Harm Reduction

by Todd Grande

Jenny Ocean's life is already on shaky ground when a violent attack sparks a chain of events that leaves her with a terrible secret that she can share with no one, and which clouds her every waking moment with guilt and fear for years to come.

Trying to make amends, Jenny works hard and becomes a professional counselor dedicated to helping others unravel their problems. For a time, it seems her life is finally on track, but her past catches up with her in the form of Rio Winston. At first an enigmatic client, Rio turns out to be a narcissistic serial killer who leverages her past to draw her into a web of complicity in his delusional and homicidal mission.

Jenny becomes trapped in a confusing, dark journey mixing horror and fascination, balancing her coerced alliance with Rio with her affair with police detective Sam Longford―only to find that the distance separating a killer from the law isn't as great as she once thought. Featuring a trio of characters bound together by desire, obsession, grandiosity, and remorseless need, Harm Reduction journeys into the depravity of serial murder, the pain of ambivalence, moral compromise in the face of survival, and the tenuous hope of finding a way out.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 7, 2021

About the author

Hello! I'm Dr. Grande. I'm a licensed professional counselor of mental health, a licensed chemical dependency professional, and have a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision. My channel is about discussing mental health topics from a scientific perspective informed by my experience as an expert. Watch my channel to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the mental health field.

Harm Reduction, a psychological thriller, is available now!

Buy it here:
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Reviews

[Kori Potenzone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harm Reduction, was a unique read. At times, a little predictable but it did not ruin the story line. I really enjoyed the character development and how much I actually hated them. They felt so read! The ending was unexpected and almost happened to quick you didnt see it coming. However, it did not leave anything unanswered.

All in all, this was a great read and flowed very nicely.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harm Reduction, by Todd Grande, is a compelling psychological drama that will have you zipping through the pages to find out what happens next.

Being a former social worker, I love the psychological aspects of the story, and Jenny is an intriguing character. I've read hundreds of books over the years, but I don't think I've ever been this deep inside the psychology of a character. This is what I love most about this book. Some authors would have written this in first-person POV--from Jenny's perspective--but I'm glad Grande didn't. His way gives the story more objectivity, and insight, which Jenny just didn't have about herself anyway. She had some, but not enough--like a flashlight's dim glow because of low batteries.

Grande delivers a gripping story without giving too much away at any one time. In fact, he builds mystery and suspense, mostly in the mind of Jenny and her observations, thought processes, and interactions with the world around her.

This author knows how to craft a multi-faceted character with layers, issues, and magnetism--meaning that you just have to keep reading to find out about Jenny and what makes her tick, or break.

The story itself is a puzzle that you the reader are invited to help solve. Grande knows his way around a plot, the suspense builds at a maddening pace--even and steady, teasing it out a little at a time, which is super effective. He cleverly builds characters and scenarios that rival anything Hitchcock has to offer.

The story mounts with tension, and you aren't sure what the ending will be, but it will definitely jolt you. This would make a terrific movie.

If you like crime dramas that keep you guessing until the end, you will love this one, and will become an instant fan of Grande and his OCEAN of talents.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

295 pages

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Jenny Ocean is a young woman who works at a mental health center. But to make ends meet, she also has a part time job as a cleaner at Gazelle. It is located in a bad part of town and there is a rapist on the loose. Completing her work, she leaves the building and is attacked. She is armed. Full of fear and faced with a horrible experience, she does the only thing she can think of.

This situation haunts her life. She has always wanted to become a mental health counselor, so she quits the prescription drugs and alcohol and goes to school. She decides to take advantage of the ten free counseling sessions offered through the program. She quits after four weeks because she cannot cope with facing what she calls her “Big Deal.”

We next see Jenny as a new therapist established in her own practice. She becomes successful, with a full calendar. A new patient arrives. His name is Rio Winston. He is very reticent to talk about anything important, but is always punctual. Finally opening up, the stories he tells are horrific. He is a very sick man. Jenny is fascinated by his pathology. As time goes by, she learns that he knows about her Big Deal. He was there.

Jenny is drawn into a web of horror.

At the same time, she is dating a police officer, Detective Sam Longford. Sam is a piece of work. He begins to cheat on Jenny. She finds herself telling Rio about this.

What I was left with after reading this novel was that I didn’t like any of the characters at all. I don’t know if the reader was supposed to dislike Jenny, or feel empathy for her situation. I thought that she was a bad therapist. Sharing her personal life with her client? Yikes!! She could have referred him. Rio was an abominable person and Sam wasn’t much better. His attitude about the police was destructive and some of his personality traits matched Rio’s. Hmm.

While the story idea was a good one, and the writing was good, this book just didn’t quite work for me. I think that Dr. Grande needs to choose more likable - or at least more sympathetic - characters for his next novel.

I want to thank NetGalley and Unhooked Books for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as it is so different than anything I've read in thrillers! Jenny becomes a therapist after a bizarre accident at the business where she works as a cleaning lady. But little does she know that Rio, one of her patients is a man from her past and his thoughts feelings, and spoken words become increasingly upsetting and scary. But as it is with client/patient confidentiality, she is reluctant and confused about what to do with his confessions and future plans. But like all smart women, she figures it out and...well, just read it and enjoy!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Anna Ketcham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I’m a little biased because I am a fan of Dr. Todd Grande’s YouTube channel, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think it captured the mind of a psychopath and the havoc it can reign on people both mentally and physically. It was a quick and exciting read. If you enjoy psychological thrillers and serial killer stories, I highly recommend this book.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a gift, as I'm a big fan of Dr. Grande on YouTube. A friend of mine also read it, and recommended it to me. This story is certainly original and had a lot of things that I liked. There were some other things that I didn't like. Had these things been developed a bit more, this book might have hit four stars for me.


Things I liked:
This is a very interesting plot. As a mental health clinician with a penchant for true crime, I've read my fair share of therapy-centered thrillers. This one is very original and I appreciated that, as it's difficult to find good original material in this genre, especially when you add the therapist angle.

I also really appreciated the accurate portrayal of psychopathy and OCD. Too often in thrillers, mental health disorders are caricatures of the real thing; Rio almost felt like a real client, which made him all the more frightening as the villain.

Finally, I liked that Jenny continued to treat the OCD symptoms throughout the story and that he seemed to become *more* dangerous after gaining mastery over some of his more debilitating symptoms. This suggests that he wasn't dangerous *because of* his mental health diagnosis, which is another fatal flaw of other thrillers involving perpetrators with mental health issues.


Things I did not like:
The pacing of this story was a bit off for me at times. Sometimes, things that typically take a long time were explained in a few sentences, like when Jenny starts dating Sam; other times, simple conversations between Jenny and Rio went on for far too long. The ending is also very abrupt -- more on that later.

We learn a lot about Rio's family early on, and then we hear nothing of any family members besides Eileen. Reflecting on the book, it felt like unnecessary filler.

We are also given very little information about Sam, outside of his relationship with Jenny. Everything we learn about Sam is through the eyes of Jenny. He barely feels like a character, despite being referred to on the front cover of the book. ("A counselor. A serial killer. A detective. The secret that binds them.") I thought he would be a more active character, outside of being the object of Jenny's jealousy.

Finally, the ending felt half-baked and a bit abrupt. The lead-up to Rio deciding that Jenny is evil enough to be "saved" is suspenseful, and I was so looking forward to what Jenny would do, but was a bit let down.

The conversation they have at that final session is too unbelievable; I thought Rio would have seen right through that. I know it was established that he couldn't tell when she was joking and didn't understand social cues, but the conversation was so clunky that it felt like even Rio could have seen through it. It felt obvious that his crimes got sloppier throughout the book for it to then make sense when Rio makes his worst mistake yet -- taking his eyes off his weapon -- but this also did not feel like something Rio would do. It felt too sloppy.

The ending is all climax. There is no wrap-up at all. I would have loved to have seen if Jenny got away with it -- I hope not.


Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was original and interesting, but could have used a bit more development on the ending. I look forward to more of Dr. Grande's novels in the future!

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I hadn’t been such a fan of Dr Grande’s YouTube channel I don’t think I could’ve finished this book. I guess the biggest gripe I had was the (lack of)narrative voice in the book. The entire thing has the exact same tone and lack of personality, with characters not eliciting any sense of existing outside of the story. Their motivations are over explained in cases that seem irrelevant but not adequately addressed when it seems pressing. There is so much telling and so little showing that I was tempted a few times to pull out a red pen and rewrite a few paragraphs just to try and give it a little flavor and nuance. I made myself accept the dry, clinical style of the writing, thinking it must be a deliberate attempt by the author to make the writing reflect cold hard reality. To leave the reader utterly confounded the book ends on a one-liner out of Steven Segal movie, the most personality any of the characters seem to show throughout the story.

All that being said, there are a few moments of genuine tension that made my heart race. And it’s apparent to the reader that the clinical aspects of the story are informed by real science. I think Dr. Grande could probably write a very good novel if he were to work with a coauthor or maybe just take some time off to fully immerse himself in the writing process.

[Jacci Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. As addicting as GOT (not embellishing, I couldn't put it down), marvelous character development from a rather unique perspective not common in fiction! I found the style of writing very refreshing! Would love to read another and truly hope Dr Grande writes another so i can.

The characters repulsed me, as they should for they type of characters they were.
And yet I find myself wondering about them now, as I should be for the type of fiction-writing author Dr Grande has proven himself to be!
Much applause, hat tipping, and a dozen or more echoes of "encore!"
And for those wondering, YES: his marvelous dry humor echoes throughout the pages, which entirely adds to its appeal 😄👍

And I heart the chapter titles, and how they are derived from specific passages in the chapter. Excellent touch.

As for any of the editing typos? I obviously blame the editor, and auto-correct in my head. It does not harm the story.

[Marissa Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this thriller written by a mental health professional about a relationship between a serial killer and his therapist, who he blackmails to assist him in committing homicide. Grande writes in third person omnipotent, which is often very clinical sounding and produces sentences like, “Rios extreme narcissism and deep-seated desire to dominate did not leave room for any kind of real understanding that women had feelings.” This sounds odd by itself but once acclimated to the style I enjoyed the story. This is a good read for people who are interested in true crime but don’t like graphic descriptions of sexual assault and violence. I enjoyed how the author interwove his extensive car and firearm knowledge to infuse a sense of realism, as well as allusions to ethical deliberation in the profession of counseling. Overall fun read.

[Gwen Chavarria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a serial killer who imagines that he is on a mission for God. Early on I thought what a shame it was that his mental health counselor seemed to have no knowledge of scripture. If she had, she could have tossed some Biblical truths his way to hopefully disrupt his corrupt and self-serving ideation. Such points as seeing the mote in his brother's eye but not the log in his own, admonitions against bearing false witness, and, by the way, Christ's statement that there are no marriages in heaven would have been very helpful. In this way she coud have met him where he was.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall the book was an enjoyable read. None of the characters were likable, but they were definitely interesting. It was difficult not to put myself in Jenny's situation, although I did not find that I related to her aside from how she responded in the beginning. The main reason for knocking off a star is because the ending felt rushed. I also would have liked an epilogue to find out what happened after the ending. All in all, I think it's worth reading.

[T. M.]

This book is excellent. It’s scary as hell! It’s so twisted that I couldn’t look away. I love, love, love, the darkness of all the characters and that no one is truly likable. I would definitely add this to an October Spooky Read list, because it’s perfect for a fright.

I’ve also always been interested in the psychology of serial killers, and this feels realer than any other serial killer fiction I’d read.

[Lavinia Darlea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, there were some stretches at work in the plot. But I'm willing to forgive that for the quality of the read, for the unexpected turns, for the magnificent blurring of the roles and mixing of moral values and the exquisite attention to details. The language was maybe a tad too familiar from the author's Youtube channel (which I am following), but all in all it just fit in.

[Susan Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book Dr Grande. If I could give you a 4.5 I would. This thriller has some nice twists and turns where you just don't know where your headed.

[Carly Germann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it

A little predictable, but guessing what would happen next and being right was half the fun. The characters were all despicable, yet likable and relatable in their own way. The ending was abrupt; satisfying in what happens, but I wish I could have known the character's feelings about what transpired. Was there a cathartic release? Will anything change? Will there be repurcussions? Maybe (hopefully!) there will be a sequel!! I'm a big fan of Dr. Grande's YouTube channel and I enjoyed seeing his personality, interests, and humor come through in this fun little book.

[Katia Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

hoping he writes more novels!

Excellent read, the Rio character is chilling! Had me checking my locks all the time! Great work! I am a fan of the YouTube channel and now a fan of his writing!

[John Zduniewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the every day crime story

Different than all the crime fiction I've read. I really enjoyed the twist and turns. I would highly recommend it.