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The Dissolution Protocol
Not yet published
Expected 20 Feb 26“A psychologically incisive novel that compellingly asks whether evil can be eliminated by destroying the very essence of what makes us human.” — IndieReader ★★★★
Dr Caroline Aldridge doesn't believe in rehabilitation. She believes in dissolution.
In her boutique Sydney practice, violent men arrive court-ordered and smug—surgeons, executives, repeat offenders who know how to perform remorse. Caroline listens. Diagnoses. Documents.
Then a man in mandated treatment dies in a high-speed crash with no skid marks. Then another disappears. Then another.
Homicide detective Maria Radik sees what everyone else prefers to a pattern of missing men nobody mourns, all flagged in therapeutic databases, all with one name buried in their referral Dr Caroline Aldridge. The deeper Maria digs, the more disturbing the picture becomes—Caroline’s influence isn’t confined to her own client list. A quiet web of clinicians routes cases into her orbit—through consults and referrals.
Someone is weaponising treatment across an entire system—choosing targets and delivering justice with clinical control.
But Maria has her own history. And part of her understands the logic.
As the investigation tightens and Caroline's methods escalate from coercion to something far darker, two women move toward collision—one who's decided the system is broken, and one who's starting to agree.
THE DISSOLUTION PROTOCOL is a dark psychological thriller about power, punishment, and the seductive certainty of playing God.
For fans of Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn), The Witch Elm (Tana French), and My Sister, the Serial Killer (Oyinkan Braithwaite).
“Dermot excels at ethical worldbuilding, forcing readers to wrestle with whether what’s happening is evil—or disturbingly necessary.” — IndieReader
Dr Caroline Aldridge doesn't believe in rehabilitation. She believes in dissolution.
In her boutique Sydney practice, violent men arrive court-ordered and smug—surgeons, executives, repeat offenders who know how to perform remorse. Caroline listens. Diagnoses. Documents.
Then a man in mandated treatment dies in a high-speed crash with no skid marks. Then another disappears. Then another.
Homicide detective Maria Radik sees what everyone else prefers to a pattern of missing men nobody mourns, all flagged in therapeutic databases, all with one name buried in their referral Dr Caroline Aldridge. The deeper Maria digs, the more disturbing the picture becomes—Caroline’s influence isn’t confined to her own client list. A quiet web of clinicians routes cases into her orbit—through consults and referrals.
Someone is weaponising treatment across an entire system—choosing targets and delivering justice with clinical control.
But Maria has her own history. And part of her understands the logic.
As the investigation tightens and Caroline's methods escalate from coercion to something far darker, two women move toward collision—one who's decided the system is broken, and one who's starting to agree.
THE DISSOLUTION PROTOCOL is a dark psychological thriller about power, punishment, and the seductive certainty of playing God.
For fans of Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn), The Witch Elm (Tana French), and My Sister, the Serial Killer (Oyinkan Braithwaite).
“Dermot excels at ethical worldbuilding, forcing readers to wrestle with whether what’s happening is evil—or disturbingly necessary.” — IndieReader
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 20, 2026
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