Six Days in May

Set on contemporary Cape Cod, Dr. David Knight is a college professor and practicing psychologist drawn into the mystery surrounding the death of a patient; drugs, kidnappings, and police frame-ups cloud the landscape, but against all odds, the good doctor solves the crimes with help from unexpected quarters.In the tradition of the recently deceased novelists William Tappley and Philip Craig, the protagonist, Dr. David Knight, works to solve the mystery with wit and acumen. Possessing an esprit rivaling that of the late Robert Parker’s renowned sleuth, Spenser, Dr. Knight is also somewhat of a wisenheimer who struggles against all authority figures from the college’s department head to the clinics’ administrators to the State Police. He knew Jimmy Farnsworth from the mental health clinic, but now learns of his death. Knight, interrupted in the middle of his lecture by the State Police, finds himself at the epicenter of a murder investigation. Torn between disclosing all he knows to the police and honoring the confidentiality that extends to the grave for his deceased patient, he sets out on his own quest to find the truth. The violence that consumed Jimmy spirals outward and out of control touching all aspects of Knight’s life: college, clinical practice, and home. His relationship with the police sours as he learns they are angling for an expedient solution, which would incarcerate for life an innocent man whose only crime is mental illness. Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, Knight seeks a possible solution in the waters off Chatham in order to save his life and that of at least two others. This mystery/thriller is set on Cape Cod, and the action encompasses the entire cape from the canal bridges to the Atlantic. A diverse cast of characters adds depth, intrigue, and even romance to the frightening circumstances surrounding murder. Writing in the first person singular, Browne has produced a work of factual fiction based on his real-life knowledge of and experience in academia and clinical settings.