FREE to read if you have Kindle Unlimited!
BUT! People increasingly don’t want to use Amazon to purchase things– and we understand that! So you can also purchase our novels from independent site itch.io! (Also, Park has some tabletop role-playing game stuff there!) Here’s the Link:
Overview:
* Zach Cutter claims he’s not really an antiques dealer as such, but that he’s really a supernatural investigator.
* Zach claims he’s got repressed memories, missing at least a year of his life, probably more.
* Zach claims he can do magic. Not stage magician magic– REAL magic.
* Zach claims he’s got FEELINGS for his new psychiatrist, Dr. Cynthia Mann.
* Zach claims a LOT of problematic things.
But they’re ALL TRUE.
After a disturbing case in New York made Dr. Cynthia Mann wonder if the supernatural might actually be real, she’s started her life and her practice all over again in Cleveland, where she meets a new patient, stranger than any she’s ever met before—and far more charming than anyone she’s ever met, too.
During the progress Zach makes as Cynthia’s patient, he tells her stories about his past, and their relationship slowly edges from a doctor-patient one to a friendship—and Zach clearly wouldn’t mind if it became more.
Together, Cynthia and Zach will have to find a way for him to get out of the trouble he stumbled into long ago…
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I WILL READ THE FIRST CHAPTER TO YOU RIGHT NOW FOR FREE!
One of the authors (specifically, Park Cooper), will read you the first chapter of this book whenever you want, for free! The Amazon link is up above, but it’s part of our MARRIED GEEK COUPLE podcast, so you can also find it wherever you prefer listening to podcasts!
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Praise:
“THE DRESDEN FILES Meets THE PRINCE OF TIDES. Paranormal with just the right hint of romance.”
–anonymous reader
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“The Talking Cure has completely pulled me in. I’m really enjoying the supernatural elements, but what’s impressing me most is how naturally the authors weave in folklore, mythology, and spiritual concepts from so many different cultures without it ever feeling forced or ‘look what we researched.’ It gives the story that rare ‘the world outside your window’ feeling, where magic isn’t separate from reality; it’s hidden within it. The world feels lived-in, old, strange, and deeply human all at once.
I also love how character-driven it is. The supernatural detective angle could’ve easily become all lore and gimmicks, but the emotional core between Zach and Cynthia is what really makes the book work. Their conversations have a melancholy, romantic push-and-pull that feels classic in the best way. Zach especially feels like a character pulled from another era of genre storytelling: he’s wounded, charming, tragic, funny, exhausting (as Cynthia’s patient), all at once.
And honestly, I can vividly see this as a television series. It would’ve been right at home airing before or after Pushing Daisies. It has that same blend of whimsy, heartbreak, mystery, and heightened reality, but with a darker supernatural undercurrent all its own. Every chapter feels like it could become an unforgettable episode while still feeding into a larger emotional arc.
There’s something deeply comforting about the way this story approaches the supernatural. Ghosts, vampires, cursed objects, haunted cars– all of it somehow feels less like horror and more like an extension of grief, loneliness, memory, and love. That’s a hard balance to pull off, and the authors do it beautifully.”
–Michael Stinson, Author of the horror graphic novel BITEMARK
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“I usually do not like to read fiction. But I have to tell you I enjoyed this book from the first word to the last. I love that there are facts in the book from different cultures. I love the supernatural elements. But mostly I love the way that I cared about both of the main characters and the other characters. This book is not predictable. It’s not one of those books that you know what’s going to happen as soon as you start reading it. And somehow it’s relaxing. I can’t quite explain it because there is a lot of action in the book, but it leaves you with the feeling that everything happens as intended.”
–Carol Seufert, Educator and Reviewer
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At first you think that elements of The Talking Cure feel familiar, in that it has the echoes and feels of a John Constantine story or maybe an episode of Supernatural— but then you start to realize that it’s more subtle than that. Everything is revealed through the device of a supposed magic-user having sessions with a psychiatrist. Obviously the psychiatrist is skeptical, and the magician is hesitant to talk because some of his experiences with the supernatural have been traumatic, so you have a back-and-forth between the two that sways between the worlds of the real and the fantastic. Add in that the magician not only has a slight edge to him, but is also a flirt, and that the psychiatrist has had (without fully realizing it at the time) previous experience with the supernatural with one of her former clients, and there’s a sort of a hesitant dance as they figuratively move around each other, feeling each other out, avoiding– and getting closer– to the truth.
Since so much of the story is them talking to each other, there’s a rhythm to it, a sort of pattern that becomes noticeable, to the point where the story becomes a sort of ritual to summon the real plot to the reader before they realize they’ve become ensnared. The narrative floats in and out of the normal patter of a therapy session, only to be pulled back into the surreal stories of the magician’s past. Being experienced and somewhat scarred by magic, the magician’s stories are told surprisingly calmly, without the usual trappings of more gothic language or description that such supernatural happenings more commonly have, but that just slowly lulls you into a false sense of security regarding the hold this book has, fascinating you…
Now, being a horror fan and creator, I am very familiar with the pieces that need to come together to make a horror story– and a lot of the time, subconsciously, your mind will start picking it apart, finding the clues, looking for the twists, studying it instead of enjoying it. With The Talking Cure, everything is laid out in such a way that I found that the more I read, the more I enjoyed it, because the story was just that good, and the journey was that enjoyable, and the characters and their interactions were so fun. So many other creators try to reinvent a genre, or to find some new take, maybe a mash-up (like say “supernatural plus space,” for example). This story is just done well, full stop, and that’s where all the enjoyment comes from– it’s an excellent creative team putting out an excellent story.
–David Doub, creator of the vampire comic series DUSK
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“[A]n engaging and exhilarating paranormal read. . . a great job of world-building and infusing humor and wit . . . Captivating, heartfelt, and entertaining . . . Rating: 10/10”
–reviewer Anthony Avina
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“5/5 stars . . . I really enjoyed this story . . . [Zach and Cynthia] have been through the dark . . . and perhaps they can help each other get to the other side. The cases . . . were very interesting indeed . . . And I absolutely love his car! (It is magical and so fantastic, though its story is so sad, I want to adopt it!) The humour is excellent, I had a few times where I laughed out loud. . . . The two authors are husband and wife, and I think they did well writing together.”
Amyah MapleBell, MapleBell Reviews
