FBI Agent Susan Parker is an unusual woman. She is a widow, having lost her husband under mysterious circumstances, and she lives with her sister-in-law and her deaf daughter (who sounds delightful!). She is also a woman in a man's world and she is neurodivergent, which makes being an FBI agent just that little bit more challenging. She is not short on courage, however, and she has an amazing team around her so you just KNOW that whatever she does, she does well.

The case that Susan and her team have to solve involves a bunch of emaciated people who are found in an old farmhouse. They aren't saying who they are or what happened to them so it is up to Susan and her team to put the story together.

There are more twists and turns in this case than you can imagine and the storyline had me hooked. I have to admit that I figured out who the bad guy was pretty early on but that is ok, I loved the character of Susan and I really liked her family too (other than her mother-in-law - but the author did a great job of characterising her!!).

I really want to know what happens next and I am already looking forward to reading the next instalment in this series.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

Chapter one had me hooked!! I love a good, dramatic first chapter to kick off a book! It reminds me of how the show Criminal Minds starts! A glimpse in to the crime & then the crime scene as the development of characters starts. I started this and truly couldn’t put it down. Read it in a day!

This is my first Sam Baron novel and it didn’t disappoint! I’m so picky about my crime/thriller books… mostly a fan of James Patterson Alex Cross series & Kathy Reichs which are big authors to run a comparison game with. So I wasn’t sure what to anticipate.

Sam does incredible job of drawing in and captivating the reader with visual storytelling. Paired with the development of the characters, their relationships & how they all fill in to the overall storyline. You grow attached to the main character FBI Agent Susan Parker, her story of surviving the murder of her husband & their dead daughter. Following her along as she tries to
Solve his murder while chasing a serial killer.

The overarching story for the book is definitely something out of criminal minds. Without giving too much away you want to desperately know if Susan’s instincts for the case are right from the start. Which has you ferociously reading to get to the end! I’m reading to dig in to the next one!!

I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!!

Shout out to NetGalley & one of my favorite publishers Stone Publishing for this eARC! I truly enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. The premise of this book intrigued me and I was thrilled to get an early copy. That being said, it fell a bit flat. The story was good but some of it was a bit far fetched in my opinion. Overall an ok read. I'm looking forward to another installment.

Another book that hooked me! I was interested in what was going on and the lives of the characters. I like how I was figuring it out along with the main character and was getting frustrated for her with the powers that be being against her. When a book brings out emotions in you you know its a good one. Then I was thinking wait we didn't get an answer for one of the storylines and bam! The book ended and now I can't wait for the next book to find out what happened! Cliff hangers always get me. I hope the next book comes out soon!

Book 1 in the FBI Agent Susan Parker series.

This is a great start to a brand new series. It has great characters, a gripping storyline with some gruesome twists and a sub plot that will run and run. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next one.

It’s a typical farm kitchen. A large table fills the space, and in one of the chairs is the lifeless body of Doctor Magnusson. Under his feet and the dusty wooden floorboards lie the basement – and twelve therapy rooms. Behind each locked door, the victims are about to be rescued…

When a world-renowned psychiatrist is found dead in an abandoned ranch house in the Californian Santa Carina Valley, a post-it note with the words ‘Susan Parker’ and her cell phone number is taped to the basement door.

Still grieving her husband’s devastating suicide less than a year ago, FBI agent Susan Parker is taking a break from work and trying to rebuild her life as a single mom to her seven-year-old daughter Natalie. When she’s called to the crime scene of Doctor Magnusson, a chill runs down her spine.

For years, Susan had been trying to hunt down the doctor, convinced he was the serial killer known as ‘Splinter.’ Someone is playing a cruel game with her, and they’ve only just begun.

Desperate to speak to the twelve victims rescued from the locked therapy rooms, Susan finds herself faced with a wall of silence. Why won’t they talk?

Battling her demons while confronting the toughest case she’s ever had to solve. Susan discovers a chilling truth about the true nature of ‘Splinter’ – a killer preying on those seeking therapy.

DNF AT 15%

This had so much potential but as I was reading something was niggling at me. First, this needed a better edit. The small portion of the book I read was so repetitive. In my mind I was crossing out entire sentences that were completely unnecessary and this stopped me from being able to immerse myself in the story. Secondly, something just didn’t hit right. The conversations seemed so stilted- I can see what the author was trying to do but some of the ‘slang’ & ‘jargon’ made it less realistic not more realistic. There were paragraphs were I was like- here we go and then boom something would be over explained and I’d feel frustrated. I’’m not opposed to reading this author’s future books, as I think there is something here but this was too frustrating to finish. Sorry.

FBI Agent Susan Parker Book 1 and this book was brilliant so hard to put down once I started to read it. A gripping read.

An eerie read yet engaging, clever and thrilling.
Had me constantly trying to guess what was going to happen next. A good storyline through the story also regarding the detectives.

One that I will remember.

This is truly a shocking thriller novel. This is the first book of a series.
A flawed FBI agent who is still grieving over the death of her husband is searching for a serial killer known as Splinter. She even thinks her husbands death maybe part of this conspiracy. Too many coincidences exist.
But no one believes her. When a man is found murdered in an old farm house the pieces are coming together but she still cannot find this deranged killer.
A cat and mouse game and a good ending keeps you guessing till the end. 3.5 stars

I was absorbed by this story…thought it seemed very far fetched with involving different countries ,..didn’t really believe it. But I liked the characters.

I loved this book and the turns with the therapist.
I loved how this turned out and that they got the man they thought it was and she was right

3.5 Stars

The writing style of this one was good and though it didn't completely blow me away, overall I did enjoy the story enough that I'll definitely look at reading more of this series as they're released.

The Therapy Room by Sam Baron
FBI Agent Susan Parker #1

I nearly gave up on this book at various times while reading. This is a twisted tale that is complex and complicated but one I had trouble relating to or becoming immersed in. At times I felt like I had come into book two of a series as there was little backstory and the characters were not well fleshed out. There was a lot going on with numerous characters introduced but I never really felt I got to know them well and found them difficult to warm up to. Though the FBI team did figure out who “The Splinter” serial killer was, there were still many holes in the story that were not dealt with and hopefully will be wrapped up in future books of the series. As I was unable to relate to Susan, I probably will not continue with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars

I love a good twist and this one had plenty with a hint for a sequel. Definitely pick it up.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving the opportunity to read this!

The Therapy Room was extremely compelling, due to the characters. I liked the diversity represented. The FBI team is wonderful and really helps the main character, Susan Parker, readjust to being back on the force after a leave of absence. I especially enjoyed reading about Susan Parker and her history- her obsessions with the last woman to see her husband alive, and her family connections, especially with her deaf daughter.
My only complaint is that it seemed almost too easy, though there were great twists, to figure out who the serial killer is.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the advance ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book had me gripped from the start, very fast paced and the characters were all enjoyable. Somewhat predictable in its ending I was still shocked at how the story ended, Would recommend to readers looking to get into the thriller genre

I was really excited to read this book, and was pulled in immediately with all of the action. There was a lot of diversity in all of the characters, and the storyline was interesting. However, by the middle of the book, I was a little annoyed by the blatant stereotyping in those characters. The mystery of "Splinter" had me curious, but I kind of had things figured out pretty early on after so many clues had been dropped. The ending being a cliffhanger and leaving so many plot holes still open left me feeling disappointed.

4.5 stars rounded up.

This book had all my fave things of a thriller: psychological mindfuck, suspense throughout, quick read, and a WTF cliffhanger. It’s been a minute since I’ve read an encompassing thriller and honestly, this one did not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing and author Sam Baron for this gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

I’m not a huge fan of crime thrillers but this one sounded quite interesting.

The plot was okay but i didn’t find myself super engaged and excited to see what was next.

There was a lot of different characters, most of which didn’t have much background or even personality.
I also didn’t care much for the main character Susan.

Thank you to the author and Storm Publishing for this ARC.