Breaking Apart

"Rae and Venters have once again spun a medical murder mystery with precision, passion, and complexity. Breaking Apart takes you on a sexy and high-stakes ride."

-Patty Dann, Author of Mermaids, which was made into a movie with Cher, Winona Ryder, and Christina Ricci

"Breaking Apart...features the two physicians teaming up again, this time to explore the cruel reality of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder...the reader is taken on a journey full of twists and turns to arrive at the truth. It's a great read!"

-Deven Greene, Author of the Erica Rosen, M.D. trilogy

Dr. Marnie Liccione and Dr. Louise Finnerty team up again to investigate the violent death of a young veteran at a Colorado VA Behavioral Health clinic. Was it suicide or murder?

The violent death of Josh Baker, a young veteran and patient at the Front Range VA Behavioral Health Clinic, thrusts Marnie Liccione, M.D. and Louise Finnerty, M.D. into a fast-paced murder mystery set within America's largest health care system. Is Josh another victim of the suicide epidemic or something more sinister?

Questions from Josh's widow, who feels that her world is breaking apart after his death, convince Marnie and Louise there's more to the story. In their search for answers, they uncover a prescription drug diversion scheme masterminded by those who may be also involved in the illegal sale of krokodil, a deadly and disfiguring opiate.

As they move closer to the truth of the circumstances surrounding Josh's death, sinister forces will threaten their lives. Will they find the answers they need to give his widow solace?

A native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Wanda Venters, M.D. attended Yale for her undergraduate studies and returned to Oklahoma City for her medical degree. She completed her pediatric residency in San Antonio with the U.S. Army. Retiring from her pediatric practice after three decades, she began her second career as a writer in 2019. She lives in Colorado with her husband.

Mary Rae, M.D. grew up in the New York city suburbs. She graduated from Colgate University before attending the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. After residency, she moved to Texas where she practiced Emergency Medicine for twenty years. She then changed course to practice Primary Care until her retirement in 2020. Soon after her retirement from medicine, she and her husband moved to Oakland, California. Venters and Rae's first medical thriller, Break Bone Fever, was a finalist in the 2022 Colorado Book Awards.