The Patient

Author: Steena Holmes
Genre: Suspense, Canadian
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
First Published: October 15, 2019
Opening Lines: Thursday August 15 - How do I admit this? Disclose that I've held this secret out of fear?

Book Description from GoodReads: A therapist must face her own worst fear—one of her patients is a serial killer.

Danielle Rycroft suspects someone close to her has a dark secret. In the confidential setting of therapy, her patients share their anxieties and fears. Now, with a string of murders in town putting her on edge, Danielle’s own worries come close to eclipsing her patients’. In each case, the pattern is the same: parents killed while their children sleep blissfully unaware in their beds. Her best friend, Detective Tami Sloan, is the only person she has confided in.

Danielle believes that there’s still a secret one patient has yet to share. But which one? Behind a familiar face is a stranger who’ll do anything to hide their worst compulsions. The anxiety brings Danielle to her own therapist’s office, seeking counsel and comfort. But what is she willing to risk, and how much closer must she get, to stop them?

My Rating: 4 stars

My Review: If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, you’ll want to pick up The Patient by Canadian author, Steena Holmes. After a series of brutal murders plagues a small town, psychologist Dani Rycroft begins to suspect that one of her clients may be a serial killer. As the truth begins to surface, and the paranoia and fear of the small-town residents rise, readers are taken on a tension-filled ride that will leave them questioning the motives of multiple characters.  

As an avid suspense reader, I did figure out 'whodunnit' fairly early on but I still enjoyed seeing how things panned out. This darker read is a departure for the Kincardine, Ontario native who typically writes lighter fare. But with her well-crafted plot and strong character development, Holmes proves she can hold her own in the popular thriller genre by providing her audience with a non-stop, deliciously chilling suspense novel that will keep them riveted until the shocking and satisfying ending.

Other Steena Holmes books I recommend: The Forgotten Ones

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me a digital copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.