Deadly Behavior [Paperback]

Dee Sullivan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2004

John Harrison is explosive, dominating, and arrogant. To secure his political future, he climbs into bed with some of society’s worst, and when his daughter’s actions threaten to expose him, he marks her a traitor.

Fully aware that forgiveness is not among her father’s virtues, sixteen-year-old Lisa runs away in an attempt to survive. She must not underestimate her father’s political strength or the intensity with which he will pursue her. John will silence her and anyone else that gets in his way. So begins a serious game of hide and seek where there are no higher stakes.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Dee Sullivan, women's activist, paralegal and author of Deadly Behavior (TurnKey Press, November 2004, ISBN# 0-9754803-2-4, $12.99), seeks to shed light on domestic violence and corruption. Sullivan chronicles one girl's struggle against sexual abuse and her fight to prevent the physical abuse threatening the life of her mother. Her harrowing journey ultimately concludes with the positive message of healing, forgiveness, and redemption.

Sullivan's work with underprivileged and battered families and her legal perspective enables her to write fiction with a factual foundation, incorporating statistical information about victims of abuse into authentic characters whose struggles seem eerily possible, if not familiar. "The characters are based on the multiple people I've met who have survived incest or domestic violence," says Sullivan. "My hope was and is that due to extensive research, survivors that read this piece will feel that their situations and choices are properly represented." Sullivan encourages anyone wishing more information to visit RAINN.org (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) website.

About the Author

Dee Sullivan was born and raised in the small town of Mason City, Iowa. As a young girl, she was exposed to the harder side of family life through observing her mother’s work with special needs children. It was an accumulation of events that inspired her to write her first suspense novel, Deadly Behavior, which chronicles the hidden underbelly of domestic abuse and political corruption that often lies beneath the seemingly idyllic surface of small town life.

Married at nineteen, Sullivan lived for a brief time in Minnesota and eventually moved to Colorado. She devoted the past twenty years to raising three children, and working in the electronics industry for companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Woodward Governor, and Iontech.

Now divorced with her children grown, Sullivan decided to follow her passion for the law and pursue a second career in the legal field. She enrolled in a two-year paralegal program and completed the certificate in less than one year, surpassing all of her peers. Following graduation, she was immediately employed by a prominent law firm in Loveland, Colorado, and quickly rose to the rank of lead paralegal where she enjoys working on personal injury cases where she feels she can make a difference.

Sullivan’s keen understanding of the law enables her to untangle the intricate justice system for readers of Deadly Behavior. The attention to technical detail lends credibility and realism to the story, while her sensitive and compassionate handling of the disturbing issues of rape and domestic violence draws the reader in without being gratuitous. Though the novel tackles a dark subject matter, Deadly Behavior ultimately concludes on a positive note as the characters learn the lessons of forgiveness and redemption.

Sullivan currently resides in Fort Collins, Colorado, and enjoys teaching Sunday school at her local church. In addition to writing, she devotes much of her free time to sewing and needlepoint projects.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: TurnKey Press (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975480324
• ISBN-13: 978-0975480328
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,287,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss This One! Outstanding!, December 7, 2004

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Deadly Behavior (Paperback)

John Harrison is the mayor of River City; his life revolves around John Harrison, and John Harrison alone. Driven by money and power, John is involved in government corruption, drug trafficking and an unquenched desire to become Governor, no matter the cost. He is a deadly man, one to be feared, with connections that span across the state, and resources to uncover anyone or anything he is looking for.
Marie is an abused wife; beaten physically, emotionally and spiritually, her life also revolves around her husband, John Harrison.
Lisa, their only child is now 16, the victim of incest at the hands of her father, she makes the decision to run, a decision that could well cost her her life. No one crosses John Harrison and wins, no one; and so the drama begins.

If I could place neon lights around this book to bring your attention to it, I would. Glued to the pages, I completed the read in one night. Deadly Behavior is a story that surely is played over and over in many towns across our nation. Perhaps not in the power that our main character had, but in the behavior that he portrayed.
This work shows how the actions of someone in our past influence our behavior in life. Deep seeded memories of their actions contribute to the moral fiber of our own existence, and in turn touch yet another innocent generation. It shows the dark side of our human nature in our thirst for money, power and control; and it shows goodness in some to risk their lives to help another.

I absolutely loved the way the author brings God and His power of forgiveness into the story. She weaves this so carefully into the storyline that it is almost breathtaking.
If you are looking for a story that is packed full of the dark hideous side of man, yet glows with the intervention of a loving Creator, this book is for you.
The characters are so well defined that you truly feel you personally know each one, and the ending will jar even the hardest of heart. A book that gives a face to the faceless victims of abuse and a scream that you will hear for a long time after the read.
I cannot recommend this book high enough. It is an absolute must read;truly a masterpiece.
Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review