Great thriller. I’ve never read a rehab book before. The state of the art facility was fascinating. And the trauma that leads to addiction. All characters are a suspect and lots of twists at the end. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

I really struggled with finishing this book. I had a hard time staying invested in the storyline, but that is just me. I am not one for police investigations

I love a good closed door mystery. This one is set in a fancy but extremely remote rehab facility where you quickly find that something nefarious is happening. The chapters were super short and went back and forth between a patient who is trying to find out what happened to her sister and the manager who is trying to decide if the doctor she's working for is being honest about his motives in helping addicts. The fast paced style kept me completely glued to the book. I totally didn't expect the outcome.

Story is themed from the authors time in rehab. Great characters with lots of drama. Megs sister, Haley dies i rehab. Meg decides to go undercover and find her sisters killer. But lots of sinister happenings are going on in the rehab. Lots of twists to keep you yearning for answers. Recommended.

Meg works in a casino catching cheaters. She;'s also an opioid addict. When her sister dies while in rehab, supposedly from suicide, Meg decides to check into the same rehab center and figure out why. She suspects murder. The rehab center turns out to be a bit "sketchy" -- out in the middle of nowhere (somewhere along the Pacific Northwest coast), only a few very rich clients, and therapies that seem really strange and unusual.

This is a fast-paced mystery with lots of twists and turns. The reader never knows who to believe and the suspects change frequently. I felt that there were just too many questions and (in my mind) plot holes to really get too involved. For one thing, Meg is able to sneak in a stash of Oxy which she regularly takes. She is able to bypass the regular drug tests by using "fake pee" that she also snuck in, and she has a secret cell phone which she regularly uses to contact a friend outside. Since there is frequent reference to security, staff, and cameras, I found the completely implausible. Plus, I actually figured out the biggest "shocking surprise" long before the big reveal.

Is this an OK read? Yes. I found that I couldn't stop reading despite all the moments that made me roll my eyes. Not terrible, just a bit of a stretch. If you can overlook all this, it's worth your time.

The Clinic by @catequinnauthor is out TODAY and while only a few chapters in, I’m intrigued. Set in an exclusive rehab clinic, the mysterious death of Meg’s sister prompts her to enter the clinic herself to find out the truth. But while life on the inside might bring her closer to the truth, it also removes her from anyone that could help her in the midst of danger.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn
Published: January 23, 2024
Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: Amateur Sleuth Mysteries
Pages: 444
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Cate Quinn is a former journalist for The Guardian, The Times and The Mirror alongside many travel and lifestyle magazines. A travel journalist for ten years, Cate has called many countries home, but currently lives in Devon, England, with her beloved partner and two children.

This was different. I found the concept interesting, and the storyline kept me engaged. I devoured the story and enjoyed the perspectives. The treatment was weird but also interesting.

The characters were all well-developed and interesting. I do wish Dr. Lux was a bit more fleshed out, either in person or in the research Cara did. But I enjoyed the dynamics and how each personality brought elements to the story.

I felt this book was too long, though. The story was decent, and the drama and the twists were well-written, but this could have been wrapped up in 300 pages at most. The story kept getting dragged out, and while the writing was fantastic and the plot flowed, after finishing the book, I can’t help but feel the length was unnecessary to deliver a thriller.

I enjoyed the writing style and storytelling. I look forward to reading more from Cate Quinn in the future. I like how she develops her characters and brings a story to life.

I went into this book with high expectations because it seemed like exactly my kind of book. But ultimately, I feel I would have enjoyed the book more if it were only from Meg’s pov. I didn’t feel any connection to Cara, and truly felt her and Max’s characters were just generally flat. The ending also required some suspension of disbelief. I wanted to love this book, but I don’t feel it was very polished. However, congratulations to Quinn on completing her first book sober! What an accomplishment! Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like the locked room subgenre is getting oversaturated, but The Clinic presented a new twist on the formula by having all the characters be in rehab.

The sisters element (one a pop star, one a shady Las Vegas operative) was interesting and the plotting was fun. I really enjoyed The Clinic!

My full review was posted on Jen Ryland Reviews (linked below) plus on Instagram, Facebook and Goodreads.

I love a dual point of view in a thriller. This one we get the perspective of Meg, who works in a casino catching cheaters and shows sister Haley recently died at The Clinic. Meg checks herself in as a patient, and interestingly she actually does have a pill addiction that she struggles with. Cara is the manager of the facility, a bit of an isolated person with a backstory we don't yet know.

The first half was a little slower, but I feel it was setting the scene. But when we hit the second half, I absolutely could not put this one down. The sobriety struggles were very realistic.

Meg trying to solve Haley's death and her thoughts that one of the other patient's was involved was intriguing. And the twists and turns right up until the end kept me engaged and wanting more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fast-paced thriller with a somewhat implausible plot, falling a bit short for me. The clinic itself is labyrinthine with decor and architecture that seems over the top. I did enjoy/appreciate the authors take on the proposed medical uses of pufferfish toxin.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn is a thriller that centers around a group of well-to-do people, some actresses and singers, that are brought together for treatment of addictions of alcohol and drug abuse that is sometimes caused by childhood trauma. It’s here that Meg, who has entered on her own free will, has come to investigate the death of her sister Haley who supposedly died while in treatment at the clinic. Neither the staff or the patients are people you feel you can trust. There is something strange about all of them. One of them might be a murderer but it’s up to Meg to figure that out. There are strange experiments performed and procedures done to the patients that were a little frightening and gave me the chills. I was really surprised at the end because I didn’t foresee it happening the way it did with Haley but I guess that’s why it’s called fiction. I’d like to thank Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. It was a fast read that kept me turning the pages with short chapters but a lot of them. I thought it was a good story and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading mystery type thrillers. I’m giving it a 4 star rating and would be interested in reading more by Cate Quinn in the future.

It's only January and Cate Quinn has already set the bar VERY high with THE CLINIC. This will be the book everyone wants to be like or beat. A story line centered on addiction. Addiction comes in so many different forms that most people have one type or another. But when you are a rich celebrity, it's easy to check into an upscale spa type rehab facility where the clients receive treatments designed just for them.

THE CLINIC in this story is a renovated prison on the Pacific Northwest coast. The renovations insure there is no trace of the previous facility except the locks on the doors. Told in alternating POVs, the story plays out like a game of chess, each side taking a turn to tell their side of the story. And what a story it is......there are threads that weave in and out of the CLINIC and the characters, all working to figure out the reasons for the death that started the story. But......we never see the death or the body and the tension builds higher in each chapter. A great thriller that I'm recommending and sharing with evryone I know.

Thanks, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for the digital review copy. Available 23 Jan 24.

Meg catches poker cheaters in a casino while ignoring her addictions to alcohol and opioids. When her famous sister dies in a remote rehab facility, Meg checks herself in to investigate what happened from the inside.

I feel bad for not liking this. Especially after reading the author’s note and learning it was inspired by her stay in rehab to address alcohol addiction. But, despite a great premise, fast-moving plot, and complex and interesting characters, I didn’t like it (though not enough to DNF. I had to find out how it ended. So there’s that.). I’m definitely in the minority here, as the book has about 1K ratings with an average of 3.76 stars.

THE CLINIC would make a good movie. It gave me “Spiderhead” vibes: handsome therapist, enormous and expensive facility for only a few patients, and a remote and isolated location (Complete with an electric fence. I kept picturing Jurassic Park.).

But while a movie can keep me entertained enough to distract me from irregularities, this thriller could not. This may be why I enjoy thrillers more as ear-reads vs. eye-reads, now that I think of it. Alas, I read this as an e-book.

I should state for the record that my suspense of disbelief button is HUGE. I can lock it down and enjoy the ride. But. But. You won’t believe everything Meg smuggled in with her. Then there’s the facility itself. This rehab clinic (with only five patients and a staff of ~seven) has its own morgue. A morgue? I mean, sauna and spa rooms, Chumash Indian sweat lodge, hypoxic gym, and cryotherapy room, sure. But for some reason, the morgue threw me for a loop. But that’s not the most unusual part. Apparently, there is an MRI machine on site, too. And not just any run-of-the-mill regular one, either. Nope. These MRI scans are in color. Bright oranges, reds, and greens.

🤨

And then the twists started.

The Clinic is a thriller set in a rehab facility in the PNW. Meg, an undercover casino worker checks into the Clinic to try and figure out who murdered her sister Haley who was a patient there. This book had a very interesting concept that set it apart from other thrillers I’ve read lately and touched on topics such as addiction and mental health which could make the story more relatable to some readers. Overall I was super into this book. It was fast paced, kept me hooked and had good development of characters throughout the story. There were enough twists to keep me guessing how some parts of the story would tie up and I was satisfied with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cate Quinn and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜
𝐁𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟏.𝟐𝟑.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝑂𝑢𝑡 𝑁𝑜𝑤!


𝐴𝑡𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 - those are the two things that fueled this thriller.

Set mainly in a secluded but posh rehab facility for the wealthy and famous, the atmosphere is eerie and constantly uncertain.

Meg is an undercover agent who works to catch cheaters in casinos. When she hears that her sister, Haley, a famous star, has died in a rehab facility, Meg goes undercover to get to the truth. The clinic is writing Haley’s death off as a suicide. But Meg doesn’t buy it.

The story becomes twisted and hazy as not only are all the residents addicts and can’t be trusted, but Meg herself is grappling with an opiate addiction from an old shoulder injury. Sometimes, in her drug-induced fog, she’s not sure whether what she’s seeing is real or not, maybe she’s not remembering right - and it’s all about to get even stranger.

It’s hard to find your footing here; even the staff seem somewhat sketchy, so who can you trust? It goes on a bit with the description of detox, and you may wonder what this has to do with the mystery at hand. But, if you stay the course, the ending gets pretty wild and intense. Short chapters, great atmosphere, psychological issues, and addiction make this a compelling read.

I always appreciate it when an author adds their own experiences, so please make sure to read the acknowledgments at the end.


Thank you @bookmarked for the digital ARC.

This was not great. The plot points, characters, and big reveals at the end weren’t the issue, it was the overall writing and poor dialogue. It was just not a very strong book, and I felt so disconnected from it the entire time. There were very strange choices with some of the relationships between the characters that felt extremely unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the story. Overall everything just felt very disjointed.

Okay okay. I gave this book 3 stars. It's really more like 3.5. But I'll start with the bad.

My main problem with this book is that it's kind of repetitive. Once Meg is in The Clinic, it's the same thing every day - popping oxy, snooping around, trying to find her sister's phone, distrusting people, rinse, wash, repeat. I was really into the story, but when they same thing happened every day for every days, I found myself not wanting to pick up this book. I wanted to know the end, but I was tired of the same things over and over.

That said, the story itself was so good. I enjoyed the whole slew of characters and Meg's response to all of them. I found myself not really distrusting any of the patients, but I also felt like they had secrets to hide nonetheless. The Clinic itself what like its own character, and I definitely did NOT trust that place. But I loved the psychology behind all the actions, and the end really played into that. I kept thinking I had things pegged, and then I'd be wrong. Which I LOVED, because sometimes thrillers all fall into the same category and it's a bummer when you can easily guess the ending.

I'm not sure that this book is for everything, there are definitely triggers for addicts and those who have survived trauma. But I really did enjoy the story as a whole, and I'm going to miss Meg and her ragtag team of patients.

The Clinic
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Cate Quinn

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Sourcebooks and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Meg works for a casino in LA, catching cheaters and popping a few too many pain pills to cope, following a far different path than her sister Haley, a famous actress. But suddenly reports surface of Haley dying at the remote rehab facility where she had been forced to go to get her addictions under control.

There are whispers of suicide, but Meg can't believe it. She decides that the best way to find out what happened to her sister is to check in herself – to investigate what really happened from the inside.

Battling her own addictions and figuring out the truth will be much more difficult than she imagined, far away from friends, family – and anyone who could help her.

My Thoughts: This novel really packs all of the elements of a thriller, it was creepy, eerie atmosphere, amazing details that pull you into the story, tension, secrets, betrayal, a very unique premise, mystery, the pacing is set very well, and an ending that I am still reeling about. The cover drew me in. Meg has had her battles with addiction, a vastly different path than her sister. She finds out her sister may have been through the addiction clinics and she knows her sister would not have committed suicide. She does the only thing that she can think of, checks herself in so she can investigate. Will her own addiction interfere with her investigation? Will she find her sister overdosed, committed suicide, or was murdered? Will Meg face the same fate when she digs to much?

The story follows Meg and Cara with the setting being the clinic. Meg is our MC. Cara is the administrative manager at the clinic and is very rule-following and trusts almost no one. Max is the psychologist at the clinic, he is rigid, while being aloof, but does appear to be really committed to the patients at the clinic. Meg has a history of childhood trauma and looks to others on social cues, and will use humor to divert others. The owner of the clinic, Mr. Lutz, has an unorthodox approach to treating addiction and does not believe in law enforcement. The authors really brings you through a journey of addiction and mental health with an investigative piece. However, the ending, while captivating, is a bit far stretched. The patient appearances were low, so it was a manageable amount of characters to keep track of. The characters were well built with depth, mystery, were intriguing, and captivating. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, twisty, and absolutely engaging. The plot was delivered in twisty layers and the world-building was phenomenal. Following Meg, you could feel what she does and there were a few scenes that made me really feel the concern for Meg, the author did such a great job with details, it truly felt like a movie in your head.

The first half was a bit of a slow burn, and at times seemed overly wordy, but the second half is tense, page turning, and captivating. This story follows addiction, mental health, lies, betrayal, power, money, a touch of paranoia, and manipulation. This is the first one I have read by Quinn but will not be my last. I highly recommend this book!

This book wasn’t for me, and I’m not sure who I’d recommend it to.
It felt like there was so much going on, but the pace was so slow.