When Leona comes home from working out of town, she discovers that her live-in boyfriend has harmed her young daughter. When she confronts him about it, his response is so lackadaisical and offensive that it propels her into an intense, violent attack against him. As a result, she drives herself into a catatonic state of mind--where she stays for thirteen years When she does come out, though, she finds she has new issues to deal with, which sometimes seem just as upsetting--most pressing of which is the emotionally unstable romantic relationship her daughter is now in. Her daughter's love interest relates to the young woman in such an unacceptable way that it keeps Leona in angst about attacking him the way she did her own lover thirteen years ago. Will she? To keep readers on pins and needles until the end, three women in less-than-fulfilling relationships are presented. Any one of them could be Leona's daughter Even though linitially "Laughter..." touches upon a very taboo subject, most readers, ironically, will find themselves laughing through some key parts of the story and by books' end will have a real feel-good feeling. That's because "Laughter Kills...Laughter Heals" is really about love and laughing, and men and women really caring about each other. Its multi-dimensional characters are strong and fragile and normal and weird all at the same time. And by the end of the book, you'll truly appreciate the time you spent delving into their experientially rich lives.