Twisted Justice, the follow-up to Patricia Gussin's award-nominated debut, Shadow of Death, will be released by Oceanview Publishing on December 1, 2007. Twisted Justice (Oceanview Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-933515-08-3, $23.95) heralds the return of protagonist Laura Nelson.

While Gussin's debut, Shadow of Deat, was set against the backdrop of the Detroit riots of 1967, Gussin, an acclaimed novelist who has practiced medicine and directed medical research in her role as worldwide vice president for a leading healthcare company, set her sights on an entirely new locale for Twisted Justice - Tampa, Florida.

According to Gussin, choosing Tampa as the setting was an easy choice: "The significance of setting this novel in Tampa is very personal. Tampa is the area that shaped my children's early life and shaped my medical career."

Although Gussin's protagonist, Laura Nelson, is not autobiographical, the two do share some similarities. Gussin says that the setting, in many ways, helped her fully flesh out Laura's character: "As an author writing about a surgeon with five children, it was very natural for me to reach back into my memories of Tampa to create the scenes in Twisted Justice. After medical school in Detroit, I moved with my four young children to the Tampa area where I was starting a residency at Tampa General Hospital. When I moved to Tampa, my children were ages 7, 4, 3 and 1. As a mother and a doctor, Tampa was where I learned to balance career and family. Having the advantage of being able to tap into that stage of my life helped me deepen the emotions of the characters and made the process of writing more natural. "

While Gussin, a Michigan native who divides her time between Longboat Key, Florida, and Amagansett, New York, could have easily chosen another setting for Twisted Justice, she says that Tampa was the only contender: "I never even considered setting the novel elsewhere. I have such fond memories of the area and my experiences there. When I finished my training at Tampa General, I moved to Dunedin to practice medicine at the Mease Clinic. Dunedin is a lovely town and I can't think of a better clinical practice scenario for doctors or for patients than the Mease Clinic offered in the 1970's. As for my kids, they owe their sports fanaticism to Dunedin Little League, the Cincinnati Reds spring training, then in Tampa, and of course the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Reliving my experiences only made the writing process that much more enjoyable."

Twisted Justice is a shocking tale of secrets, betrayal, and lives torn apart. From all appearances, Laura Nelson has it all - a fantastic career, five well-adjusted kids and a gorgeous prominent husband. But looks can be deceiving - and deceit can be deadly. A sexy, alluring, and provocative mystery, Twisted Justice delivers fiery hot action, pulse-pounding suspense, and a razor-sharp plot full of dangerous curves and tantalizing turns. Oceanview Publishing is an independent publisher based in Massachusetts. Twisted Justice will be available in better bookstores nationwide in December, 2007. Members of the news media wishing to request an advance review copy or an interview with Patricia Gussin, are asked to contact Maryglenn McCombs by phone - 615-297-9875 - or by email - maryglenn @ maryglenn.com