Psychological Medical Thriller | LGBTQ Mystery set in Portland

How my background in medicine inspired Tangled Darkness, an LGBTQ psychological medical thriller set in Portland, where a psychiatrist unravels a deadly clinic scandal amid the opioid crisis.

A Female Psychiatrist Unravels a Clinic Scandal

In my book Tangled Darkness, Dr. Leslie Schoen, a Portland psychiatrist, finds herself accused of murder after a colleague turns up dead. What begins as a tragic death soon exposes the rot within a respected clinic: prescription fraud, addiction recovery cover-ups, and dangerous secrets that could cost Leslie her life.

As a physician-turned-author, I used my firsthand experience in healthcare to build a story rooted in authenticity. The novel captures the ethical gray areas medical professionals face and what happens when compassion collides with corruption.

Addiction Recovery and the Opioid Crisis

The opioid epidemic has touched nearly every corner of modern medicine. Tangled Darkness doesn’t sensationalize it; instead, it humanizes it through characters struggling to stay clean, stay ethical, or stay alive. Leslie’s fight for justice becomes a mirror for society’s struggle to balance compassion with accountability. It’s a story that asks: When the system itself is broken, how far will you go to do the right thing?

Pacific Northwest Thriller Setting

When I set down to write the novel, I was deeply inspired by the city around me: Portland, OR. I wanted the river, and the moody skyline to all feed the novel’s tension.

Portland has always struck me as a city where contradictions coexist. Progressive, yet secretive, open-hearted, yet guarded. It felt like the perfect place to explore identity, both personal and professional. As an LGBTQ author, I wanted Tangled Darkness to reflect the kind of quiet resilience I’ve seen in this community: people who build lives of compassion and courage even when the world doesn’t make it easy.