Melpomene's Hand

No matter that there were good reasons for Peter becoming unhinged; Billie had to have a plan. No matter that the only place she could think to hide was a forgotten bunker near an abandoned house she once came upon in the woods. Billie felt as if she was playing a part in a play, a very tragic one by the Greek goddess of tragedy Melpomene. Billie knew her role, and she played it well until one day she couldn’t. The cat and mouse game that followed--she and Peter following a script that was so unlike their pre-war marital happiness—had to play out. Billie was the mouse; Peter was on the hunt, believing that he was back in Iraq on patrol fighting an enemy. Only the loyalty of a stray cat kept her going as Billie herself became a stray, alone, on the run from the man she loved, guarded by a cat that possessed no magic powers but love and loyalty for his mistress. Billie, in turn, despite everything that happens, maintains a fierce loyalty for Peter.

A fast-moving tale that explores the effects of war on both soldier and family, it tells the story of a soldier suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Wisconsin’s landscape and climate are the backdrop for the action.