How far will a psychologist go when one of his clients is a suspect in his daughterâs kidnapping?
Alex Johns is a Philadelphia psychologist who loves his profession, is fulfilled watching his clients succeed and knows keeping their secrets is the key to good therapeutic relationships.
Alex Johns also is a husband and father whose life is ripped apart when his daughter, Mei, is kidnapped during a family vacation in Maine and the sheriff investigating the case thinks one of Alexâs clients might be the kidnapper.
Set in Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell and cheesesteak, Trust Meexplores Alexâs gut-wrenching dilemma: whether he should stick to straight therapy or play amateur detective while performing therapy.
Lives â including those of Alex, his wife, Ashley, and Mei â are at stake in the first book in the Alex Johns Series.
How far will a psychologist go when one of his clients is a suspect in his daughterâs kidnapping?
Alex Johns is a Philadelphia psychologist who loves his profession, is fulfilled watching his clients succeed and knows keeping their secrets is the key to good therapeutic relationships.
Alex Johns also is a husband and father whose life is ripped apart when his daughter, Mei, is kidnapped during a family vacation in Maine and the sheriff investigating the case thinks one of Alexâs clients might be the kidnapper.
Set in Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell and cheesesteak, Trust Meexplores Alexâs gut-wrenching dilemma: whether he should stick to straight therapy or play amateur detective while performing therapy.
Lives â including those of Alex, his wife, Ashley, and Mei â are at stake in the first book in the Alex Johns Series.
PROLOGUEÂ
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Colleen and I used to visit this new-Agey place in downtown Philadelphia, Awakened, where Colleen would spend hours perusing Zen books, fondling crystals and buying anything written by various yogis.Â
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Me? I'd walk to the back, ring the chimes, duck into one of the unoccupied aisles and watch as Colleen and the rest of the yogi-worshipers turned and scowled at the noise that disturbed their ethereal quietude.Â
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One of us became a criminal defense lawyer. That would be Colleen.Â
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One of us became a psychologist. That would be me.Â
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I used to think Colleen, who spends her workdays hanging around alleged rapists and murderers, had the dangerous job.Â
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Now, after my daughterâs kidnapping, Iâm not so sure.Â
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CHAPTER ONEÂ
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âWho am I talking to today?âÂ
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If one of my co-therapists walked in to hear my opening line with my first client at Tranquility, they would think Iâm callous or crazy or both. I mean, there are only two people sitting in my office, and my break-the-ice opener isnât what they taught me at LaSalle or, I suspect, what they teach at any reputable counseling psych program around the country.Â
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But most clients arenât like Michael. And most therapists arenât like me.Â
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âQueen Elizabeth,â Michael says.Â
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âWhereâs your crown?âÂ
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Michael and I have been polishing our schtick for about a year since, as I explained to Michael the first time I saw him, he drew the short straw and got me as his therapist at one of the largest counseling centers in Philadelphia. Turned out that I was the first therapist he had ever seen.Â
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Michael was raped repeatedly by his father between the ages of five and seven. He told his mother, but she didn't believe him. He told his school counselor, but the counselor decided that Michael merely was lashing out because his parents paid more attention to his sister.Â
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I wish that counselor was still around. I'd lash out at him with a baseball bat. Hey, they say the best way to deal with anger is to own it. I own plenty of anger when it comes to the way Michael was abused first by his father, then by a mother who didn't buy his story and then by a counselor who should have been an auto mechanic.Â
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âCan we just shoot the shit today, Alex?â Michael asks. âI donât know if I have any tears left.âÂ
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There were plenty of tears during our last session and Michael, a big, burly former linebacker at Penn State isnât given to much emotion. Itâs a problem that afflicts most of the men I see. They want to be strong, so they donât show their emotions. Problem is, not showing feelings leads to a buildup of emotions inside, kind of like a balloon getting filled. Keep blowing air into a balloon and itâs going to pop. Keep hoarding emotions and youâre going to pop, which is why Tranquility does so well and why so many of the clients are men. When it comes to mental health, men could learn a lot from women. Women discuss feelings. Men discuss sports.Â
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Michael and I didnât discuss sports the last time we met. We talked about the molestation, which led to tears, which would have led to an anxiety attack if Michael didnât employ the breathing techniques we had practiced over and over again in our sessions.Â
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âShoot the shit about what, Mike? The Phillies? Wake me up when baseball games donât last four hours. The Eagles? I love them, but donât feel like talking Eagles today. The Sixers? Hardenâs an improvement over Ben Simmons, but they need to show me something in the playoffs.âÂ
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Silence. I rushed to fill the silence void in my early counseling days. Now, I let it be. Either the client starts talking or the clock runs out 45 minutes later.Â
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The client usually breaks the silence. Iâd like to think itâs because I am employing tried-and-true therapeutic techniques. But itâs probably because the client wants to get something for his money.Â
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âAfter the last time, we canât shoot the shit about sports?â Michael finally says. âWay to bond, counselor. Youâre the only person who can keep up with me talking sports, you being a former sportswriter and all. Whyâd you change gigs, anyway?âÂ
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âWhat youâre doing, Mike, itâs called avoidance. Weâve talked about this.âÂ
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âYou didnât feel fulfilled talking to those millionaire athletes? Was that it?âÂ
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âRepression, Michael. Weâve talked about that, too.âÂ
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âYou get paid extra for psychobabble, counselor?âÂ
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âWith a little displacement thrown in.âÂ
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âDamn, youâre making big-time money today.âÂ
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More silence. Iâm thinking the clock will run out before we get to actual therapy.Â
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âOkay, letâs do it.âÂ
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Which is Michaelâs way of telling me that heâll confront the molestation. Itâs difficult but Michael wants to deal with his problems and knows discussing his father, not the Sixers, will lead him closer to his destination.Â
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So, we start into âexposure therapy,â which includes Michael going into detail about the abuse, me calming him down when he gets tense, and Michael going into more detail until the session ends. Exposure therapy allows a person to express his feelings in a safe, controlled environment. It also lets me normalize their experiences.Â
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Michael calms himself by taking deep breaths. His eyes are trained on me, but he isnât looking at me anymore. Heâs looking at an event that happened when he was five years old.Â
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âUnderdog,â Michael smiles. âI love this show. I really love Sweet Polly Purebred.âÂ
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Is he playing with me?Â
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Michael loses the smile.Â
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âDoorâs locked!â Michael yells. âYou canât come in! What are you doing, Dad? I was just watching TV. What are you doing? No. Stop it. Stop it!âÂ
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âBreathe, Michael....âÂ
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âIâm telling Mom. No! That hurts. No! Iâm telling. I donât want to. I donât...âÂ
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âBreathe Michael....âÂ
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âIâm telling,â Michael is crying. I start to well up, just as I always do every time Michael speaks about this. âPlease donât. Donât!âÂ
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âLetâs stop Michael.âÂ
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More crying. And then silence.Â
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âMichael?âÂ
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No response.Â
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âMichael?âÂ
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But Michael isnât here anymore. Charles, the Protector, has taken over. Michael has dissociative identity disorder and has developed at least seven personalities that come out when it isnât safe for Michael to be himself.Â
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âTry that one more time, counselor, and Iâll hurt you,â Charles glares at me. âAnd Iâll hurt your family, too.âÂ
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Alex loves helping his patients, and he would do almost anything to help them work through their mental health struggles. But when his daughter Mei is kidnapped and all signs seem to point towards the kidnapper being one of his patients, Alex is forced to choose between client confidentiality and the safety of his daughter. As the investigation continues, dead bodies start to pop up, each of which seems to be somehow related to Alex or his wife. Will Alex be able to help the local sheriff Dumont catch the person who kidnapped his daughter before they go any further? Or will the killer figure out their plan first?
I would rate Trust Me by Chris Morkides 4 out of 5 stars. The plot was enthralling, and I was on the edge of my seat through the entire novel wondering what was going to happen next. I also appreciated the complicated relationship between Alex and Ashley, as I felt it was a realistic representation of the ups and downs of real-world relationships. I do feel that the tension between Alexâs need to maintain client confidentiality and his ability to help in the investigation of his daughterâs kidnapping was a bit overdone, however. It seemed to last longer than it should have, especially when the kidnapper kept leaving more threatening messages. However, I felt that the book was a beautiful representation of the realities of both having and treating mental illness. The respectful coverage of such a complicated topic within an interesting mystery novel was very well-done.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery or thriller novels. However, I would add a lot of trigger warnings, as this book covers some very intense topics. The book discusses rape, child molestation, parental abuse, suicide, suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, split personality disorder, infidelity, overdoses, and murder. If you are struggling with mentions of any of those topics, I strongly recommend finding another book or being prepared to put it down. Otherwise, I feel that this book is an amazing new mystery that respectfully includes the struggles of mental illness. If you are looking for a book filled with hidden clues, plot twists, and internal struggles, this is the one for you.Â