist. And she has no idea how easily it can all be lost.

Some Marriages End with a Whimper. . .

For Mandy, marrying a hunk like Danny Rivers is a dream come true. So, when Danny treats her badly, she does what millions of women do to keep their families intact - she makes excuses and puts up with it. Until, one day, she reaches out for help.

But in Every Marriage, Without Exception, the Beginning of the End is a Secret. .

.

Fall from Grace crosses genres. It is a psychological thriller where characters trump action. At the core is a murder, but more compelling is what happens to an array of relationships - friendships, families, therapist and client - in the aftermath. Pitting integrity against DNA, and intuition against evidence, Fall from Grace challenges our illusions of control and our assumptions about who will stand by us when we are faced with the unthinkable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781953583994
Publisher:	Flint Hills Publishing
Publication date:	12/24/2021
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Susan Kraus is a therapist, mediator and writer. In Fall From Grace, she uses her decades of professional experience to take readers into therapy sessions, marriages and courtrooms --- as well as the mind of a killer. Her character driven plots tackle divisive social and political issues, raising questions with no easy answers.
Kraus lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with her husband and two almost-launched kids. She is the author of Fall From Grace and All God's Children, and is working on the third novel in the Grace McDonald series to be released in the spring of 2015.

Editorial Reviews

2014-10-02
A therapist becomes the target of a carefully calculated setup in Kraus' debut thriller.Grace McDonald is finding midlife more pleasurable than she thought it would be. With both children now off at college, she and her husband Gil can luxuriate in "the absence of demands," with more time to enjoy simple pleasures. Although Gil has lately seemed to have something on his mind, everything seems back on track by the time the couple has their joyous, successful 27th anniversary party. As a therapist, Grace often sees people who are unhappy in their marriages, including Mandy, who can't take any more of her controlling husband Danny's verbal and, lately, physical abuse. When Mandy finally pursues a divorce, Danny is enraged and blames Grace for brainwashing her: "He felt a righteous urge to punish Grace McDonald." He develops an elaborate but plausible plan to stalk Grace and make her pay, and, at the same time, win Mandy back. The consequences of this plan will shake Grace's faith in herself, her friends, her comfortable life, and even one of her children. In her debut novel, Kraus, a therapist and mediator, brings acute psychological observation to her storytelling, using subtle but telling details to round out her characters. For example, when Grace notices Mandy hurrying to make her appointment, she notes, "It's the good girls who run, Grace thought. God forbid they keep anyone waiting." Control-freak Danny likes an open-plan house, and "the idea of being able to see whatever was going on, of everyone within his reach." Danny isn't, however, a cartoonish villain; Kraus shows readers his self-justifications and fantasies of a perfect life while also nailing his narcissism and callousness. Throughout, she provides multilayered characters, with realistic contradictions and back stories. She also does a great job of explaining the plot's many technical and forensic details. A sequel, All God's Children (2014), follows.A thoughtful, balanced novel, and a great mix of courtroom drama and psychological thrills.

Kirkus Reviews