If your favoured reading material is a compelling tale with a good sprinkling of suspense, drama, heartbreak, therapy and mystery, then The Patient by Steena Holmes is a must-read for you!

From the get-go there was so much happening in this wonderful psychological thriller! Danielle Rycroft was an interesting, troubled character and it was a journey to get to know her. I got to see that sometimes life got overwhelming for her. There was lovely depth and poignancy to Steena Holmes’ writing which kept me hooked throughout. The author really worked wonders with most of the characters in this fabulous story and even the less personable ones still had very good parts to play and did not dampen my enthusiasm for this fascinating tale.

The plot was great and moved along at a really comfortable pace and I was very happy with the author’s general writing-style. The main focus of family and relationships brought a wonderful touch to this mystery, which tugged at my heartstrings, before hurtling towards the surprising denouement.

I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting story and I will be checking out this author's back catalogue as well as checking out her next novel. All in all, this is cracking read for anyone who has a preference for a brilliant psychological thriller that has a flavour of a gruesome crime, without the detail of the guts and gore.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

This one was a little slow starting, but it ended up being a pretty good read. I'm glad I was able to grab this one!

Another amazing read by author, Steena Holmes! This book was a twist a minute. Danielle suspects that one of her three therapy patients is a serial killer. Cleverly placed clues had me wondering which patient it could be, or could it be someone else entirely? Well-developed unreliable characters made this a highly entertaining read!

The Patient, by Steena Holmes, is an intense thriller that captured me in the first chapter and kept me captive until I finished it, approximately 10 hours later! It is extremely well-written with nuanced characters that will make you cringe at the pain people inflict on one another and the emotional trauma that others endure. Although I suspected the outcome as one plausible alternative, Holmes provided enough plot twists so that I was never absolutely sure until the last few chapters. Her writing is fluid and sure with enough bucolic, small-town details that provide sharp contrast to the spiraling plot.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Steena Holmes for allowing me to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was a thoroughly engrossing read!

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books that really keeps you guessing. I kept thinking I had the story figured out and it would immediately change directions. It ended so differently than I had anticipated. This story will really mess with your head.
I found it very hard to put this book down. The story stays with you even after you finish it. I kept thinking about it for days once I had finished. I was halfway through another story and I was still coming back to this book.

I love the different viewpoints, it took me for a ride. It took me so long to figure this story out. I usually play a good detective in what I am reading but not with The Patient. This is a super bingey read. I finished it in a couple of hours and honestly, I wasn’t ready for it to be over.

I really loved this author’s writing style and I cannot wait to read more of her work. She really could write anything and make it compelling. There was a real alice in wonderland feel to this story.

It was a very fast paced read. I felt immediately drawn into the story as soon as I started reading. The author has a very unique way of weaving an unbelievable plot and making it completely believable.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.

This book ended up being very predictable. I guessed the entire plot from chapter 1. Sometimes I do not mind if I can correctly guess where a story is going, but with this one it just didn't work for me. I think people who did not read that many psychological thrillers would enjoy the story more.

Surprising twist that I didn't see coming. Though I found the book a bit confusing at times, this becomes apparent why near the end, I enjoyed it very much and it made a story from a different perspective

This is a psychological thriller will a great plot. Danielle Rycroft is a therapist with three clients (yes, I don't know how she actually makes a living!) each with troubled backgrounds and suspect current issues. When murders start happening in town she believes she knows the killer, but who is It? Told from multiple points of view the story moves quite quickly, with the history of all the characters also being told. I guessed the major plot twist quite early on but there is plenty of drama for that not to ruin it. Occasionally a little slow but worth holding on for the end.

This was a departure from previous books I have read from Steena Holmes. The author leads the reader on a confusing trail of clues in this psychological thriller as she tells the story of a serial murderer in the alternating voices of the therapist and her three patients as well as the murderer. It takes place in the small community of Cheshire where everyone seems to be obsessed with the childhood favorite Alice in Wonderland. The murderer chooses his or her victims by observing children who need protection from their parents. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy to read and review.

I've read several of this author's books in the past and this one is definitely in a different direction. I really enjoyed this book. I thought the premise was great, the character development and pacing were good also. There were twists that I wasn't expecting and others that I saw before they happened. I liked the short chapters as I always want to read one more before I go to sleep.

All in all I thought this was a great read, fast paced as I wanted to know what was going to happen.

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.

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.