Lee Byrd

Breath Work: a Novel Lee Byrd

Murders are rare in Vermont and almost unheard of in the sleepy Connecticut River town of Oak Pond. But in a single day, Oak Pond Chief of Police Jake Frazier has not one, but two murders to solve. Two woman therapists, both involved in bizarre New Age therapies, have been killed on the same day, though in different parts of town. Without the investigative tools available to large police departments, Frazier must rely on other sources and he enlists the help of ex-FBI profiler Ellen Coffey and forensic psychiatrist Hank Clark, to try and solve the crime. In addition to Vermont natives, the town is made up of wealthy transplants, trust fund babies, and educators who might pose a problem. The shock of the murders propels both factions toward a collision of lifestyles-traditional and progressive. Keeping the peace between the two hampers Frazier, Clark and Coffey's investigation but also leads them to unearth an alarming world of alternative psychological practices. As Frazier struggles to understand what happened that April day in his pristine town, he will also come face to face with a deadly world of mind manipulation and emotional abuse, one that might just signal the end of his position as chief of police in Oak Pond.