Danielle Rycroft is a therapist, new to her small town of Chesire - a town with statues in the park of characters from Alice in Wonderland. Danielle has 2 good friends who really try to take care of her and 3 patients. Someone in Chesire is trying to protect children by killing parents and allowing the child to live. After therapy sessions with her three patients, Danielle is convinced that one of them is the serial killer but has no idea which one it is. With the clues that we are given, it could be any of the three characters - they are all concerned with protecting children at any cost. Eventually the stress and worry about her patients, along with lack of sleep and debilitating headaches sends Danielle to find her own therapist. I must admit that at different times in the book, I was sure that I knew who the killer was only to get more hints a few pages later and realize that I was wrong. The ending was shocking but very satisfying.

I have read all of Steena's books and this one is a step in a different direction. She is totally successful in writing a different kind of book which shows me that she is indeed a fantastic writer. I look forward to her future books.

So many thoughts about this book...

The premise was terrific, a therapist with several troubled patients and she believes one of them is a serial killer but isn't sure of which one.. Each of her sessions with her patients steadily builds the suspense towards her drive to try to sort this out without causing any mental breakdown of any of them. This writing was well done and thoughtful. I enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland setting and references, both with the attachment of various characters to the story and the town's park being a tribute to this. I could easily have seen this as an English, countryside mystery. 

I thought the pacing of the book was mostly on track until the end. I don't think that any psychological situation is ever fleshed out in as much detail as this was in a setting like this. Without giving anything away, this would be such a complex situation that it would take a lifetime to unfold. I appreciate the effort in the writing and trying to wrap the conclusion up as well as is possible for a book.

My main negative issue with this thriller is that I figured a big piece of it out very early in the story, something I generally hate to do. In some respects, I'm not sure this was because I know more psychology than average or because the author intended it to be this way (probably the latter).. It did not detract much from my enjoyment of the story and there were certain details that remained hidden.

All in all, this is an entertaining read if you enjoy a psychological thriller that involves gruesome crimes without spending any additional time on the gore of the crime itself. This was far more about the characters and the plot than the crimes. 

Definitely recommend.
#ThePatient #NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing

A therapist with a serial-killer patient is at the heart of Steena Holmes’ latest, The Patient. Holmes starts with a bang, then builds the action steadily, a gradual unfolding of truths and secrets that will have you constantly rethinking who is the killer. A brilliant psychological thriller that will mess with your mind.

“I think one of my patients is a serial killer. I just don’t know which one.” That is the great setting against which this book opens. Danielle Rycroft is a therapist living in Cheshire, a town dedicated to Alice in Wonderland. Wonderland is Danielle’s childhood comfort blanket and anchor, where she took refuge as a child when her parents argued. Now as an adult, she desires to help her three patients - Tyler, Ella, and Savannah, rebuild their lives and get past the issues that plague them.

When the town of Cheshire is rocked by violent murders, subtle signs from her patients lead Danielle to suspect that one of them may be responsible for the gruesome murders.  She is worried that she has not been able to help them in the time that she has been seeing them. This leads her to seek support from her own therapist in order to get herself back on track. 

This is my first time reading a book by Steena Holmes. I found this book well written and easy to follow. She uses different points of view which let us into the minds of the characters, and also give us insight into the lead character’s backstory.  

The story is heartbreaking and tormenting. The plot is consuming and I had to pause at certain points when I pictured the events too keenly for my comfort.

Whereas I liked the book and found it interesting, I was able to figure out who the culprit was pretty early on in the book. It was almost like the author wanted us to know, as there were very many red flags leading me to deduce what was going on. That removed most of the suspense and anticipation from the book for me. I continued to read as I still wanted to see how it would all unfold. 

That said, I was intrigued by the ending. It felt like there was still more to the story than I was able to figure out, which is the best part of a psychological thriller.

I rate it 3 out of 5. It would definitely have rated much higher had I not figured out the story so soon. I recommend it to adults who enjoy reading psychological thrillers.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake. Union Publishing, and Steena Holmes for the opportunity to read her latest thriller.  I'm a fan of Holmes' writing and was excited to have this chance to read this book - and I wasn't disappointed even though I may have figured out a few plot twists.

Danielle is a therapist starting her practice in a new town.  She only has 3 patients now - Tyler, Savannah, and Ella - but she is starting to believe that one of them is a serial killer; she's just not sure which one.  The killer is striking in town with the same MO - killing parents and leaving a child alone.  The town is becoming scared.  Danielle's best friend, Tami, is a detective trying to solve the crimes and Danielle has expressed some of her fears about her patients, but not the complete story.

Best to say too little about this book to not spoil anything - it's a quick read because you'll want to figure out what's going on!

I couldn’t get into this book. It was not the thriller I was expecting which is due in part to the style of writing.

Danielle is a therapist seeing three patients in a small town built around the theme of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. This theme is appropriate, since reading the story made me feel like I fell down the rabbit hole. Danielle's life becomes very challenging when a serial killer starts killing parents of small children.  I will say nothing further, as this book is best when you go into it with little knowledge. Know that it is a head-scratching mystery that will challenge your puzzle-solving skills in a big way.  Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

Steena Holmes takes us down the rabbit hole in this tense psychological thriller. Everything is not as it seems in this book. Filled with twists, it will keep you turning the pages. Who is the killer? Parents are being murdered leaving their children with no one. About halfway through the book I had guessed who the killer was, however, it went so much deeper than that. What's real and what's not? You will have to read it to find out. I would love a sequel to this book because I want to delve deeper into the mind of a killer who is severely broken inside. This may well be her best book yet.

I seem to be in the minority on this book - but I just can't seem to get interested in it.  The writing is good but I am just not getting into this book.

The Patient really kept me on my toes.  I was questioning every person and every comment throughout the book but I definitely did not predict this ending. At times I got annoyed by some of the characters or their statements but the conclusion definitely clarified my issues. I feel like I should read it again!

THE PATIENT by Steena Holmes

Not every woman deserves to be a mother. But every child deserves to be loved, to feel loved. 

Children shouldn’t learn to hate their parents. When they do, it destroys their soul. It forces them to become someone they were never intended to be.

She wept at my stories, about how my mother would turn the other way when my stepfather tucked me into bed. 
Excerpts from this book.....

This is a very complex psychological thriller. While I did figure it out early on it was one I had a very hard time putting down. I had to know who did what and why. It’s full of so much that if you are not careful you will get a bit lost. It has some parts that made my skin crawl. Children being abused both emotionally and sexually. Nothing explicit but it touches on that. It’s like the context of this story is about children and the parents who do not deserve them. 

I thought every single character in this book was likable and they all felt so real. It was set in an Alice in Wonderland town and made you feel like you was there. I felt fear in so many places for the main character, Danielle Rycroft. It seemed like she put herself in so many scary situations. Not of her own making but from her lack of sleep then when she did sleep her sleep walking. It was very intense. Her best friend, Tami Sloan was right there for her through most everything. Tami was a cop investigating the murders. 

There are several characters in this story. Each has a key part to play in how things turn out. You should like each one as they appear. The only person that I didn’t like at all was UNCLE!! 

You will truly love this book. It will keep you one edge so much and every now and then maybe a tiny chuckle. Mostly it made me angry at the way some parents treated their children.

I think this may be one of Steena’s best books to date and I’m so hoping there is going to be a sequel. I need a sequel bad here. 

Thank you #NetGalley #LakeUnionpublisers. This is my honest review of a very good edge of your seat thriller.

I gave this book 4 big stars. I recommend it highly.

The Patient is a wild ride! I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down to save my life. 
Dr. Danielle Rycroft thinks that one of her three therapy patients is a serial killer . Yes, she only has three patients, and that seems to be more than she can handle as it is. 

There is a serial killer on the loose and Danielle's best friend happens to be the detective on the case. This book was so good! There are many twists and turns and when you think you have it figured out , you have no idea!!!!

Bonus: I loved the references to Alice in Wonderland !!!!!

Highly recommend !

A therapist with several patients... one of them is a serial killer...

Well written, well developed storyline with interesting characters. Good pace, captivating, not boring.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.  This is my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

I rather enjoyed this book and that might be surprising since I also was pretty suspicious of who the killer was about half way through.  And, yet, the author had so many threads in place that I was always wondering whether I might be wrong and be totally surprised.  I don’t do spoilers so I won’t talk much about the actual story except to say that I found the references to Alice in Wonderland quite fun and will probably read the story again to see if there are more that I might have missed and also to see whether I missed any earlier clues since I didn’t “catch” the killer myself till about way through.  I was a bit disappointed by the ending.  Not by the discovery of the killer but by the specifics of the way the story lines were tied together (or in my feeling somewhat weren’t tied together).   I just wasn’t sure what was going to happen next and I felt that not knowing left a bit of a void.   All in all, a story that kept me engaged!

A therapist must face her own worst fear—one of her patients is a serial killer.

I found this book to be very creepy and was so full of twists and turns. Just when I thought I had worked out what was happening the author would go ahead and throw another twist in

This book had me guessing throughout it which is the making of a great psychological thriller!

THE PATIENT is an easy to read,  book.  A small town, troubled patients, a counselor, and a serial killer. All of this makes a story that some will enjoy.   This fast paced,  drama and clues make for an unbelievable story which had me guessing who to believe.  But, all the thinking, trying to follow it , turned me against it.  I want to enjoy my reading but this story had me getting stressed.  The therapist has to go see a therapist to get her own stress under control.  The main character is suffering from sexual and verbal,abuse, along with abandonment .  There are a lot of people that suffer like this and I feel this story downplayed their daily suffering.
Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I’m struggling with this review, as my thoughts changed when the resolution came to be. I was so interested in this book, and then when I started to put the pieces together, I liked it even more. The ending, however, got very weird. I found myself skimming the last 6 or 7% because it was just A LOT. A lot of what, I’m not quite sure. The ending makes this a 3.5 read for me, but because the beginning is so strong I’m leaving it at a 4.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

At first the story felt disjointed, jumping back and forth between four people's story until suddenly it became crystal clear.. I did not see that twisty ending coming! Stunning book.

Psychologist Danielle Rycroft has recently moved to Cheshire. There have been several murders of parents and a serial murderer is suspected. Danielle has been receiving notes and she suspects one of her patients is the serial killer. Danielle’s favorite book is Alice in Wonderland. This book follows Danielle down the “rabbit hole” in this fast paced novel. For the most part I enjoyed this book. I do think the ending needs a little work. 3.5. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beat Down Of The Ages - With Avatar Ending. There is another Lake Union author whose books I *love* and who is known for writing about a particular idea and spinning amazing stories about it. Here, Holmes walks onto that author's turf and absolutely *destroys* her. That is how much *better* than those other ones this book is - and remember, I *loved* those other books (indeed, I've rated all of them 5*). It *does* have an Avatar-style ending though, and it worked it well to allow for either a true standalone book or even the possibility of coming back to this world. Simply an excellent book, and if this represents a new direction for Holmes, I can't wait to see what else she puts out!