Project: Free of Malice, a novel by Liz Lazarus
Genre: Fiction
Services: Consulting
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 that she could have gone to go 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.