A series of horrific murders are occurring in Danielle Rycroft's small town. As a psychologist, she comes to believe that one the killer is one of her patients - but which one?


Rarely do I describe a book as a "roller-coaster ride," but that is the perfect term for Steena Holmes newest book, The Patient. As Rycroft meets with each of her patients she comes to realize the horror that one of them has to be guilty of the brutal crimes in her town. Each time she meets with one of them, the suspicion shifts from one patient to another until finally you feel as though you and Rycroft are a free-fall into madness. This fast paced, taut thriller will have you hanging on for dear life until the very final page!


Homes has proven through multiple books and awards, that she is a very talented and gifted writer and readers of The Patient will understand why she is considered one of the best writers of today. My only drawback - and it is indeed a very small one - is that I knew early on what was happening and going to happen. Perhaps I've read too much crime fiction. This did not stop my over all enjoyment because the who and what is not nearly as important as the Why. If you love crime fiction and suspense then The Patient is definitely a must-read.


Thank you to #netgalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for my copy of this terrific thriller.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

Steena Holmes is such a powerful writer. I mean, every book she's written has been gold. The Patient is no different.
Her writing draws you in and keeps you interested from the start. The twists and turns were amazing, and I definitely didn't see most of these twists coming.

This is a book that I will definitely re-read. And it's now a staple on my bookshelf.

The Patient is a roller-coaster ride from beginning to end. Danielle Rycroft is a therapist in the sleepy little town of Cheshire. There have been some murders in this little town, parents slaughtered but, their children inexplicably spared. She believes that one of her patients may be the murderer, but she is not sure which one. As the story goes on, the likely suspects morph from one patient to the next. Danielle is an Alice in Wonderland super-fan, collecting many copies of the book. The story is somewhat of a trip down the rabbit hole as Danielle tries to figure out which patient is the killer and stop them.

The roller-coaster aspect of the story does not let up until the conclusion and it is a great ride. I recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.

This is a story about a therapist who begins receiving mysterious notes warning her about one of her patients right in the middle of a string of murders in town. Could they be connected? Was that comment one of her patients made a clue or just a coincidence? Everything is not what it seems, and sometimes the truth is right under your nose.

This was a bit slow for me at times and I think the "twist" was a little obvious but I did enjoy it for what it was!

The premise of this book is an intriguing one - a therapist with crumbling mental health in a city with a rampant serial killer. The writing itself was good and the plot was original, keeping my reading. While I did enjoy the book, the execution of the way the main character's mental health was discussed fell a bit flat. There was nothing inherently wrong with it, just a matter of personal taste left me wanting more from the ending.

The Patient is an excellent read. If you have ever wondered if coma patients can hear you then this book is for you. And how frustrating would it be if this coma patient couldn't talk! One of the best books I've read in 2019.

Great book the story and overall plot were original. I found it a bit confusing at times but in the end, everything fell into place. I loved the twist!

You know the old saying, "most therapists are crazier than their patients"? Well this book takes a good look at that. Dani is a therapist in a small town, and keeping her patient's secrets is really starting to weigh on her. So she herself has to see a therapist. Is one of her patients a serial killer? Please take a seat to find out. Don't leave until you get the big twist at the end.

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy via NetGalley.

A town plagued by brutal murders… Parents found bludgeoned to death with their young children at home left untouched. A therapist who gets a note that one of her patients is behind the murders… This book was really fascinating! A lot of clues sprinkled through the book and I had about a dozen theories of who was behind the murders. The list of suspects is a long one and I loved the way the book came together!

The setting for this book is a town that is full of references to Alice in Wonderland. Fitting, because Alice in Wonderland is Danielle’s favorite book since she was a child. I loved the town setting—coffee shops based on the Cheshire Cat and town green spaces based on the queen’s gardens. I did a study of Alice in Wonderland during one of my literature courses in undergraduate and I thought the parallels in the book were a lot of fun!

Daniellle—Dani—lives a solitary life and it suits her. She has two close friends who don’t get along with each other. She has a small practice that allows her to really dig into things with her three patients. But as the murders in the town continue, Dani becomes aware that one of her three patients may be behind the murders. But which one? They all have a link to the murders in their own way, and they all have something to hide from her.

As things heat up with the case, Dani’s life feels like it is unraveling. She is having trouble sleeping, and she feels the burden of the murders on her as she tries to uncover which of her patients may be behind it. I’m a big fan of this genre and I felt that there was something off about her patients from the beginning. Not to mention several other characters in the town!

I had one theory in particular that I felt stronger about as the book went on, but I was completely wrong! I loved the way this one worked out. It had a lot of elements of psychological suspense that kept the pace moving and my mind engaged as I tried to put the clues together.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of The Patient by Steena Homes.

Danielle is a trained counselor, with only a small handful of clients, all of whom suffer from deep rooted issues. So after a string of brutal murders start happening close to home, Danielle can't help but wonder if one of her patients might be the murderer. Armed with her two close friends, and a counselor of her own, Danielle digs deep to uncover what her clients might be hiding, and if she's treating a murderer.

I don't want to spoil this book, so I'll just say this, I was extremely frustrated reading this book, like, the whole time. The characters were so obtuse, and even though there was a good reason for it, I just don't know that the end justified the means. I liked the idea a lot, but I can't say I enjoyed the read.

I would like to thank NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I actually give this book 4.5 stars for a couple of reasons. First, it was fairly easy to figure out what was going on and who was doing it. Second, because there were some things that seemed odd to me. A town called Cheshire with an Alice In Wonderland theme read like England at first, since that is where Alice's story takes place. When I realized this story takes place in America it didn't fit. Also, for such a small town there was an inordinate amount of overt child abuse. People in large cities don't smack their kids around for all to see, and even less so in small communities. People tend to hide that kind of behavior.

That being said, I found the book fascinating! I read it in a few hours, completely absorbed in the story, the murders, the complete terror that gripped the narrator. It's difficult to say what I liked about the story without revealing too many spoilers, but those who like psychology, and rare psychoses, will enjoy this book. The intricate layering of complex personalities, motives, and the increasing uncertainty and fragility of the main character give the book an air of unreality. It sucks the reader in, sinking then in a world of conflicting realities and keeps them struggling to breathe. I couldn't put it down.

Some might say using a rare and controversial mental illness as a plot device shows a lack of imagination. It's melodramatic, something you might find on a soap opera or B movie. I disagree. Steena Holmes does a good job of bringing the reader into the disturbed mind of a murderer and carries the reader on a wild ride straight to the end.

If I could have had 6 straight hours to just sit down and read this, then I would have been done in one sitting. I figured it out about halfway through, but I still was enthralled the whole time. Character and plot development were excellent, as was the suspense and complexity of the story. I just think this was very well written.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for a free digital galley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As I was reading this I was really hoping that it wasn't going to take the direction that I felt it was going in, but sadly it did.
The premise is fantastic and drew me in straight away, but the execution and twists just fell flat and seemed a tad unoriginal. Unfortunately, the genre has become so diluted with books that are based around this concept - so I think it's time to either freshen things up or maybe leave it alone for a bit. I found the twists with the friends who were in the coffee shop and police to be pointless, and a little unbelievable too!

I think that if you aren't very well acquainted with psychological thrillers then this could be quite an enjoyable read, but it just didn't work for me. The cover is absolutely stunning though - very eye-catching!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I'm sorry to say I really didn't enjoy this book. I found the flashbacks confusing and thought that Danielle spent too much time soul searching. I would have preferred to see more time devoted to the police and read more about the actual murders. I don't think I will be seeking out this author in the future.

"It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."

2.5 stars rounded down.

The Patient is a decent story, but it's so utterly obvious, practically from page 1, where the story is going...and what the twist actually is... that I truly can't imagine anybody reading this book and not figuring it out very early on. Because the entire story line relies so heavily on the reader being surprised at the end, it's a bit of a fail in that respect.

I wholeheartedly admit this would be a tough book to write, but like most stories I've read lately, it's been done before...and more successfully. Regardless, this novel is still an improvement over the first Steena Holmes book I read, Saving Abby. I can't recommend that one...it was a poorly researched clunker. Okay, if I'm being terribly honest here (and when am I not?), this book didn't appear to be overly well-researched either. There were several times during my readings when I'd whisper to myself, "That's not correct." However, in this story, the mistakes can be explained away, so I tried to overlook the blatant errors.

The cover is quite pretty though.

Bottom line: If you're a psychological suspense novice, you may enjoy this. Otherwise, I'd recommend spending your time reading something more worthy.

**Thanks to the publisher for providing my ARC, in exchange for my candid review.

Isn't it ironical that a thriller is not thrilling to read? The Patient by Steena Holmes is a psychological thriller but it is not thrilling to read. The protagonist is obsessed with Alice in the Wonderland and lives in a place that reminds her of those characters. She even reads that book to her patients as a part of therapy. It is kind of irritating to read after a few minutes. Where is the plot? And where is the plot twist? The plot twist is not a twist if the reader figures out at the start. But even then I kept reading page after page. I would say that is the plus of this book. Though it's not that thrilling, I would recommend it to thriller fans.

I quite enjoyed this book and I felt that it was a well written psychological thriller. Although I predicted the outcome, I still liked Dani.. I enjoyed the twists and turns that were in this book and I hope that there is a follow-up of this book. And a thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

A psychological thriller? YES! Those are my faves.
This book had so much promise……
Plot is good. The characters were well written. At times the story seemed to stumble but it ended up finding its way. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more had I not figured it out so soon. There are some good twists and the ending was pretty good. I did love the Alice and Wonderland woven into the story. The Patient is a pretty good read. I will check out more from this author as I did like her writing style. I give this 3 stars.

This book ended well. It started off slow and took me a couple of attempts to read. It did improve and did twist and turn.

If your favoured reading material is a compelling tale with a good sprinkling of suspense, drama, heartbreak, therapy and mystery, then The Patient by Steena Holmes is a must-read for you!

From the get-go there was so much happening in this wonderful psychological thriller! Danielle Rycroft was an interesting, troubled character and it was a journey to get to know her. I got to see that sometimes life got overwhelming for her. There was lovely depth and poignancy to Steena Holmes’ writing which kept me hooked throughout. The author really worked wonders with most of the characters in this fabulous story and even the less personable ones still had very good parts to play and did not dampen my enthusiasm for this fascinating tale.

The plot was great and moved along at a really comfortable pace and I was very happy with the author’s general writing-style. The main focus of family and relationships brought a wonderful touch to this mystery, which tugged at my heartstrings, before hurtling towards the surprising denouement.

I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting story and I will be checking out this author's back catalogue as well as checking out her next novel. All in all, this is cracking read for anyone who has a preference for a brilliant psychological thriller that has a flavour of a gruesome crime, without the detail of the guts and gore.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.