This is one intense, twisted, dark and addictive novel! Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds. Compulsive, gripping and horrifying! Will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Early on, we are treated to a good bit of information about Danielle, who is the main character in the book. This is followed up by introductions to her patients as she conducts sessions with each one of them. You may wonder where the story is going, but it is at this point that the murders are introduced to the storyline, and you begin to get an idea of what is going on. One of these patients may be a murderer, and as their psychologist, what is Danielle to do? It took me a bit to get into the plot, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Danielle Rycroft suspects one of her patients is a serial killer. With a string of murders in town where parents are killed while their children are asleep, Danielle’s own worries have just started. Someone is hiding some dark secrets and Danielle can only trust her best friend, Detective Tami Sloan.

I found it a little difficult to focus at the start. The story didn't seem to connect. I enjoyed the 2nd half a little more. Another issue was that I was able to guess the ending pretty early in the book. I give it 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

A serial killer is terrorizing the town of Cheshire and Danielle, a therapist, suspects one of her mentally ill patients is the killer. The question is, which one? She struggles with sleeplessness and migraines while her focus shifts from one patient to another. Can she uncover the truth before the killer does more damage?
First of all.....I LOVE Steena Holmes! She is one of my top five authors to read and has never disappointed. While this was not one of my favorites, I loved how she took a darker approach in this novel. Although I try not to "figure out" the mystery while I'm reading, as I like to be surprised, I did see the writing on the wall (page?) in this one. It did not take away from the fact that this was a great book! 3.5 stars!
Thanks to Steena Holmes, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wow! This novel had a gripping, ominous tone but at the same time it had references to a playful, magical setting. There have been murders of parents in town where the children are left to live. Danielle is a therapist who has three current patients. Her patients are distant, troubled, and one has a dark past. As things get scarier in town, Danielle starts to fear that one of her patients is the killer. And then notes begin to appear for Danielle...

I loved every angle of this book. The mystery of who the perpetrator was, diving into the patients’ psyche, and diving into the therapists mind and life as well. It was multilayered which made it very enjoyable.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

An intriguing, suspense- filled pacey thriller. A psychologist explores whether one of her patients could be a killer. Lots of twists and turns follow to keep the reader guessing.

I love books like this, and this one wasn't to bad of a read, it was just a bit predictable for me, so that kinda ruined the excitement. Otherwise I thought it had a great premise and a ton of potential

A therapist must face her own worst fear one of her patients is a serial killer.

Review to follow on Goodreads.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.

Another great thriller for those looking! The Patient by Steena Holmes tells the story of a therapist who suspects one of her clients is a serial killer, but doesn't know which one. That premise alone had me tearing through this book faster than I thought possible! I'm pretty sure I lost lots of sleep over this book because I just couldn't stop reading. Also, the fact that this story is based in a town that is Alice In Wonderland themed was so cool and very original. This book is perfect for fans of DJ Palmer, Wendy Walker, and BA Paris and is definitely a thriller you don't want to miss this year!

Definitely a creepy one! Wow I was impressed with the storyline and the characters because they really came to life. A must read!

The Patient by Steena Holmes

Brief Summary: Danielle is a therapist and when a string of murders with similar characteristics hits her town, she is concerned one of her patients is the killer. This is my first novel by Steena Holmes. As a clinical psychologist myself, I was especially interested to read this given the subject matter.

Highlights: I loved the Alice in Wonderland references! Because I am a psychotherapist myself, I had a hard time buying into some aspects of this novel, such as her only having three patients, her seeing them out of her home, and the relationships she had with them. I love that she spoke about how hard it was to accept she needed help with coping; especially for psychotherapists. Her realization that “you will never be able to meet all their needs if that’s your goal. You’ll always feel like you are failing” is essential to being a good psychotherapist.

Explanation of Rating: 3/5: Even with all these interesting plot aspects relevant to my daily work I had a hard time getting into it and it took me forever to finish this.

Psychology Factors: This would be a great example of what not to do to therapists in training: she broke her vow to keep others safe by favoring protecting her patients.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

The Patient is a twisted thriller. Steena Holmes takes the reader on a roller coaster ride! She never disappoints!

This was everything!!! I absolutely love this book!! A therapist has a patient that could possibly be a serial killer who is killing parents in the town, but she doesn't know which patient it could be? This definitely keeps you guessing what is going to happen, and you have no idea what is coming. The ending blows you away! I definitely recommend this one!!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.**

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

Wow! I thought that this book was really good, it had so many twists and turns that I had to re read a couple of pages and then I couldn't put it down, seeing me through to the small hours.
I thought that the main character was solid and the story was credible.

Steena Holmes has quickly become one of my new favourite Canadian authors. Thanks to Thomas Allen & Son for introducing me last year with The Forgotten Ones and now just recently with The Patient. 


I love a good thriller and I really enjoy multiple point of view books, which this one had in abundance.  I found it so interesting to flip between Danielle, three of her patients, someone who might be the serial killer and some flashbacks. Since we know from the synopsis that one of her patients just might be a serial killer, I found it interesting to try to figure it out along the way with Danielle. Since all three have different reasons to be considered the killer, I found it intriguing for her to try and unravel the truth. 


The fact the she is a therapist and she seeks help and counsel from her own therapist was fascinating to me. I never really thought about a therapist needing their own place to speak out about the stresses of their job, but it makes sense. I'm just not sure that Danielle got what she bargained for with looking for help. Or maybe she did?


The part of the story that really had me was all the references to Alice in Wonderland. From Danielle's strong love of the book that she collects different versions of it whenever she can, to the fact that she lives in a town called Cheshire that has streets named after characters and statues in the parks depicting the different characters in the book. Even the killer gets dubbed the Cheshire Mad Queen which just adds to the Alice theme! We're all mad here seems fitting given the location and what is happening.


I thoroughly enjoyed the story from start to finish as it had me guessing who the killer was, who the flashbacks really were from and how it all fit into this puzzle. I tend to read a lot of thrillers so my mind comes up with fantastical ideas on who the killer could be or what the plot twist might be, so I had part of it figured out but I didn't expect one of the twists at all. I like when a book can surprise me even when I have part figured out. I will say that the killer ends up being a shattered and broken person, similar to the way the image on the cover shows that the picture does not line up completely. I love how the cover depicts that part of the killer.


If you've read anything the Steena before, you'll know this was a departure from her normal genre. I feel that it was a good first thriller for her and hope to see her write more and thrillers are a fave of mine.

A typical psychological thriller well-written, but sadly I found the plot a little too predictable I also found the characters irritating. The twist at the end was surprising, but not ground-breaking.

I like the premises of the small-town counselor, troubled patients, and serial killer on the loose. I figured with this recipe, this book would have to be awesome. I also loved the Alice in Wonderland theme. Unfortunately, I figured out very early on what was happening and I kept reading just to see if maybe I was wrong, but I wasn't. I truly hoped there would be a twist to prove me wrong, but, it never came, and for that reason, I was disappointed. I did enjoy the journey though, for the reasons I mentioned above. I like books about counselors and I love Alice in Wonderland so I didn't love this book, but I also didn't hate it. I would read Steena Holmes again. Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC!