Marquez Knolls Author Releases Ninth Novel

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Mostly retired at the age of 80 from a decades-long career as a psychologist, Edward Dreyfus began publishing fiction books.

Now, the Marquez Author has just released his ninth novel, “Almost Dead: A Midnight Shrink Novel.”

“Dr. David Edminson is a 36-year-old street-smart, iconoclastic clinical and forensic psychologist who works out of his customized van treating the inhabitants of Skid Row between midnight and 5 a.m.,” Dreyfus explained in a synopsis of the book. “David’s patients and others in the area know him as the ‘midnight shrink.’”

The doctor divides his practice between treating people in his van and his office in Hollywood, his work as a forensic psychologist with LAPD, and as a clinical professor at County-USC Medical Center, where he consults and teaches psychiatric residents and psychological interns—and someone is trying to kill him.

“Almost Dead” marks the second in a series of psychological suspense stories penned by Dreyfus.

“With the help of his longtime friends, LAPD Detectives Sal Catena and Paul Burns, David goes after the would-be assassin,” the synopsis continues. “Is it one of his patients? Is it his girlfriend’s ex-con brother? Or a mafia capo with whom David had a run-in (in the first book in the series) when trying to learn about his grandfather’s underworld connections?”

Dreyfus described the protagonist as a “cross between the darkness of Michael Connelly’s streetwise Harry Bosch and the sensitivity of Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series.”

“It differs from these in being more character driven than plot centric,” Dreyfus explained. “The plot becomes a vehicle for the author to confront readers with their preconceptions and prejudices, revealing that all people have a dark and light side.”

The book is semi-autobiographical, drawing on Dreyfus’ experiences growing up in New York and over the course of his 50-plus years as a practicing psychologist.

With the publication of the novel, Dreyfus has penned five nonfiction books and nine novels.

“I loved this book and the first in the series as well,” shared one reviewer. “I particularly appreciate the exploration of male friendships and our challenges to be open enough about our feelings for those friendships to really provide emotional sustenance.”

“Almost Dead: A Midnight Shrink Novel” is now available for purchase via Amazon.