*Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* I have read a number of Holmes' other books, including 'Finding Emma', 'The Memory Child' and 'Saving Abby', all of which I have given 4 stars and really enjoyed. So I was surprised to only give 'The Patient' 3 stars and not love it as much as Holmes' other novels. I think I found it a little disjointed and messy. It was OK and held my attention, but just wasn't as tightly crafted as her other books - but then, the messy nature of the writing may certainly appeal to others. The novel focuses on Danielle Rycroft, a psychologist in a small town called Cheshire that has been rocked by a series of serial murders. Danielle starts to think that one of her patients may be the killer. Can she discover who it is before it is too late?

I've never read anything by Holmes, but I'll certainly look for books in the future, as this book was well written and held my attention. Some "surprises" weren't totally unexpected (as the clues are there, if you pay attention), but it was enjoyable nonetheless. There are multiple POVs, which is a bit confusing at times, but it gets easier to follow as the plot unfolds. I liked the tie-in with Alice in Wonderland.

Danielle Rycroft is a therapist and suspects one of her patients is a serial killer. But, which one?

I didn’t like any of the characters of the book, they were all annoying to me. And I’m not sure if it’s because they really were annoying, or if the way they treated Danielle was annoying. In any case, the story trudged along, but the twist at the end was a good surprise!

Rating: 3 out 5

# The Patient # Netgalley
I was really looking forward to this novel. However I became quite ill myself. Hence my late review. When I read the synopsis of this book, something just grabbed me. I can not actually say what it was. Because I try to read in order of publication date. I had a couple of books to read first. When I finally came to reading this book I can say I was not disappointed. Although the storyline was brilliant. At times I thought the book really slowed down a lot from being a fast paced, to becoming a slow paced book. I found this rather disappointing. I am only knocking of any stars for that and that alone. It was a well thought book. With a excellent quality storyline. With twist and turns in a few places. I only wished it didn’t have the few chapters that became really slow. I can honestly say. It’s a good read. It’s purely the few slow chapters. Has I have already said is WHY I AM KNOCKING STARS OF.F. It’s such a shame. Overall I would recommend this book. It’s my first read by this author. I definitely will be reading more. I am being 100% honest. With not being myself. I did actually wonder if it was just me, not quite up to my normal health quality, unfortunately it cancer. That possible the chapters where not has slow has I thought. Oh they did definitely slow down some what. Perhaps not as slow as I am giving the impression of.

The Patient by Steena Holmes
This is a gripping story. The twists and turns of the plot will keep you guessing. Just when you think you have it figured out, you are wrong.
This book definitely kept my interest. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good who-done-it type of book.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this book. My review is my own.

3.5
I really enjoyed this book. There were quite a few twists and some really caught me by surprise. Steena Holmes has found a compeling way to differentiate between all the other thrillers out there and does a great job of making you think you know the answer and then spinning it on it's side. I highly recommend it.

Special thanks to the author and NetGalley for providing me with a free, electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Danielle Rycroft suspects someone close to her has a dark secret. In the confidential setting of therapy, her patients share their anxieties and fears. Now, with a string of murders in town putting her on edge, Danielle’s own worries come close to eclipsing her patients’. In each case, the pattern is the same: parents killed while their children sleep blissfully unaware in their beds. Her best friend, Detective Tami Sloan, is the only person she has confided in.


Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. This had me on the edge of my seat

The premise of this novel grabbed me right away. Danielle is new in the town of Cheshire and doesn’t have many contacts beyond her handful of patients. When sets of parents start to die, she has a feeling that one of her patients might be involved. And then, she starts to receive notes confirming her fears. She desperately wants to help her patients, but she is also terrified.

I read a lot of psychological suspense novels, and The Patient is one of the best I’ve read this year. Steena Holmes drops enough bread crumbs along the way so that an astute reader can see the big reveal coming, yet still be surprised at how all the plot threads come together.

It was weak and disappointing. I figured it out as soon as the "swollen ankle" happened. Maybe I read too many mysteries? On top of figuring it out, it was hard to stay with the plot. It felt as if the book was chopped into separate chunks that didn't really connect.

This psychological thriller was a deviation from the type of books written by Sheena Holmes. A therapist thinks that one of her patients is a serial killer. Different chapters voice therapy sessions with these patients. Excellent story line as it progresses and starts to all tie together. I couldn't give it more than 3 stars because I guessed the ending twist about half way through the book.

This book draws you in from the first page. A suspenseful story of murder in a magical town named after Alice and Wonderland. The story starts with Danielle a new therapist in town who has two good friends Tami, a police officer, and Sabrina, the owner of the Mad Hatter book store, and three patients. Danielle’s patients are Ella, who previously spent time in jail for killing her parents, Savanna, a 16-year-old who does not adore her parents, and Tyler, who is very discreet about his life and his mysterious girlfriend. In this magical town, someone starts killing people; and Danielle receives a note telling her “She knows who the killer is.” Danielle starts to wonder whom of the three patients could be the murderer. It could be Savanna who for the past two years has been adamant about hating her parents. What about Ella, who previously was in prison for killing her parents, much in the same way of the killings in the town. Or could it be Tyler who is neurotic about doing just what his girlfriend wants. Danielle wonders if one of them could be the killer? This story gets more intriguing the further you read. If you are a murder mystery person I highly recommend this book. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this book.

Danielle is a therapist in a small town named Cheshire. The town is themed on Alice in Wonderland. There is a serial killer in town, killing parents in their homes but sparing the children. Danielle suspects it may be one of her patients. This is a compelling story, as we, along with Danielle, try to figure it out. Good book that held my interest!

Special thanks to the author and NetGalley for providing me with a free, electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: October 15, 2019
Dani Rycroft’s small, idyllic town is rocked by grievous and grotesque murders- parents are being bludgeoned in their homes while their unsuspecting children sleep. Although she is faced with fear and anxiety herself, Dani continues to find solace in the treatment of her patients- Ella, Savannah and Tyler—all dealing with tragic pasts and seeking to overcome their histories. Through her treatments, Dani hopes to be able to help them cope. However, she soon starts receiving ominous notes indicating that one of her patients is a murderer- but which one?
Steena Holmes returns with an entirely new novel, one that is new not only in its release date but also because it is out of the author’s usual scope and genre. A psychological suspense novel is not the norm for Steena Holmes, but it happens to be one of my favourite genres, so I was eager for a chance to read “The Patient”.
The novel starts off in the quaint town that is based on Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, with Red Queen gardens and Cheshire Cat coffee shops. Perfect for our Alice-obsessed protagonist, Dani, she seeks to live a quiet, and mostly solitary life, with just her patients and two close friends for company. Dani is book obsessed, quiet, introverted and a hater of all social situations (ladies and gentlemen, I have found my kindred) and based on that it was easy for me to form a quick bond with her.
Right away, when we are introduced to her clients through her sessions, we know that something is off with them. I started thinking one way about the outcome of the plot, but I knew there had to be something more to it, as that is how these books are written. And of course, I was right. A hard-core and long-term fan of this genre, I was able to predict the outcome of this novel at about the halfway point. Somehow though, this did not make the novel any less enjoyable as I still wanted to see how it played out and it has the psychological factor that just sucked me in.
The novel was entertaining to read and checked all of my “psychological suspense” boxes. Although I predicted the outcome, I still found I had a soft spot for Dani and her clients. The ending line of the novel will leave you gasping for more, and I really hope that future novels about Dani are upcoming. Holmes’ introduction to the genre is a powerful and gritty read and if she continues to delve into this genre, she will only develop her skill more. I look forward to future books about Dani, and her crazy Alice-filled world.

This book kept me second guessing myself throughout most of it. I really enjoyed it.
Dani is a therapist who has only 3 patients Tyler, Ella and Savannah and she lives in a town called Cheshire that is based around the book Alice in Wonderland. Dani has 2 friends, a cop named Tami and Sabrina who owns a tea shop, though the two have never met. Dani tries to help her patients but they are hiding more than they are sharing. Meanwhile there are murders occurring in Cheshire where the parents are being killed while their child is asleep in their bed. Someone wants to protect children and they think this is the best way. Dani becomes increasingly worried when she receives notes stating that one of her patients is the murderer. She doesn’t want to tell Tami as she is not sure which one or if someone is just trying to scare her. She needs to protect her patients but at what cost?
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

OMG this was one hell of a ride from start to finish and I just devoured ever page. Little by little we are drawn into the life of therapist Danielle Rycroft and her three patients as she begins to suspect one of them may be the serial killer who is committing gruesome murders in the small town where she lives. Notes are left and things begin to get curious and curiouser!!!
As Danielle begins to feel her own life is at risk she finds it increasingly hard to cope and from there this story just gets better and better and is impossible to describe without giving anything away. This is the kind of book I relish and although I did suspect some things it was so well written this in no way spoiled the read.
It’s a wonderfully crafted book from Stina Holmes so a big thank you to her for a book in my opinion not to be missed.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I totally enjoyed this dark psychological thriller. I went into the book not knowing what to expect and was blown away. At the start I felt the patient sessions were a bit all over the place and missing bits but as the story progressed things started making more sense. I found this to be an entertaining page turner.

I think I should start off by saying I am a huge Steena Holmes fan. Her saving Abby series in particular is fantastic. I’ve read all of her books so far, so I was very excited to read The Patient. Thank you to netgalley and Steena Holmes for allowing me to read this I corrected proof.
The Patient centres on Danielle, a therapist helping 3 patients, whilst battling her own demons and anxieties. There’s a spate of murders of parents in their beds, with the child/children spared each time, in her small town, and it becomes clear that one of Danielle’s patients is the serial killer, but which one? I found the therapy sessions felt very off the wall but I’m guessing this is the very effect Holmes was going for- the disjointed conversations and thought processes. I often hoped Danielle would probe further and it was frustrating when she didn’t, but I presume that’s down to the type of therapist she is, going at the patients pace and not pushing. I had my own assumptions about who the murderer was, and the connections between the characters, but it was still a surprise. I very much enjoyed reading this and look forward to Holmes’ next book.

This genuinely couldn't have been worse. She gave away the big plot twist a bit past a third of the way in, the dialogue was atrocious, and her metaphors were so heavy handed (and abundant) I started to make a drinking game out of them but had to stop because alchohol poisoning is real kids.

Steena Holmes delivers an incredible thriller with The Patient. I was completely enthralled with Danielle from the first page. Not only do you get a psychological thriller but you get a childhood story theme that you really weren’t expecting. Steena Holmes does a spectacular job describing each of the characters and leading you to have if not empathy then some understanding why each is the way they are throughout the story. This is a book you can read more than once and pick up details you may have missed in the prior reading. A page-turner, a thriller, and a must read from Steena Holmes.

Sizzling psychological thriller, guaranteed not to disappoint. A therapist thinks that one of her patients is a serial killer. Which one is it? Lots of twists and turns.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.