Trust Me -- Earl Javorsky

Jeff Fenner's a guy with problems.  He's a drug dealer who loves what he's selling, his sister has just been reported a suicide, he owes money to the wrong people, and then he gets thrown in jail.

Holly Barnes is an actress with few credits.  She's in an abusive relationship, and she has her own addiction problems.  She becomes involved with a self-help group called Saving our Lives (SoL) and a charismatic man who calls himself Art.  Art is literally a hypnotic guy, and when Holly falls under his spell, he's quick to take advantage.

Ron Pool is a reporter who wonders why so many young women from a certain area have committed suicide.  One of these young women is Jeff's sister.

The lives of these three come together as Ron investigates the suicides, as Jeff tries to climb out of the hole he's in, and as Holly struggles to free herself from her problems and from Art, who turns out to be even worse than she'd imagined.

Javorsky writes with skill and authority about the shadier side of sunny Southern California and about addiction and recovery.  He makes you care about some unlikable (at first) people and what happens to them.  Check it out.