#BookReview #PatientsPrivilge #RichMorvillo #Subplot

 

Psychologist Timothy Shea is fighting a murder frame-up, but the only evidence that can clear him is a dark truth protected by the very patient privilege laws he swore to uphold. To survive, he must shatter a legendary mentor's web of weaponized secrets before the legal system’s silence becomes his death sentence.

 

Some secrets are sacred. Others are a death sentence.

With a murder investigation closing in on him, psychologist Timothy Shea is running out of time. He maintains his innocence, claiming he is the victim of a ruthless frame-up, but the evidence against him is overwhelming. His only hope lies in a dark truth he’s uncovered: his legendary mentor, Dr. Abner Reeves, has been weaponizing patient secrets for years.

But the law has set a trap. Patient privilege—the very oath meant to protect the vulnerable—now acts as a gag order, prohibiting Timothy from using the truth to save himself. While the privilege preserves Reeves’ lethal secrets in the shadows, Timothy is forced to face his judgment with his hands tied.

In the final weeks before trial, Timothy’s crusade to expose his mentor’s treachery becomes a frantic, high-stakes gamble.  Reeves vindictively furnishes more evidence of Timothy’s guilt to the police, and the battle shifts from a search for justice to a ruthless war of attrition. In his quest to pierce the privilege and expose the darkness of others, Timothy aims to convince the world that truth is on his side. Reeves and his cronies have other ideas.

In a world of professional silence, the loudest truth is the one you are willing to kill for.

 

Reviewers’ Praise for Patient’s Privilege

“That damned final plot twist. I died a little inside.” (Prachi Bhagchanda, reviewer)

“Wow! Just WOW!” (MB, reviewer)

“[A]n intense psychological thriller with many twists and turns. (Robert McCaw, author)

“Shocking, complex, brilliant. ​Patient’s Privilege expertly blends medical ethics, legal drama, and high-stakes corruption . . . A must-read for those who love a book with a bit of everything.(Diane Elizabeth Taylor, reviewer)

“It's a great, fast paced and exciting read which is fast paced enough that it never feels like there is time to put it down or get distracted, something increasingly hard to do in 2026, but also serves as a fun escape.” (TJ Mutton)

“The best kind of mystery thriller book is the one you think you've figured out and then the twist happens and you are left with your jaw on the floor. That is this book from beginning to end.”(Britney Ireland, reviewer)

“[A] creative, twisty and highly enjoyable murder mystery!” (Hannah Eva, reviewer)

 “[A]n engaging psychological crime thriller that kept me turning the pages. The novel skillfully blends legal drama, medical ethics, and suspense, creating a story that feels both intelligent and emotionally layered.” (Estelle Bouldin, reviewer) 

Rich Morvillo is a nationally recognized lawyer who co-chairs the white-collar defense group at a large international law firm.  After graduating from Colgate University and Fordham School of Law, he began his career as a trial attorney with the Division of Enforcement of the Securities and Exchange Commission and then moved on to private practice.  He is a frequent panelist at professional seminars and taught in the Master's program at Georgetown University School of Law. He resides in Washington, DC with his wife, two children and two dogs 

Inspiration behind Patient’s Privilege 

I nearly went into the field of clinical psychology when I graduated from Colgate University but, like my father and brother, opted for law school instead.  As a lawyer, I share with physicians and psychologists the ethical obligation to maintain client confidences. The fiduciary has a relationship of trust and confidence with the beneficiary and is not permitted to misuse information belonging to the beneficiary for their own purposes without authorization. For example, in the context I am most familiar with—the law of insider trading—the fiduciary may not misappropriate confidential information belonging to the beneficiary for the purposes of trading in securities.  

​

My novel deals with a diabolical faithless fiduciary.  It came to me as I reflected on an old insider trading case against a psychiatrist who allegedly used information learned in therapy sessions to trade in stocks mentioned by a patient. That got me thinking about what would happen if an unscrupulous doctor took advantage of what they learned from a patient outside the world of securities trading. What if a misguided therapist used confidential information against a patient who fears disclosure of their secrets?

This calls into question a related set of ethical principles. Like the attorney-client privilege, the doctor-patient privilege generally safeguards confidential communications between a psychiatrist (or therapist) and their patient. While the patient is free to waive that protection, the circumstances in which others may invade it are necessarily circumscribed, but not non-existent.

PATIENT'S PRIVILEGE explores the limits to the privilege as a barricade against truth.  Can Timothy Shea pierce the privilege when his patients and their doctor oppose it? Is there an exception that will frustrate Dr. Reeves’ reliance on the privilege to conceal his misdeeds? In the real world, there would be other ways of attacking the fiduciary breach than I use here, but I employed editorial license to make the story interesting and reasonably authentic. And, in doing so, I provide a glimpse into criminal and internal investigations.  

webpage is https://richmorvillo.com

I am on Facebook (@richmorvillobooks) and Instagram (@richmorvillobooks)

My book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Mascotbooks.com

Patient’s Privilege

Written By Rich Morvillo 

Review By Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews

 First, I want to thank Rich Morvillo and Subplot Publishing for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review. 

WOW!! Patient’s Privilege by Rich Morvillo is insanely intense, non stop eventful and fast paced right from the first paragraph! Rich grasps your attention hard and doesn’t let go til the end of the book! I absolutely love when authors do this making you want to devour the book in one sitting! 

Rich did a great job picking out the cover design for the book cover. It represented the book perfectly! 

My heart broke instantly when learning Timothy’s parents were killed in a car crash by a drunk driver. Having lost my Uncle to a drunk driver I know the pain all too well. 

Right from the start Abner rubbed me the wrong way for many different reasons and now out of the blue his wife is gone?! So many questions as to what exactly happened and why are they questioning Timothy?! 

Oh there is a wicked little twist in the story that I never saw coming with the whole Abner situation and it is good!! Rich keeps throwing us little curve balls into the mix to throw us off! It really is a good book, one that is written outside of the box.