An excellent psychological thriller about Eleanor a prison psychologist and Lucas a psychopath prisoner who she regularly visits. It appears Lucy's may have been involved in the abduction of Eleanor's sister who disappeared several years ago. Full of twists this book doesn't disappoint.

I really enjoyed this book. I read a lot of thrillers, and therefore it can become really 'samey', formulaic and repetitive. This book was like a breath of fresh air. It kept me reading, it kept me on my toes and I had no idea where the plot was going to next.
Such an original idea, and written in such a style that you don't ever want to put the book down!

I have not enjoyed all of Alice Hunters previous books, but this one was a corker. Thoroughly recommend!

I've absolutely loved this slow-burn phyclogical thriller. Not only is there an older case, of who killed Ellie’s sister, but who is the copycat killer?

Ellie, the psychologist, tries to get into the mind of a psychopath to find out why her sister was murdered.

Full of mind games. I didn't see the reveal coming

This was flippin brilliant. I couldn’t put this down. I love all @alicehunter_author books, but this one feels like the one I didn’t know I was waiting for.

This book is set in a prison - I have got used to reading books set in prisons and having to push aside the thoughts of ‘well that wouldn’t happen’, as I am sure we all do when we read books set in an industry we work in, and thats okay. BUT this book nails it, you can tell the author has the knowledge and experience to do the setting justice and it gives the book such extra authenticity when reading.

The story - Ellie (prison psych) is working with a serial killer in prison. Her sister went missing five years ago. She gets the feeling she is being watched.

I loved the story and the relationship between Ellie and Lucas. The anticipation of if he would trick her into divulging personal information, the games between them.

I would love to see more of Lucas, so @alicehunter_author can we have a prequel with Lucas’s story please?! 😂😁 he is such a great character, it would be a shame not to mine him!

Thanks to @netgalley @avonbooksuk and @alicehunter_author for the ARC.

This reads very quickly. The chapters are short; POVs and timelines are clearly identified. Although not my favourite read by Alice Hunter, I enjoyed it.
Thank You to NetGalley, Avon Books UK, and Alice Hunter for
the exclusive access to read this ARC.

Intense and terrifying this is a fabulous thriller that keeps you hooked from the very first page. With a plot I wished I had thought of. This book twists and turns to it’s nail biting conclusion.

Things I loved:
• the blurb
• the writing style
• The mystery itself

What didn’t land for me:

•The ending wasn’t that surprising sadly & actually left me with more questions as it felt a little under developed
• I didn’t love the characters but I did find myself thinking I’d read more with Sarah in, even if she was willing to accept the ending & broke all the rules haha

Overall, I preferred bad Apple to this one, but it was still a decent read & I can imagine lots of people loving it!

The Perfect Psychopath is a spellbinding story, unputdownable, twisty, scary and very clever!           💫💫💫💫💫

Dr. Eleanor Spencer is a psychiatrist working in a prison, with very bad men. When women start to vanish, Dr. Spencer will need to face an unsolved case from the past. 

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books Uk for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

The Perfect Psychopath follows the story of a psychologist Dr. Eleanor Spencer. She is doing a case study on a prisoner, Lucas who is notorious serial killer. Women has started disappearing and their bodies shows the similar death--i.e. Lucas used to kill women in similar fashion and someone seems to be copying what Lucas did. However, every time Ellie tries to interview Lucas, Lucas tries to steer her away from the interview by asking personal questions. Five years ago, Ellie's sister Grace mysteriously disappeared. Now a body of a woman is found wearing Grace's necklace and holding Grace's ID. Together with DS Sarah Knight, Ellie and Sarah must find this copy cat killer before too late.

This was a fast paced thriller, filled with twists and turns. You get snippets of journal entries written by Ellie. You also see a mysterious killer who is seemingly hunting women to kill. This was well written and will really put you at the edge of the seat. I have read this author's The Serial Killer's Wife before which I read in one go and which I really enjoyed and this was also actually really good. Overall, I will give this book a 4.5 star rating.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Dr Eleanor Spencer is a respected forensic psychologist with a seemingly perfect life. But when a series of women start to vanish, she's haunted by the memory of her sister's disappearance and she herself drawn into the chilling investigation. As the body count rises and her paranoia deepens, Ellie is forced to delve into the mind of a monster to uncover the truth. Her work leads her to Lucas Hayne, a notorious serial killer now behind bars. But when Lucas cryptically hints that that the key to the killer's identity lies buried in her past. Ellie's world begins to unravel.

Once you open up this book, you get entwined in the pages of this cleverly crafted story.Dr Eleanor Spencer works in a Cat B prison as a forensic psychologist. She's currently working with serial killer Lucas Hayne. Ellie's (Eleanor) sister disappeared five years ago. Then there's a spate of murders that all have the same MO.

This is a chilling read with plenty of twists. I was second guessing throughout the entire book. The pace is fast. There was a few times I had to suspend my beliefs, but i don't mind if the story is good.

Published 22nd May 2o25

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #AliceHUnteer for my ARc of #ThePerfectPsychologist in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a perfect edge of the seat thriller. it left me breathless, uneasy and wanting more.
Girls are vanishing and found murdered in horrific circumstances. This is a brilliantly written psychological book, leaving the reader guessing until the end. Alice Hunter has made the story and characters so believable, A serial killer is on the loose, will they get to him in time before he takes another girl?

Huge thanks to Alice Hunter and Avon for providing an eARC via NetGalley; this is my honest review.

Alice Hunter delivers an absolute knockout with The Perfect Psychopath - a taut, chilling psychological thriller that had me completely under its spell. From the first page, this book crawled under my skin and stayed there, dripping with dread and emotional weight.

Dr Eleanor Spencer is exactly the kind of protagonist I gravitate towards - composed, intelligent, and harbouring deep, secret fractures. Her role as a psychologist gives this book a fascinating edge: we’re watching someone trained to understand minds struggle to maintain her grip on her own. The trauma of her sister’s disappearance years ago casts a long shadow, and when women begin vanishing again, that shadow starts to take on teeth.

The inclusion of Lucas Hayne - a convicted serial killer who may or may not be taunting Ellie with clues - is perfectly executed. Their interactions are razor-sharp and unsettling. The power dynamics, the psychological warfare, the tension between what is said and what is suggested - it’s all brilliantly crafted. I felt like I was in the room with them, afraid to breathe.

What elevates this above other thrillers is the emotional intelligence running beneath the horror. Hunter understands that grief, guilt, and fear are their own prisons. The twist, when it comes, feels both shocking and inevitable - a gut punch that made me sit still for a long while after finishing.

This is a story about control, memory, and how trauma echoes through time. But it’s also about strength - about facing the most terrifying parts of yourself and surviving.

The Perfect Psychopath by Alice Hunter is a dark and twisty psychological thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. The story follows Dr. Eleanor Spencer, a prison psychologist haunted by her sister’s disappearance, who gets pulled into a new murder investigation. When a woman is found dead wearing Grace’s necklace, Ellie is forced to confront her past and work with Lucas, a convicted serial killer who might hold the key to everything.
I loved the premise and the creepy, slow-burn tension throughout the book. The twists were shocking, especially near the end, and kept me flipping the pages. However, I struggled to connect with any of the characters and found the pacing a bit too slow at times. Still, the writing is strong and the mystery kept me intrigued. It’s a good read for fans of psychological thrillers.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Yes it's a fantastic read. I would love to see it as a movie someday. Multi POV's, serial killers, psychopaths, Silence of the Lambs vibes only Lucas (a serial killer) didn't eat his victims- he's a sociopath who loves playing cat and mouse with people, a narcissist that's oh so charming. The twists are so good, you have to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the UK publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Alice Hunter book, although I have been looking at her 'Serial Killers' series for a while now. I definitely saw enough in this book to encourage me to pick this up, too.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book in particular. I thought the characterisation was very strong and I was intrigued in the different strands of the story.

However, the ending wasnt my favourite unfortunately, as I felt important details were kept from the reader until the end to add shock factor, but it undid a lot of the good work done earlier in the book.

First I want to thank Avon Books UK and Netgalley for this e-ARC

This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last! This book was amazing! I was instantly hooked and pretty much read this in one sitting.

The writing was fantastic, I instantly fell in love with the authors writing style. This book was a wild ride and the twists and turns were amazingly done. I definitely didn’t see any of these twists coming.

The characters, the storyline, the writing it all just gelled together so well and it was perfect.

Definitely would recommend this book!

Alice Hunter knows how to deliver a twist that will knock you sideways.

This psychological thriller will have you on the edge of your seat, desperately flying through the pages to find out the truth. I devoured this book so fast.

I had my theories, feeling like I was a detective myself, thinking I was able to guess who the killer was. I should have known that I would be wrong.

Hunter beautifully tangles a prison psychologist, a detective and a serial killer together to create a nail biting story reminiscent of Kiss The Girls.

Through multiple pov you get to know Ellie - Dr Eleanor Spencer, prison psychologist; DS Sarah Knight who is investigating a murder; and the killer. The shocking news of a murdered woman starts a journey to hunt for the killer.

This is a must read!

Thank you to Avon books for this advanced copy.

Yes, I liked the ending. Some super twists that had me gasping but everything before that was just okay.
Good premise. Great writing. But I didn't really like any of the characters. Just didn't connect to them.
A decent thriller read with lots of psychopathic nuggets of information to make my brain happy.

I felt like I was getting whiplash when it came to this book with all of the twists and turns. I was all for it!! It is a slow burn and I don’t mind it but this book overdid it, I went from enjoying the build-up to now wanting it to end, but then also loving the rest of it almost 80% into the book. But the inner true crime lover in me was low-key wishing I can watch this one on an actual screen, I know I am not the only one.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

3.5 stars
This is a good psychological thriller, but is a slow burner.
Ellie is a psychologist who works with prisoners and there's one in particular who features heavily in this book, Lucas.
Ellie's sister Grace has been missing for five years and both her and her Mum have been affected by this.
DS Sarah Knight contacts Ellie out of the blue, and tells her that a woman has been murdered and she had a necklace belonging to Grace.
DS Knight tells Ellie that they think this means Grace is dead, but they haven't found her body.
Ellie works with the Police and tries to get information from Lucas as he indicates he knows about the recent murders, and Grace.
This is a good read but not one of my favourites from Alice Hunter.
Thanks to Avon Books for the opportunity to read this book.