Off kilter timelines throw me for a loop. I get bogged down in trying to remember who I’m reading about and their place in the story. The puzzle pieces and characters were amazing and twisty beyond anything I’ve ever read. However, I couldn’t really get attached to the story until about a third of the way, then I couldn’t stop reading. Once I got past the flashbacks and finally grasped what they were leading to I couldn’t believe the events unfolding. Great storytelling and the subtle humor between Gretchen and Marconi was perfect. I received an early copy from Netgalley and I wrote this review voluntarily.

As an eight year old Gretchen White as accused of murdering her aunt Rowan White but Grechen has no memory of these events. Gretchen is now 38 years old and is a qualified psychologist who works closely with the Boston Police Department. Detective Shaughnessy was one of the first on the scene when the murder occurred after receiving a call from her mother and he has been following her for 30 years trying to get her to admit her guilt. Gretchen is friends with Detective Lauren Marconi who is her current partner in the police department and Lauren believes that Gretchen may not have committed this heinous crime and wants Gretchen to open up and talk to her about it so they can see if there are any holes in the police theory that Gretchen truly killed her aunt.

I have to say I loved this book, and even though a little far fetched I could not stop turning the pages quickly enough. Twists, turns, revelations and complete and utter shocks are all thrown into the mix to make an incredibly fast paced thriller that held my attention throughout, also when I should have been sleeping I continued to read making work a little hard the next day. Always the sign of a great book If you are ready for a crazy journey then take this on, I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy the ride.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of the book, these are my unbiased opinions. completely my

What Can't be Seen is the second book in the Dr. Gretchen White series. This story is told from two different timelines from when Gretchen was a young girl and suspected of murder.

Now a consultant with the Boston PD, Dr Gretchen White a psychologist, gets a visit from her partner about a cold case, hers. Due to the family’s influence and uncertainty of the sequence of events, Gretchen is not charged, but many believe she did kill her aunt. Marconi and Gretchen will revisit the people interviewed in the past. New details will be uncovered as a new suspect emerges. But is it the right one.

The story is interesting but I didn't like the characters. There was nothing likeable about any of them.

Read this if you like: Dual POV thrillers, past present timelines, short chapters

Since the age of 8, Gretchen has lived her life thinking she killed her aunt. She was found standing over the body, clutching a bloody knife. Most people, including Detective Patrick Shaughnessy, believe she got away with murder. Thirty years later, Detective Lauren Marconi wants to prove them wrong. What if Gretchen is guilty? Old secrets come to light. Gretchen’s lifelong grip on her darkest impulses threatens to erode. Shaughnessy is watching.

I was really hoping when I read the first book that they would dive into Gretchen possibly being a murderer. This did not disappoint! I love Gretchen, Lauren, and the other characters. The writing kept me on the edge of my seat. This comes out May 24th! Go pick it up. I can't wait for the next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Brianna, and Thomas & Mercer for the gifted copy.

Dr. Gretchen White is known as a top-notch psychologist and has worked closely with the Boston PD to solve many cases. The one case she hasn’t been able to solve … the death of her aunt. Most people believe she killed her aunt because she was found over the body holding a bloody knife. It has been 30 years and Gretchen wants to prove her innocence. Did Gretchen kill her aunt? If she didn’t, can they discover who did? What secrets will be uncovered along the way?

What Can’t Be Seen is the second book in the Dr. Gretchen White series. This psychological thriller took a bit of time to get rolling, but once I was invested in the story I couldn’t put it down. Did this person do it? Did that person do it? Who did it? That is what kept going through my mind as I turned the pages. This book is worth the time to get to the real killer.

I was hooked from the concept of the book! WOW!!!!!
I love a good psychological thriller, it is my favourite genre and I have read LOTS literally hundreds of them. This is such a breath of fresh air as it is the first time the main "good" protagonist is an admitted sociopath! Well 1 in 100 people are sociopaths and thank God not all of them act on their impulses!!!
So now here we are in the mind of Dr. Gretchen White and her past. I am not personally a bog fan of flashbacks but this is well done and the mystery unravels...
Cannot wait for the next book and see what awaits this much intriguing character.

What really happened that night? Sure, Gretchen was found with a knife standing over the body of her aunt Rowan White but did the 8 year old kill her? This has hung over Gretchen head since that day, even as she got her degree in psychology and became a consultant to the very Boston PD which questioned her. Detective Lauren Marconi is sympathetic to her plight and is determined to help Gretchen get answers, even though Det. Patrick Shaunghessy is lurking out there determined to finally arrest and charge her. The dance between these characters and the twisty back story of secrets and lies is well constructed- so much so that you, like me, might find yourself surprised. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fast entertaining read- no spoilers!

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Definitely creepy. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm really starting to love this series! I was pleasantly surprised with the development of a friendship between Gretchen and Marconi. They work very well together and I'm glad Marconi gave her a chance and tries to understand her better. The story itself was intense and I found myself thinking hey no matter who killed Rowan, let Gretchen be free. It's fiction so I'm rooting for this sociopath no matter what🤣

Even though this is book 2 in the series, it read perfectly as a standalone. I didn't feel like I needed more information at any time. The characters are well developed and the plot is interesting and exciting. The mystery works well with the cast of characters. I will definitely read more from this author

I've never read this author before.This book was excellent. I could hardly put it down. Very suspenseful Would recommend to anyone who likes thrillers! Cannot wait to read the rest of Brianna Labuske's books.

Mystery and suspense at its finest! Kept me guessing from the start and to the finish! Definitely not your everyday thriller, kept me up late in the night to finish and figure out the twists and turns as I couldn't put it down!

Loved the first book in the series (A Familiar Sight), which I felt set up the main characters nicely and their respective relationships with each other – Gretchen White - an admitted sociopath, Lauren Marconi – a Boston Detective and Gretchen’s latest Boston Police Dept liaison/partner, And Patrick Shaughnessy another BPD Detective who has known Gretchen since she was eight – when he was one of the first responding officers to the scene of Gretchen’s aunt murder, the scene where Gretchen was found standing over her aunts body with a bloody knife.


Gretchen has since lived her life believing that she killed her aunt but thanks to her family connections she escaped being punished for it, now she is an expert in her field of antisocial personality disorders and violent crimes, top consultant for the BPD helping them to close many cases.

Lauren has come to believe that Gretchen is innocent and persuades her that they should work together re-investigating the case to prove once and for all that Gretchen didn’t kill her aunt and was basically framed and that the real killer has escaped justice for three decades.

What follows feels like slow one step forward two steps back investigation as slowly it is revealed through various character flashbacks from the 1980s thru the 90s in-between Lauren and Gretchen’s present day investigation. It all culminates - twist upon twist - in revealing what really happened on the night that Aunt Rowan died.

Will Gretchen find out she is really the cold-blooded killer Shaughnessy has always claimed? My 4½ stars says you will enjoy finding out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer publishers for an ARC of What Can't Be Seen, in exchange for an honest review.

That was the bomb! It is the sequel to A Familiar Sight where we first met the three main characters and I do think the book would read better if you have read the first one. Dr Gretchen White is a brilliant criminologist who often consults for the Boston Police Department. She is also a sociopath who is believed to have killed her aunt, Rowan, when she was eight years old although she was never charged. Detective Patrick Shaughnessy, who investigated Rowan’s death, is Gretchen’s ‘moral compass’ - he is waiting for her to slip up and prove she is evil and she is equally determined to prove him wrong. Detective Lauren Marconi is Gretchen’s current BPD partner. She is having a few days leave and she shows up at Gretchen’s place with Rowan’s file suggesting they solve the thing for once and for all.

The story takes place in the present and at various stages in the past. Gretchen isn’t keen on picking over these old scabs but Marconi is persuasive. It is not long before they find evidence of a shoddy investigation or, even worse, a cover up.

There is no doubt that the White family is pretty freaky and that there are skeletons in their closet. There is also no doubt that Shaughnessy was far too close to the investigation and got blinded by his own hubris. How badly remains to be seen.

There are so many shocks and reveals in this story that I was completely gripped and still had no idea how this would end. The truth was even more shocking than anything I could imagine.

I loved the characters. In this book, we didn’t get lectured so much about Gretchen’s sociopathic tendencies and she actually buckled down to work the case. Marconi puts up with a lot from Gretchen and, while she takes most things in her unflappable stride, Gretchen nearly pushes her too far. It’s as if she doesn’t think she deserves to be innocent of murder. Gretchen of course pulls back just in time and two continue to rub along - not friends but grudging allies. Shaughnessy starts to look like a man obsessed with an idea and it’s not a very professional look! The supporting cast were crisply portrayed. There are no cardboard characters in this book.

The pace never let up as we are hit with one shock after another. Too much? Possibly, but I nevertheless loved it from start to finish. I think this series is Labuskes’s best work by far and I hope we see more of Dr Gretchen White and Detective Marconi. Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Dr. Gretchen White is back with her partner Detective Marconi but this time, to find the real answers as to what really happened, the night Gretchen was accused of killing her aunt Rowan. As she and Detective Marconi starts investigating, as Gretchen do not really remember what happened the night Rowan was murder, they discover many dark secrets--including a serial killer who killed girls back in the 1980's that might link to Gretchen's own family.

Despite four and three star rating, I actually thought this was a fast paced thriller with some twists and turns along the way. The story shifts back and forth between the present day and the past set in the 1980's and 1990's, 1993 the year Gretchen actually killed her aunt. I do like the companionship between Lauren and Gretchen, how Lauren firmly believes that Gretchen was innocent of the crimes. The writing was good that the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story and I was kept at the edge of the seat as I wondered did Gretchen actually killed her own aunt or did someone else frame her. The ending and the revelation at the end was shocking that I actually didn't really accept that type of ending.

Overall, I actually enjoyed this fast paced thriller that will keep you hooked into the night and quite unputdownable--worth five stars!

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

This book is a wild ride. I loved it! It will keep you engaged fro beginning to end. This is second book in the series but you won’t be lost while reading this one alone. I’m getting my hands on her other books soon. You won’t be able to put it down.

Gretchen White is a self-proclaimed sociopath. Detective Shaughnessy believes the sociopath got away with the murder of her aunt Rowan White. This second book in the series takes us back to the murder through the eyes of Tabby Cross and Shaughnessy as Gretchen tries to find out what exactly happened almost 30 years. Is Gretchen really guilty? If not, who actually murdered Rowan? Gretchen, with the help of detective Lauren Marconi, dig for the secrets no one wants revealed.

Although I read the first book in the series, that book really didn't appeal to me. I found the writing style difficult to read, and I lost interest in the story. However, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the look back into the past and all the secrets that were uncovered in Gretchen's past. Overall, a good psychological thriller with an ending that's a little over the top (eye roll). I enjoyed the budding 'friendship' between Gretchen and Lauren. Hopefully that continues in the next book.

This book was just as amazing as the first one! The character bof Gretchen White is so fascinating! This twist at the end of this book was a HUGE one! I admit I did see it coming but I still enjoyed every second of reading, so much so that I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down! I can't wait to read the next one!

Years ago, eight-year-old sociopath Gretchen White was found standing over her Aunt Rowan’s body while clutching a bloody knife. Her mother calls the police but because of insufficient evidence and Gretchen’s family’s connections, no legal action was taken against Gretchen. Nonetheless, the investigating detective continues to believe that Gretchen is guilty of having murdered her aunt. Gretchen, now an adult is a psychologist and consultant for the local police department. All of her life, because of the evidence against her, she has believed that she killed her aunt.

But did she?

Detective Lauren Marconi, a friend of Gretchen, doesn’t believe that Gretchen killed her aunt all those years ago and sets out to prove Gretchen’s innocence. From there, the story unfurls in twists and turns, complete with insights into the mind of the interesting sociopath since The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Gretchen is a fascinating and complex character and the plot is wonderfully twisty. Although I haven’t yet read the first book in the series, it had no effect on my ability to fully follow and engage with the story.

It’s Difficult Helping A Sociopath!

The novel opens 1993 as an eight-year-old Gretchen is holding a bloody knife over Rowan, her aunt. She has multiple stab wounds in her stomach and chest. Within moments, she is dead. Gretchen starts to hear yelling, “What have you done?” The timeline fast forwards to current time. Gretchen is a consultant for the Boston Police Department, even though many on the force believe that she has gotten away with murder including the Rowan murder investigating officer, Shaughnessy, who still is on the force. Marconi, another detective, is convinced that Gretchen is innocent. She wants Gretchen and her to reinvestigate Gretchen’s aunt’s murder to prove that Gretchen is innocent. She reluctantly agrees. The novel proceeds from here.

The main storyline consists of three threads. First is the Gretchen and Boston Detective Lauren Marconi off-the-books reinvestigation of Rowan’s murder to determine definitely whether Gretchen was the killer. The second thread starts about 10 years before the Rowan’s murder when rookie Officer Shaughnessy finds Rowan on a remote road with cuts on her arms. The third thread involves a young woman who is looking into the disappearance ten years earlier that is unsolved and cold. The disappearance was in 1992. This novel is more mental than action in that it is a reinvestigation of events that occurred more than twenty years earlier, placing these events together, and reaching a conclusion as to what really happened. These threads consist of many twists and turns based on characters telling the truth, but not necessarily the whole truth. This results in one literary tsunami and several literary grenades that changed my basic understanding of what happened. My interest was captured and held to the end of the novel. This is my major criteria for a high-star rating.

As for the B-storyline, basically, most of what is happening in the main storyline threads is background of the events that shaped Gretchen’s life. They are a major contributor to nature of Gretchen’s character. She admits early in the novel that she is a sociopath. This is confirmed in how she treats people and, especially, Lauren who appears to be the only person who is sympathetic to Gretchen. I, as the reader, was not sympathetic with her character. This, I believe, was the intention of the author so this was not a problem for me. Seeing the world through a sociopath’s point of view was interesting and added to my reading enjoyment. As the novel was ending, I noticed that there was a noticeable C-storyline in that Gretchen’s character had started to shift from her hardcore sociopath nature.

As for aspects of novels that some readers object, there are not any intimate scenes. Language is more rude than vulgar with a few impious instances, but their use did not come anywhere near raising concerns for me. For most of the novel, any violence is described with the resulting injuries, but when Rowan’s murder finally is described, the description is much more edgy as it is described as it happens, and Gretchen’s involvement is revealed. Lastly, for what readers should know is that this is the second novel of the series. I have not read the first novel, but there were several references to an individual in that novel. I felt that there was more meaning in there that I was missing for not having read the first novel.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. The complexity of the main storyline kept my interest all the way to the end. I wanted to know if Gretchen was a murderer. On the downside, the complexity of the start slowed down my reading of the novel until the connections between all the threads were revealed. Also, I was ambivalent with the very end. I see how it is consistent with the character, but I do not think that it would have happened in reality. Precautions would have been taken to prevent it happening. These issues only resulted in a thin layer of patina on my enjoyment, and I still recommend reading it. I have purchased the first novel in the series and will be reading it. I rate the author is a Will-Read and am looking to reading future novels by this author. I rate this novel with 5 stars (actually 4½).

I received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Thomas and Mercer. My review is based only by my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.