As a Pittsburgh Police Department consultant, clinical psychologist Daniel Rinaldi has been involved in solving several murder investigations, but his favorite job is helping victims deal with the aftermath of violent crimes. He's intrigued by his newest patient, Lisa Harland, ex- Hollywood starlet who's returned to Pittsburgh and married a much-older business mogul; a callous, controlling man. Lisa informs Rinaldi that she's planning to kill herself and he has 50 minutes to talk her out of it. Having accomplished that goal during their session, Rinaldi is shocked when Lisa is abducted and he's knocked unconscious as she leaves his office.

Rinaldi now finds himself part of another police investigation, to the chagrin of several of the detectives, but Lisa's husband insists Rinaldi play an active part in getting his wife back. When the ransom call comes from the kidnappers, they demand that Rinaldi make the delivery -- with no cops involved. It's too late to fulfil that final ultimatum, since the police were called in immediately after Lisa was taken. Of course, things go all wrong during the ransom drop, and thus begins an elaborate and lethal succession of events that will prove fatal for some of those involved. The further the investigation proceeds, the more questions arise about who's involved and why. The answers will be shocking.

PHANTOM LIMB, Dennis Palumbo's fourth exciting Daniel Rinaldi mystery/thriller, moves along at a rapid pace with a distinctive blend of characters strengthening a plot filled with many surprising twists and turns. At the end, Rinaldi is given some shocking, new information about the death of his wife, which should make for an interesting book in the future.