4.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological fiction
Setting ~ Wyoming in the 1990’s
Publication date ~ February 5, 2024
Est page Count ~ 323 (50 chapters)
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ debut, serial killer, psychiatrist
My review:
As interesting as it was, I do feel like Chapter 1 should actually have been listed as a prologue because it comes from the accused on death row in the 1st person, while the rest of the story comes from Sharon in the 1st as well.
The Blue River Strangler has turned himself in and confessed to murdering 28 young women. There is no doubt he committed these crimes because his DNA has been linked to some of the bodies.
Dr. Sharon Stevenson is a forensic psychiatrist that evaluates the accused to determine if they’re competent enough to stand trial. When she begins the interview process with Kevin she soon realizes there’s much more to him then meets the eye.
She strongly believes Kevin has DID, or dissociative identity disorder. DID is said to be very uncommon, so she’s having a tough time getting anyone to believe her. Successfully diagnosing him could not only help her career, but also save him from death row, so she becomes borderline obsessed with proving her theory. But is there a blurred line because Sharon’s daughter is missing and she might be one of his victims not yet discovered? Honestly Sharon didn’t seem too broken up about her daughter because their relationship was already strained before she went missing. She’s not overly likable, but seems to be good at her job and she lets you know she’s one of the best in the country.
The knowledge put forth in the novel shows since Falk studied Psychology, Neuroscience, and Criminology. During this time, he not only studied serial killers and their pathologies, but he also studied the anatomy and physiology of mental illness. To further gain experience in the field, Falk worked as a mental health counselor at a residential treatment facility for children who were victims of physical and/or sexual abuse.
Overall, I was impressed with this debut. It’s fast paced with a couple edge of the seat moments to keep the momentum going. Could I have figured out the twist earlier on, probably so, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. It’s well written and I thought I was actually reading about a real case. Maybe because there are quite a bit of real serial killer name drops.
Side note ~ you know how some words just grate on your nerves when you read them over and over again? Well this one was “nuh-uh.”
*Thanks to the author, Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
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I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.
Book blurb:
Sharon Stevenson is a forensic psychiatrist. Her job is to decide whether a patient is of sound enough mind to stand trial, not whether they did or didn’t commit a crime.
But Sharon is also a mother grieving the disappearance of her seventeen-year-old daughter, Maddie, who has never been found.
And what if the man sitting before her, who has been charged with the murders of several women, also claimed the life of her sweet girl?
It’s time to find out the truth.
An unputdownable psychological thriller about a dangerous cat-and-mouse game between a mother desperate for the truth and the killer she believes has the answers. A gripping read for fans of The Silent Patient, Mike Omer and Freida McFadden.
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