Meet the Bradley family Tom, Lily, Phoebe, and Matthew. Matthew is only eight but he already is wants to become a detective. He hones his skills using his camera to photograph his neighbors like a neighborhood watch kid. Lily is a psychiatrist who works from home. She converted one of the rooms downstairs into a private office. Phoebe is there twelve year old daughter. She’s at that rebellious stage where she’s lashing out at her brother and wearing goth clothes. It’s later revealed that she’s dating an older guy. Dr. Tom Bradley is a psychology professor at Kordel University.
Now that you’ve met the Bradley’s let’s meet a few of the other neighbors. Arwen and Joe are new to the cul-de-sac. Arwen is a fortune-telling, free-spirited artist. Arwen uprooted her son moving him halfway across the country to follow a lead in a secret project she’s been working on. Since her arrival Arwen has brought nothing but trouble. Every week the professors meet for drinks at the bar Arwen waitresses at. She flirts with them ruffling the feathers of the married men.
Simon and Hannah live next door to the Bradley’s. It was Simon who encouraged Matthew to photograph his neighbors.

All these characters live in Story Cove a safe neighborhood near the woods. Recently someone within there community has been killing female joggers.
Detective Rulandi Duval aka Rue is the primary investigator on the Jogger Killer case. One night one of the people within there community is found dead on the beach. An investigation follows with Rue questioning everyone in the neighborhood.
While this was not an on-the-nose investigation I appreciated the information this detective provided. She roused enough suspicion with her questions to pique my interest. However, Tom is a key person of interest since he touched and found the body.

This is a character driven story with multiple points of view. It’s easy to follow the lives of each of these characters, but it obvious that nothing is as it seems. This neighborhood harbors secrets. While I should be excited at the prospect of unveiling these secrets I wasn’t that invested.
I’m in the majority so far because I’m not glued to the pages of this book. For the most part the concept and content is great. It gets a little bogged down by the extreme details.

I felt all these descriptive words serve a better purpose for filming a movie but not for reading. I prefer for the writing to stay on point and not overcrowd the story with the excessive use of descriptive words.

Loreth had me guessing the entire time. But then again she really couldn’t diverge too much for fear of giving away the secrets. The entire premise was based off these secrets.

I imagine it must be exciting to come up with a concept for a story but then struggle with how to deliver the information. I’m not saying this is what happened. For me as a reader I loved the concept but the delivery fell flat. After it was all said and done I truly understood how the pieces fit together. At the time I wasn’t invested in those pieces since the story withheld vital information. This wasn’t the type of story where the reader become an arm chair detective. Instead the reader waits for valuable information to be given as a means of revealing the true story. There’s no way to provide these key elements beforehand. Unfortunately, it did take away from my enjoyment in reading.

Story Cove is a safe and serene enclave of professional couples and their children. Lily, a psychotherapist and her college professor husband enjoy a quiet, comfortable life there with their children. The dynamics of the neighborhood change dramatically when Arwen Harper and her teenage son move in. Arwen is not a quiet, keep to yourself kind of person, and before long, she’s inserted herself into lives of her neighbors. Suddenly, long held secrets and things only whispered about are held up to the light of day. When the body of a jogger is found nearby, neighbors wonder if Arwen’s arrival and subsequent role as town crier has something to do with the death or if she is the victim of a serial killer. Readers will be intrigued and become involved in the lives of Lily, Arwen and Rue, the detective tasked with solving the murder

This book was AMAZING!!! Loreth Anne White writes an absolutely explosive story that was inspired by a horrible true crime. Ms. White is an amazing author and this book does not disappoint! Be warned: once you start it, you won't be able to put it down.

At the heart of Loreth Anne White's newest thriller, The Patient's Secret, is a true crime that occurred several years ago. One that was so horrific, so mind-boggling that it defies the wildest imagination. To this day, the crime continues to be debated in terms of the odds for or against lasting rehabilitation to the point a patient can return to society as a functioning, law-abiding citizen. Keep that in mind as you turn the pages of The Patient's Secret and get lost in a profoundly thought-provoking story that I believe is White's finest work to date. Just beware . . . once you learn the patient's secret, you'll never be the same again.

There are three main players in The Patient's Secret whose lives become hopelessly entwined during a murder investigation - Lily Bradley, a highly revered psychotherapist, beloved wife and mother of two, respected member of the coastal town of Story Cove . . . and woman with a dark secret; Detective Rue Duval, a respected member of the town's police force, skilled investigator, beloved wife and mother . . . and woman with a life-altering secret; and finally, new to the community is Arwen Harper, a flamboyant, gypsy-like bar waitress and artist, seductress, mother . . . and woman with a deeply buried secret. When the battered body of an early morning jogger is found lying on the beach at the base of the cliffs, these women's lives clash in ways they couldn't have imagined, and a blanket of unease settles over the idyllic town of Story Cove. The victim's face is beyond recognition. Who is it? Was it a terrible accident? Did they jump from the cliff top or were they pushed? Det. Duval is called to the death scene by Lily's husband, a distinguished professor, who discovers the body while on his morning run. Questions and suspicions escalate when critical evidence is recovered, and the body is officially identified. It appears several people have motive for wanting this person silenced . . . including Lily's husband. As the story unfolds, the past collides with the present, skeletons are rattled and despite their efforts to slap a Band-Aid over them, dark secrets begin oozing out. The stakes are high for several prominent people with everything they hold dear at risk so the question is: Which of these upstanding citizens would kill to keep their secret?

The Patient's Secret is an intensely moving reading experience. White's uncanny ability to continuously gift reader's thought-provoking stories like this is nothing short of amazing. As a reader, I'm loving her current trend of writing fiction based on true crimes with ramifications reaching far into the future. Her work not only entertains readers, it challenges them to think and consider what if? The Patient's Secret is highly atmospheric with a setting that enhances the story line, helping accelerate an escalating pace as the story progresses. White's brilliant manipulation of each character leaves readers frantically scrambling to discover which of these seemingly ordinary, everyday people would kill to protect loved ones from their dark secrets.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this fantastic book

prepare to lose sleep as you delve into this very addictive book

so much is going on in this book but its not difficult to latch onto at all....

all the main elements are here
a dead jogger is found at the bottom of the cliffs, is she a victim of the jogger killer?

as the police swoop in and try to find the perp the families living in this peaceful community are about to be ripped wide apart as the investigation hots up

wow oh wow...this book and the ending...oh my word...no spoilers but this book will leave you gasping at the end...