Do therapists, therapy clients, and people in recovery read mysteries?

[Elizabeth Zelvin, LCSW]

I'm a therapist who's been seeing clients online since 2000, when "quitting my day job" as director of an alcohol treatment program on the Bowery allowed me to write that mystery I'd been talking about for years: DEATH WILL GET YOU SOBER. It was published by Minotaur Books in 2008, and the sequel, DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM, will be out on October 13. My characters, recovering alcoholic Bruce Kohler and his friends, Jimmy the computer genius and Barbara the world-class codependent (who works as an addictions counselor where she gets lots of opportunity to mind other people's business ), are a lot of fun. The books provide a lot of painless psychoeducation about addictions and codependency, as well as a lot of hope about recovery, making better choices in relationships, and the process of growing up emotionally, no matter how late in life. Mystery lovers enjoy the book, and so do the recovering addicts, codependents, ACOAs, and professionals (not just clinicians, but also a diverse group including clergy and judges) who have found their way to it. I'm wondering to what extent people who care about emotional health, recovery, and personal growth will pick up a mystery and engage with the story of people who grapple with their issues while they investigate a murder.