THE HALO EFFECT
Nominated for the an Anthony Award for Best Original Paper-pack and an international bestseller, The Halo Effect features sex therapist, Dr. Morgan Snow. She struggles with the conflict of preserving her patient’s privacy and the dangerous and sometimes criminal things she hears. When a killer starts murdering prostitutes, the first one being a patient of Morgan, and then Cleo Thane, a high-class call girl and patient, disappears; Morgan feels compelled to take action.
Dr. Snow sees everything from the abused to the depraved, from the couples grappling with sexual boredom to twisted sociopaths with dark,
Nominated for the an Anthony Award for Best Original Paper-pack and an international bestseller, The Halo Effect features sex therapist, Dr. Morgan Snow. She struggles with the conflict of preserving her patient’s privacy and the dangerous and sometimes criminal things she hears. When a killer starts murdering prostitutes, the first one being a patient of Morgan, and then Cleo Thane, a high-class call girl and patient, disappears; Morgan feels compelled to take action.
Dr. Snow sees everything from the abused to the depraved, from the couples grappling with sexual boredom to twisted sociopaths with dark, erotic fetishes and the Butterfield Institute is the sanctuary where she helps soothe and heal these battered souls.
- Mira Books
- Mass Market
- July 2005
- 384 Pages
- 9780778321972
Buy the Book
$6.99
About M J Rose
M.J. Roseis the author of five novels, Lip Service, In Fidelity, Flesh Tones, Sheet Music and The Halo Effect. She also is a contributor to Poets and Writers, Oprah Magazine, The Writer Magazine, and Pages Magazine. Rose is also the co-author with Angela Adair Hoy of How to Publish and Promote Online, and with Doug Clegg of Buzz Your Book.
Praise
“The Halo Effect will keep you spellbound and guessing from the first page to the last.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Dr. Morgan Snow is a refreshingly vulnerable character whose spunky decision to go undercover in the demimonde is both believable and hair-raising. The Halo Effect will have you on the edge of your seat from page one.” —Katherine Neville, New York Times bestselling author of The Eight
Discussion Questions
Dr. Morgan Snow has been working as a psychiatrist for The Butterfield Institute for the last five years. One of her patients is a call girl named Cleo, who has succeeded in developing a business by herself and leads a comfortable life. Are there issues in both a therapist’s life and a high class call girl’s life that mirror each other?
How does the author switch back and forth between her narrative and the one done by Morgan make the novel more interesting? How do they make it easier to understand the motivations and logic behind the actions of Morgan?
When Special Victims Unit detective Noah Jordain contacts Morgan seeking her help in profiling the killer of the prostitutes, Morgan is placed between a rock and a hard place. If she talks, she breaches the confidence Cleo placed in her, but if she does not and Cleo is really in trouble, she is preventing her from getting help. How does this theme of doing the wrong thing for the right reason play out in this book? Do you think that Morgan made the right decision?
What makes this novel more of a whydunit than a whodunit? Do we do titles a disservice by classifying them? Or is classifying them in genres like mystery, romance, literary, important for readers? What does transcending a genre mean?
The Halo Effect is a psychological/erotic thriller with many references to sex and religion and the roles they play in today’s society. What do you think of the hot buttons Rose has brought to light in the book?
How did the relationship between Morgan and her daughter, and her relationship with Nina, and her relationship with Detective Jordain enhance your understanding of what drove Morgan to take the chances she did in the book?
Is sex a difficult subject to write about without getting gritty and too realistic? Did the sexuality in the book disturb you or give you a greater understanding of the characters and add to the story?
Why do you think the author called the novel The Halo Effect?
So, would you go to Dr. Morgan Snow if you had a problem? Why or why not?