FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Level Best Books Acquires Frank Spinelli's Latest Psychological Thriller
"Precious Friends: Murder in Sag Harbor" Marks Third Installment in Acclaimed Angelo Perrotta Mystery Series
Frederick, MD – Level Best Books, the award-winning independent publisher specializing in crime fiction and mystery novels, has announced the acquisition of Frank Spinelli's highly anticipated psychological thriller, Precious Friends: Murder in Sag Harbor, the third book in the critically acclaimed Angelo Perrotta Mystery series.
The latest installment promises to deliver the same gripping psychological depth and intricate plotting that have made Spinelli's previous works standouts in the mystery genre. Set against the backdrop of the affluent Hamptons community of Sag Harbor, the novel follows JB Pulaski as he navigates a web of secrets, betrayal, and murder among a tight-knit group of longtime friends.
Precious Friends: Murder in Sag Harbor explores themes of loyalty, deception, and the dark secrets that can lurk beneath the surface of even the closest relationships. Behind the gated driveways and manicured lawns of the Hamptons lies a rarefied world where appearances are everything and loyalty is currency.
Precious Friends is a masterful dissection of privilege, marriage, and moral compromise in the Hamptons, written with razor-sharp wit and devastating precision.
"I'm excited to work with Level Best Books on the Angelo Perrotta series," said Frank Spinelli. "Sag Harbor provides the perfect setting for this particular story – a place where old money, new wealth, and hidden resentments create the ideal storm for murder."
Level Best Books has built a reputation for publishing high-quality crime fiction from both established and emerging authors. The publisher has received numerous awards and recognition for their commitment to the mystery genre.
Precious Friends: Murder in Sag Harbor is scheduled for publication in June 2026. The book will be available in paperback and digital formats through major retailers and independent bookstores.
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Podcast host and author Shawn Reilly Simmons and Dr. Frank chat about his fiction and nonfiction writing career, a medical career and how it influences his writing, walking around as your character for a week, leaving good reviews, Stephen King, and Frank’s great advice for writer and for life in general.
No Angels Wept Afterward
I wrote No Angels Wept over the course of nine years. In that time the story went through a series of revisions, the last of which I completed in 2016, when I decided to shelve the idea.
In that version—a dark one, since the book had been inspired by a 2014 NY Times article describing a revolutionary approach to treating veterans suffering with PTSD—I spent several days working on the central character who employed a psychomotor therapy that was neither widely practiced nor supported by clinical studies. Despite my decision to shelve the story, I found myself consumed with notion that in the wrong hands a psychological framework to treat a past trauma could lead to irreparable damage if used for nefarious purposes.
In 2021, I concocted an alternate story. Still employing the same psychological framework plus a new experimental neurocognitive medication, the central character’s main objective was forced gay conversion therapy orchestrated behind the veil of Christianity. Operating under the assumption that men who identify as gay are victims of a suppressed trauma. Once those memories were recovered and reset, these men would no longer see themselves as gay.
But gay conversion therapy is a thing of the past, I argued. A discredited practice just like repressed memory therapy, which Harvard psychologist Richard McNally called “the worst catastrophe to befall the mental-health field since the lobotomy era.” Yet, some right-wing religious groups still promote the concept that individuals can change their sexual orientation even though research on such efforts has disproven these methods and demonstrated the significant harm, particularly among LGBTQ+ youth.
For many reasons, I’m happy with this version of No Angels Wept though I never imagined at the time of its completion that Mike Johnson–the newly elected Speaker of the House–had partnered with an anti-gay conversion therapy group.
Had No Angels Wept been a work-in-progress at the time of Mike Johnson’s nomination, I would have acknowledged the popularity of his right-wing anti-gay agenda as a contributing factor to this story instead of an imaginative artifact inspired by a NY Times article. What I once considered an unbelievable idea now doesn’t seem that far out of the realm of possibilities.
Out the Window
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Out the Window 〰️
What begins as an idea takes shape in my dreams. What sparks creativity is what I see everyday looking out the window.
Many writers have written about how they combat writer's block. Some suggest taking a break, going for a stroll, and even taking up a hobby because the longer you obsess over what to write about, the harder it becomes.
Some find a room with a view too distracting. I don't. In fact, gazing out the window is healthier for your eyes than staring at a blank computer screen. Nothing beats closing weary eyes. What better way is there to give your eyes a much needed rest. But sometimes, I find myself blissfully distracted by the sky, the buildings, and especially, the people below. Even if it's just for a few minutes I can't think of anything better.
Others have written that writing in a location other than the place where you normally write might inspire you. I find that to be true. Sometimes I take notebook to the park and sit on a bench, listening to people's conversations. Yes, I'm that person. Other times, I observe people's interactions. Their mannerisms. Their hand gestures and postures. But nothing, I mean, nothing beats listening to other people's conversations. Sometimes I hear a conversation or a sharp quip, and immediately, I type it as a message to myself on my phone.
Fortunately, there is a park right outside my building. I have the luxury of seeing and visiting it every day. Frankie and I are lucky that way.
Out the Window
The Body Doesn’t Forget
In 2013, Kensington Books published my memoir, Pee-Shy, in which I recounted the years of sexual abuse I endured by my Scoutmaster and the long journey to bring him to justice. Throughout adulthood, I have read many books on trauma. I even contributed a chapter to Richard Gartner’s Understanding the Understanding sexual Betrayal of Boys and Men: The Trauma of Sexual Abuse, published by Routledge in 2017.
A good colleague and best friend suggested I read The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD, published by Penguin Publishing Group in 2014 and updated in 2022. Kolk writes that regardless of the type of abuse: sexual, violent, loss of job, loss of loved one or illness, trauma affects all of us.
We have all experienced trauma, having survived the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us contraced COVID-19. Some, like me, had it twice. Many of us lost dear friends, family and colleagues, not to mention the fear of the unknown and sheltering in place. We will never fully understand the residual trauma imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic until we have had enough distance to look back on it with any objectivity.
“In The Body Keeps the Score, Kolk uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.”
Most importantly, Kolk explores the positive impact of creative outlets like dancing and writing and mindfulness practices like meditation and yoga, which can facilitate brain remodeling to stop the pain.
Early on in my healing journey, I sought the help of a therapist who encouraged me to paint as a way to heal. Later, I found writing as an outlet, and I haven’t stopped since.