The Patient's Secret: A Novel

Description

Secrets worth dying―and killing―for, in a novel of suspense inspired by a horrific true crime by Washington Post and desertcart Charts bestselling author Loreth Anne White. When the battered body of a female jogger is found beneath the cliffs of an idyllic coastal community, these perfect neighbors suddenly don’t seem so perfect… Lily Bradley is a respected psychotherapist married to a distinguished professor. They live in a dream house with their two children in close-knit Story Cove. Lily lives a well-ordered life. Or so it seems. As a therapist, she knows everyone keeps things hidden. Even her. Then sensual and free-spirited Arwen Harper rolls into town in her hand-painted VW van, her sixteen-year-old son riding shotgun. Overnight, Story Cove’s secrets are no longer safe. Because Arwen might know her new neighbors better than they know themselves. Now someone is dead, and it looks like murder. Brutal and personal. The death invites the shrewd eye of Detective Rue Duval. Rue’s job is to expose secrets. But she’s also an expert at keeping them. As the lives of three women become inexorably entwined, one thing is clear: when it comes to survival, ordinary people can do the most terrible things. Review: Utterly absorbing thriller about a psychotherapist and the secrets she keeps - This thriller treats readers to a rocket ride, leaving their hearts in their throats. From the first page, when a woman runner is chased through the woods by an unknown man, to the final scene when a killer is revealed, the reader will turn pages in breathless anticipation of the solution. The novel's ties to a true crime make it even more compelling. Psychotherapist Lily spots her shirtless husband coming out of a shed in the backyard and hears him enter the house. Lily is conducting a session with a new client in her home office, and paying attention takes every bit of professional comportment. Her husband, Tom, had left her a note in the very early morning that he was going for a run. She was beginning to worry about him because he had been gone for hours, and they had had a terrific row the night before. She wants to know why he is just getting back. And why did he take his shirt off in the shed? Meanwhile, Tom and Lily's young son, Matthew, is upstairs in his room. He looks out the window when his father enters the shed and notices he has a large brown stain on his running shirt. Fascinated, Matthew watches as his father emerges from the shed without the shirt. He focuses on his camera and takes a picture. Matthew fancies himself a detective and takes pictures of everything with his new camera. He takes pictures of all the neighbors as they unknowingly go about their day. He takes pictures of one neighbor hiding alcohol bottles. Matthew really wants a shot of the man who stands across the street, hiding in the shadows. He sometimes sees him staring at his house at night, but he hasn't been lucky. Suddenly, his thoughts are interrupted when he hears sirens coming down his street and turning into his driveway. Why are the police coming to his house? Phoebe is Tom and Lily's preteen daughter. She has developed a new crush on an older boy, Joe, who goes to her school. She's 12, and he's 15. Phoebe knows she can pass for 16 when she wears makeup, so she does most of the time. Joe lives with his single mother on Phoebe's street behind a massive house in a small rental cottage behind it. Lily has found out about her crush on Joe, and they have had a big fight. Lily wants her daughter to have nothing to do with the older boy. Phoebe is not about to stop seeing Joe. Joe's mother, Arwen, works at a bar where Tom and his coworkers go every Friday night. The guys have become buddies with Arwen. Although Lily doesn't know, Tom helped Arwen get the rental cottage on their street. Arwen has begun to flirt with Tom, but she has an ulterior motive. Each of the characters is under tremendous stress. When Arwen's body is found at the bottom of a cliff near the running path Tom was taking, the pressure on the family, especially Lily, builds to a crescendo. Tom is arrested. Police think that Tom pushed Arwen over the cliff. Lily, who has retrieved the shirt she found in the shed and hidden it, begins to believe it too. After all, she's a psychotherapist who knows firsthand that seemingly upstanding people can hide terrible secrets. This story has twists and turns that will keep the most seasoned mystery reader guessing. The author, Loreth Anne White, has written a thriller that gripped me from beginning to end. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a complete diversion. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Ruth Ware will love it. Review: Review - 3 - 3.5 🌟 It's okay, it was a good read. I'm not sure why, but it didn't quite hook me 🫣 The ending didn't really impact me either... Still, it's very well written and structured; the characters have depth and it's easy to connect with them! This is the first time I've read anything by this author, but it won't be the last!