Free of Malice
Liz Lazarus, 2016
Mitchell Cove Publishing
274 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780990937401
Summary
Laura Holland awakes in the middle of the night to see a stranger standing in her bedroom doorway. She manages to defend herself from the would-be rapist, though he threatens to return as he retreats.
Traumatized with recurring nightmares, Laura seeks therapy and is exposed to a unique treatment called EMDR. She also seeks self-protection—buying a gun against the wishes of her husband.
When Laura learns she could have gone to prison had she shot her fleeing assailant, she decides to write a hypothetical legal case using the details of that night. She enlists the help of a criminal defense lawyer, Thomas Bennett, who proves to be well versed in the justice system but has an uncanny resemblance to her attacker.
As the two work together to develop the story, Laura's discomfort escalates, particularly when Thomas seems to know more about that night than he should. Reality and fiction soon merge as her real life drama begins to mirror the fiction she’s trying to create.
Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Where—Valdosta, Georgia, USA
• Education—B.I.E., Georgia Institute of Technology; M.B.A., Northwestern University
• Currently—lives in Brookhaven, Georgia
Liz Lazarus is the author of Free of Malice, a psychological, legal thriller loosely based on her personal experience and a series of ‘what if’ questions that trace the after effects of a foiled attack; a woman healing, and grappling with the legal system to acknowledge her right to self-defense.
She was born in Valdosta, Georgia, graduated from Georgia Tech with an engineering degree and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern with an MBA in their executive master’s program. She spent most of her career at General Electric’s Healthcare division and is currently a Managing Director at a strategic planning consulting firm in addition to being an author.
Free of Malice is her debut novel, set in Atlanta, and supplemented by extensive research with both therapists and criminal defense attorneys. She currently lives in Brookhaven, GA, with her fiance, Richard, and their very spoiled orange tabby, Buckwheat. (From the author.)
Visit the author's webpage.
Follow Liz on Facebook...and Twitter.
Book Reviews
After a woman is attacked in her own home, she struggles to return to her "before" life in this cathartic and empowering suspense thriller.
Kirkus Reviews
In a literary world too filled with formula writing and overdone approaches, Lazarus’s ability to inject more than an element of surprise to keep readers guessing and on their toes is her finest achievement—and what sets Free of Malice apart from any potential competitors, making it a worthy and riveting pick for any who look for legal thrillers firmly rooted in psychological depth.
D Donovan - Midwest Book Review
Utterly absorbing! Integrates state-of-the-art psychotherapy techniques with all the elements of a classic thriller.
Stephanie Foxman, EMDR- trained psychotherapist
A gritty, intense, engaging Southern "courtroom" drama with gripping suspense! Free of Malice provides an interesting and provocative insight into our courts and jury system through a skillfully constructed narrative and with an authentic feel and voice to the characters. It's a page-turner that held my attention throughout. This novel not only provides a wealth of education on gun laws and ownership, but it also confirms the importance of the 2nd Amendment as an equalizer for women.
Ken Baye, Owner, Stoddard's Range & Guns
Discussion Questions
1. MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP
From your experience, did Laura and Chris have a realistic relationship?
2. COUNSELING & EMDR
Were you surprised that Laura resisted professional counseling? Prior to reading the book, were you familiar with EMDR? Have you experienced or do you know someone who has tried or practices EMDR? Do you believe counseling would play a significant role toward recovery for someone in Laura’s position? When do you believe therapy isn’t necessary?
3. GUNS & SELF-DEFENSE
Laura opted to "process" her way through her recovery. Part of that process included figuring out ways to protect herself. For Laura, that meant learning how to use a gun and buying her own handgun. Have you ever shot a handgun? If someone disturbed the privacy of your home, could you see yourself buying a gun and doing target practice? Why or why not?
4. JURY SELECTION
Have you ever served on a jury? After reading the detailed account of how juries are chosen, did you learn more about the process of jury selection? If you’ve served on a jury, are you more or less surprised that you were chosen? Why or why not?
5. VICTIM MENTALITY
Throughout the book, Laura demonstrates a variety of ways of comforting herself. How does Laura comfort herself? What do you see as the relationship between self-comfort and being a victim? Do you believe Laura handled being a victim effectively? What do you think she should have done differently?
6. HYPER-VIGILANCE
After the attack, Laura struggled to figure out if she was being hyper-vigilant or too trusting in the face of what she saw as clear evidence against the people around her. Do you believe Laura handles her emotions well or does she rein them in too closely—or, at some points, does she go too far? If so, where does she cross the line?
7. RACE
What surprised you about the role race played in the way Laura’s story played out?
8. TABOO TOPICS
Free of Malice touches on multiple contemporary issues including race, gun rights and victim’s rights. Most of us refrain from discussion of those issues in polite conversation. What is the value in having open discussion of topics like race and gun rights?
9. ENDING
Were you surprised by the ending? What different ending could you imagine for this book? Was the ending too “happily-ever-after”?
10. MOVIE CASTING
If Free of Malice were made into a movie, whom would you cast as Laura, Thomas, Barbara and Chris?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)