The Mystery of Leander Welles

Finalist for Suspense in the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!

The job was to evaluate him - not to fall in love.

Working with the mentally ill is always a challenge, but one Dr. Lorelei Clayton relishes. As an up-and-coming criminal psychiatrist, she sees all sorts of patients, mostly deranged and violent. None of that prepares her for Leander Welles.

Accused of murdering four people, Leander is sent to Lorelei for an evaluation before the trial can begin. Unlike any patient she has ever encountered, he's cultured, intelligent, and devastatingly beautiful. It isn't long before Lorelei is drawn in by his dark magnetism, but admitting those feelings breaks the number one rule of the doctor-patient relationship.

What starts out as an ordinary case becomes an all-consuming quest to save Leander from a world intent on locking him away. The deeper she delves into his haunting past, Lorelei discovers the worst enemy of all - Leander's own tormented mind. Even if she saves him from one, there is no guarantee she can save him from the other without losing herself along the way.

Content warning: This book contains references to child abuse, self-harm, and suicide. Reader discretion is advised.