DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM

In the dark and dangerous world of addiction, three friends (Death Will Get You Sober, 2008) try to help a young woman suspected of murder.

Bruce Kohler, a recovering alcoholic, his best friend Jimmy, a computer whiz, and Jimmy’s counselor girlfriend Barbara all become involved in the case of Barbara’s client Luz after she finds her boyfriend Frankie dead on the floor of her apartment. Luz can’t accept the fact that Frankie, who just got out of rehab, was not only a drug dealer but had a wife and children in Brooklyn. Bruce’s struggles to control his addiction aren’t helped by frantic calls from ex-wife Laura. Beautiful, talented, bipolar and addicted to drugs and sex, Laura still sleeps with Bruce, who can’t say no, but she’s also in an abusive relationship with a new man. Together with Luz, the three buddies travel to Frankie’s funeral in the wilds of Brooklyn. A member of a large Italian family, Frankie hid many secrets from his loving parents. Luz’s picture of his marriage as cold takes a beating when she sees his very pregnant wife at the funeral, and some ladies’ room gossip indicates that Luz may not have been Frankie’s only bit on the side. Their continued sleuthing leads the pals to new clues and puts them in danger from a killer.

Zelvin’s deft touch with some of New York’s neediest makes up for the so-so mystery.