The Case Study

This was an atmospheric and unsettling psychological thriller with a unique premise that would be a good pick for readers who don't mind darker themes and a slow burn story. 

The story is told in two timelines and includes interesting psychological elements with a bunch of dysfunctional and unlikeable characters whose sexual escapades were outside my comfort zone. But if you're looking for lots of deception, secrets and unsettling vibes, this is your book!

This story is all about sloooww building tension. Readers will have to be patient for the story to take shape and since I lack the patience reading gene, I found this story too slow burn for my tastes. The premise was darkly intriguing, but I never felt pulled into the story. This could be due to some of the changes in POV and timelines which felt abrupt and a bit confusing, pulling me out of the story as I tried to figure out who was speaking and in which time frame.

This was a character-driven read where the suspense is from a gradual build in tension and slowly revealed truths rather than fast-paced action and it has a heck of a good twist that took me by surprise. Despite this not being my favourite book by this author, I am sure it will find its readers who are looking for a darker read with psychological elements and a slow burn vibe. 

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Nicole Lundrigan

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Viking (PRHC)

First Published: May 26, 2026

Read: May 28-June 2, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: The shocking new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of A Man Downstairs and An Unthinkable Thing: a twisty, unsettling, and masterfully plotted game of magnetic push-and-pull between two women whose secrets threaten to collide.

When Mia was a young woman, she read a magazine article about a murderous teenage girl with a rare and disturbing psychiatric delusion. Fascinated by the details, she sought out the doctor who’d treated the girl, and eventually married him. Twenty years later, Mia’s curiosity is piqued once again when her husband announces that his famous case study will be republished—and that he will be reconnecting with his former patient.

Lainey has never felt that her feet are fully on the ground—not since she was released from a psychiatric institution at the age of twenty-one. When her former doctor reaches out, she decides to tell him the truth about what happened all those years ago. Perhaps she can finally lighten the darkness that has defined her entire existence. 

With mirroring software, Mia pores over every recorded therapy session with Lainey, almost as though she’s watching a true crime drama unfold. On the opposite side, Lainey becomes intensely interested in her doctor’s family. How far will she go to insert herself into his seemingly perfect life?