Tag: a mystery

ANOTHER 5 STAR REVIEW ! Art Smukler, MD, author & psychiatrist

From Readers’ Favorite

5 Stars – Congratulations on your 5-star review!

Reviewed by Luwi Nyakansaila for Readers’ Favorite

What happens when an ordinary medical student discovers he is trailed by hitmen trying to take his life? He makes this discovery immediately after his mother and uncle are found dead under mysterious circumstances. Joe Belmont goes on the run after burying his only remaining relatives. His mother was a saint, she was poor and lived her life for the Lord. So why does she have a private Swiss account with a lot of money? Joe did not have a close relationship with his uncle, but he knew the man did not drink alcohol. So why was he found dead at the wheel of his car with alcohol in his system? Joe wants answers to all these questions and more. He makes the decision to search his past and dreams to find the missing links to all his questions. In The Real Story by Arthur Smukler, MD, suspense, thriller, and romance await you.

The Real Story is an action-packed novel. Joe’s story is full of suspense and mystery. His entire world turns upside down, and he realizes he has been living a lie. As Joe narrates his story, he continues to have flashbacks from his past. These flashbacks fit in very well with the story and give a glimpse of why Joe made his decisions. Joe is a loyal friend and a kind human being. This side of him is brought to light when he talks about his friendship with Jeff and the relationship he builds with Lara. I loved his compassion for the victims, people like Mr. DeAngelo, who just wanted to better their lives. Most people today would have looked out for themselves and forgotten the innocent people caught in the crossfire. This is a beautiful message to preach, given that this book is written in our present time. The mention of masks and the Covid-19 effects made me relate to this story. I was rooting for Joe and his friends and praying for a happy ending for all of them. Arthur Smukler made wonderful and relatable characters. He added humor to the characters, and this brightened up the story. I cannot wait to read more of this author’s creations.

A PSYCHIATRIST THINKS ABOUT PORN STAR STORMY DANIELS AND DONALD TRUMP, by Art Smukler, author & psychiatrist

The mind of this psychiatrist is very focused on the porn star Stormy Daniels (real name is Stephanie Clifford), and her alleged affair with Donald Trump. What? Another sicko shrink obsessed and focused on sex? Untrue! Not sicko! But yes, definitely a shrink and yes on sex and obsessed.

There was a recent study in the Journal of Sex Research showing that men think about sex 19 times a day and women 10 times a day. Another obscure tally shows that men think about sex 7 times a minute! Wow. Not much time to become a gold-plated billionaire…

On 1/26/18 Stormy visited a Vegas strip club and allowed some “lucky” men to take pictures with her and fondle her breasts. Hmm. I wasn’t there and didn’t do any fondling, but I read about it in the LA Times. My wife was sitting right beside me at the breakfast table. Honest!

So why should a shrink be obsessed and interested in strippers, sex and very attractive Stormy Daniels? Well, since you didn’t ask, I’ll tell you anyway. I wrote SKIN DANCE, a mystery, about a psychiatrist, Jake Robb, who goes to a strip bar and what follows is an exercise in psychological prowess and courage (I actually took a course in how to start and run a strip bar — background research!).

But, why do so many men avail themselves the services of prostitutes and strippers when they are married and supposedly happy? Molly Bloom, in the recent movie MOLLY’S GAME said it well. She was running a high-stakes poker game in Los Angeles and one of the players told her how much he loved her. She responded (I’m paraphrasing), “You all love me. I surround you with all the forbidden things — sexy women, alcohol, gambling, and someone showing you a lot of attention without the expectation that you have to give it back. All the things you don’t get at home.” Men may make a lot of money and score touchdowns, but deep inside are needy and long for love (often in the form of sex).

So Donald Trump had a pregnant wife, wasn’t getting his share of validation and “intimacy with release” and sought it elsewhere. Somewhat understandable — especially if one is a full-out narcissist. So he chose a consenting porn star (Not from Russia), paid her a lot of money, and then more money to keep it hush-hush. No law against any of it. Stormy wasn’t coerced or threatened; she sold sex for profit to a lonely, needy man.

This is the most understandable of Trump’s many HUGE transgressions. Wouldn’t it be interesting if this was the one that finally brought him down?

If you enjoyed reading, Inside the Mind of a Psychiatrist, you might also enjoy Dr. Smukler’s novels, Chasing Backwards, a psychological murder mystery, Skin Dance, a mystery, and The Man with a Microphone in his Ear. All are available as paperbacks and eBooks