After Claire In Search of a Habitable Life

"After Claire" is an ambitious, suspense-filled novel that taps into the gritty heart of psychotherapy. By adding a psychological twist to the standard crime genre, author John Wallis takes readers on a unique, page-turning journey. The novel begins with a routine trip to a grocery story that turns out to be not routine at all. Paul Mason's wife, Claire, unexpectedly tells him she wants a divorce. Alarmed and confused, Paul runs a red light – resulting in an accident that kills Claire. As Paul tries to resume his life as a psychotherapist and father to nine-year--old Allie, he finds that nothing will ever be the same - especially after Allie finds out just how her mother died.

Paul eventually begins to work with a new psychotherapy patient, Angela. Especially because his personal life is so compromised, Paul is powerfully motivated to help Angela, who wants to break off her relationship with a much older, drug cartel-connected lover, Carlos. Carlos shows up at Paul's office and reels off where his daughter, Allie goes to school, who her teachers are, and asks how she's doing since her mom died. Paul understands this to be a threat to harm Allie if he doesn't terminate his work with Angela. Paul continues to work with Angela, but then Carlos makes Paul an offer he can't refuse – take him on as a patient, or Carlos will have Paul's legs broken. After working a brief time with Carlos, whom he both loathes and fears, Paul quits his psychotherapy practice altogether to become a life-coach on a cruise line. Six years later, Angela shows up on one of Paul's cruises wanting to resume their work. Shortly after, Allie goes missing. A crime-filled thriller filled with elements of psychology; this is a must-read for fans of fiction!

John Wallis was a psychotherapist and relationship counselor for more than forty years. His short story, "Helen's Birthday," taken from the first chapters of "After Claire", was a finalist in the 2013 Short Story America contest and was published in 2015. A United Methodist minister, he has also been published three times in the journal, Lectionary Homiletics.