The synopsis of this book has me so excited to read it. However, the book fell short. It’s a slow burn mystery.
The twists and turns are good but you can definitely see them coming. I didn’t get that “can’t put this book down feeling” at all. It was actually a chore to keep reading this book. The book finally got fun to read at 80%.

Here’s a rewritten version of the text, polished for clarity, tone, and flow while keeping the original sentiment intact:

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Every time I read a book, I try to guess who the killer is. I jot it down in my notebook and wait until the end to see if I was right. I did the same with this book — and wow, was I wrong!

Alice Hunter, acclaimed author of the *Serial Killer* series and *Bad Apple*, has done it again. In fact, I’d go so far as to say this is her best book yet. Drawing from her own experience as a nurse, her psychology degree, and time working in a prison, Alice has crafted a true masterpiece.

The story follows Dr. Eleanor Spencer, a highly respected forensic psychologist who seems to have the perfect life — a successful career and a polished image. But her world begins to unravel when a series of disappearances dredges up memories of her sister’s mysterious vanishing years earlier. As Ellie becomes entangled in the investigation, her own fears and unresolved traumas start to resurface.

As more women go missing, Ellie’s once-steady grip on reality begins to crack under the pressure. To uncover the truth, she must delve deep into the mind of a deranged killer. Her search leads her to Lucas Hayne, a notorious serial predator now behind bars. Lucas hints that the secret to the killer’s identity may lie buried within Ellie’s own past.

Told in Alice Hunter’s signature style — blending case files, news clippings, school yearbooks, and multiple narrative perspectives — the story grips you from the first page. The pacing is electric, the suspense relentless, and the urge to keep reading irresistible.

The psychological depth adds a rich layer to the narrative, offering readers a window into the minds of the characters. Each one feels authentic and fully realized, thanks to Alice’s skillful writing. You can almost picture the people on the page as if you’ve met them in real life.

Alice Hunter has truly outdone herself. This book is unputdownable.

alice hunter is a master wizard at writing books. we are lucky and actually blessed to have this woman sharing her talent! wow. just blooming wow. her other books had me gripped and this one did just the same all over again. you are pulled in all sorts of directions. you feel like you are reading alongside the characters at some points, you feel their tension and fear. but then are fly on the wall at other times either shaking or screaming at whats going to happen.
i was asking questions of the baddies and asking question of the goodies. i was questioning the narrator aswell as myself. brilliant.
i love her books so much. and this is a excellent addiction to the super favorites list of her that i have.
you will read this book and want to read more. but you will need a slight break to breathe first...

The Perfect Psychopath is a perfect physiological thriller. It’s full of twist and turns which grabbed from start to finish. Another fantastic read from Alice Hunter.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I loved this one! I can never get enough of police procedurals, but this one came with the added bonus of a psychologist’s perspective in addition to a detective’s. I really liked that aspect of it because it was really interesting to get two absolutely polar opinions that had the same goal in mind. Or at least, that’s what they want you to think. I was pretty happy to see I was on the mark if not close to it with most everything that happened. There were a lot of “bad guys” with this one. For the most part, I knew who almost all of them were, and why they did what they did. I guessed what happened with Grace first, and that one was pretty obvious to me. The others came as I read through the story. It was so satisfying to see that I picked up on the clues! The characters were all great, and in some cases, surprising. I can see this being made into a limited mini-series. It was gripping and an absolute page turner!

Huge thanks to Avon Books UK | Avon and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

Another fantastic book from Alice Hunter. This book was full of twists and turns and unexpected plots. The writing was great, easy to read and kept you wanting more.
Even though the pov is from different characters, it is easy to follow along and not get lost.
Highly recommend this book.

This was a great read. I felt it was a slow start but really picked up pace about 50% in.
I didn't particularly like the main FMC but I like when a character evokes and emotion, so this for me is a plus. The story does have twists and turns and i enjoyed the plot and ending.

Dr Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Spencer is a forensic psychologist working on the psychology team in HMP Westgate. Happily married to Michael, she rarely sees either of her parents since her sister Grace disappeared. When a new spate of murders starts it brings back all the memories Ellie has tried to hide. Told mainly from the perspective of Ellie and that of DS Sarah Knight the officer in charge of the murder cases, but with some old conversations between Ellie and Grace and the thoughts of an unnamed person. The timelines are staggered at times, which was disconcerting at first, but I soon got used to that and in the main the book maintained a good pace.

Briefly, at work Ellie has been consulting with Lucas Hayne, a convicted serial killer, whose MO was the same as that used by this new killer. Is it a copycat or is Hayne pulling someone’s strings? Hayne starts making comments that make Ellie think he knows something about the murders and about her missing sister. Keen to find out what happened to Grace, when she is approached by Sarah and asked to help by questioning Hayne, she agrees.

I wanted to like Ellie but she wasn’t an easy character to feel sympathy for, there was an edge to her that made me a little uncomfortable. The interaction between Ellie and Hayne was taught with friction, Hayne is a mind game expert and despite her professional experience Ellie can’t help being affected by, and showing it, with some of his comments. There are some really good twists and turns and I didn’t guess exactly where this was going or who the killer was. A good psychological thriller.

WOW
Completely gripping from the very beginning, and just when you think you've cracked it there's another twist. Fantastic book 5/5 HIGHLY recommend to anyone who loves a psychological thriller!

Thankyou Avon books & NetGalley for this arc copy. The book follows Ellie As a body is found with some processions of her missing sister. As the chase to find the serial killer Ellie interviews a serial killer in prison to find out more information and if he has any connection to the new found murders that was happening.

Throughout the book your second guessing who is actually innocent in this situation although I guessed part of the plot I was still intrigued by the back & forth hunt and how rhe story unfolded. I liked the dual chapters from Ellie and detective Sarah however coming close to the end I felt the book to be rushed it didn’t conclude in a satisfactory way for me.

This was my first Alice Hunter book and I quite liked it. The premise was intriguing but the story never quite came together for me. Ellie was not a sympathetic or interesting character and I found it difficult to care about her. I’ll definitely try the next Hunter release or start from the beginning and read an earlier one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is another very good thriller by Alice Hunter. Although it’s a bit of a slow burn, the ending took me by surprise and brought everything together.
As with her other books, this one also has a unique and intriguing plot.

I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't. It was really slow to start with, it wasn't until the last quarter that it started to pick up pace. None of the twists were that surprising. Ellie, the main character, was just a mess and really annoying. It just felt like something was missing.

The Perfect Psychopath is a chilling, twist-laden psychological thriller that grips you from the first chapter and doesn’t let go. Dr. Eleanor Spencer is a compelling protagonist—intelligent, driven, and deeply haunted by her past. Her descent into paranoia and doubt is both believable and harrowing, especially as the lines between her professional detachment and personal trauma begin to blur.

The dynamic between Eleanor and Lucas Hayne is the book’s most electrifying element. Their tense, cerebral exchanges crackle with danger, and Lucas is written with just the right blend of menace and charisma. As Ellie is pulled deeper into the investigation of the missing women—and into her own memories—the story becomes increasingly claustrophobic and intense.

The plot delivers a steady build-up of suspense, with well-placed twists and a final reveal that is both shocking and emotionally resonant. That said, a few pacing issues in the middle act and some slightly predictable moments keep it from being a full five-star read.

Still, this is a standout psychological thriller with a fresh take on familiar tropes. Fans of The Silent Patient or Mindhunter will find much to enjoy here.

I’ve read other books by this author and was really pleased to be sent a digital copy of this book by Netgalley. In fact, I bought The Serial Killer’s Daughter, which was the first I read, for my granddaughter one Christmas. She is now studying criminology at university (not that I’m crediting the book with her choice of subject, more that knowing her interest was the reason I bought the book)

Ellie is a psychotherapist working prisoners so, when a female is murdered she is asked to help solve the crime by talking to someone who was serving a life sentence for murder and attempting to out how a serial killer’s mind works.

I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put the book down, which is howI read it all in one day.

I am a huge Alice Hunter fan and was very excited about a new release. Unfortunately, it wasn't to my taste/interest. The premise was intriguing but the story never quite came together for me. Ellie was not a sympathetic or interesting character and I found it difficult to care about her. I'll try to wait patiently until the next Hunter release or reread an earlier one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The perfect psychopath was a very thrilling and captivating story!
Ellie’s life has been haunted by her missing sister and the unknown, working as a psychologist for the prison she deals with serial killers every day. But when new murders happen Sarah Knight asks Ellie for help. What follows is a riveting story.
I really enjoyed this book! Kept me hooked from the first page and also trying to puzzle out what was happening through out. It was such an easy read and I just had to keep going to find out what was going to happen! The ending completely shocked me! Absolutely loved Alice Hunters previous stories and this one is not different!
Thanks to netgalley and HarperCollins publishers for the arc!

I really liked how the main fmc worked with psychopaths, while her own sister is missing. Very early on we realize she may be an unreliable character, along with the detective that was hiding things. I absolutely could not figure any of the twists, and it kept me glued to the book to figure it out.

I seem to be in the minority with this one and I don’t know what it was about the perfect psychopath but I just couldn’t get into, I didn’t like or care about any of the characters and I jumped to the end only to see who the perpetrator was. Sadly it wasn’t for me.

OMG what a brilliant book. I have most of Alice Hunter's books but this is by far the best of them. So many twists, you think you've figured out who did it then BOOM and you're back to the drawing board. Fantastic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️