Homicide detective William Hael Jr. is stuck-both in life and in his current case. The son of an alcoholic father, Hael still suffers the emotional wounds and can't seem to break free from the family role that helped him survive. As he struggles to solve the confusing murder of a young woman, he's disturbed by the reappearance of the invisible friend who once helped him through his toughest times...Babe Ruth. As the baseball legend advises Hael on the case, he also reveals the untold truth about his own harsh childhood and asks the detective to publicize his real story in an effort to help others like them. But sometimes the freedom that answers bring is more frightening than being trapped by confusion, and Hael must decide whether to live in the pain of the past or risk stepping into the future. Conditional Love is both a fascinating fictional primer on family systems therapy and a thrilling psychological murder mystery that offers an intriguing revision of Babe Ruth's history and challenges a man's ability to change his role in life.