Those who’ve read Henry James’ Turn of the Screw will find the style and presentation of this short book familiar. Never fear. It’s not nearly as painfully written as James but does, to some extent, adhere to the Victorian manner of storytelling along with the annoying redacting of names aside from their first letter. For example, a character named Richard Drew would appear in this book as Richard D____.

The author does break style from time to time but overall is consistent including presenting the book at a series of online journal entries. The online part is right up to date and a bit jarring considering the James similarity.

This is a true horror story that’s persistently mutating. Like all readers do, I suspect, I was guessing where this one would lead and was wrong time after time. At one point, I was solidly sure I had the gist of it only to find I was off entirely. The other times when I wasn’t nearly as sure, I was even more wrong.

The quick read starts out at a slow walk for maybe 30% of its length. From then on, it ramps up finding one inflection point after another and at each one, yet another metamorphosis resulting in a new direction. We get flashbacks to previous conversations and behaviors but given new slants never considered then. As the book progresses, so does the pace until the last when we’re at a full sprint.

However, the story never devolves into one more tedious chase. Instead, there’s a major change of scene for the final act with a sly, almost treacherously sublime final scene and dénouement. I don’t know if James is any longer mandatory reading in High School but if he is, I think substituting this book for him is worth considering. It contains the elements that antique author has worth teaching but in an up to date story that current people can easily relate to.

This is an easy recommendation for horror or thriller fans as well as any reader who wishes something clever, different and persistently refreshing.

I received a complimentary copy of The Patient from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

HOLY SMOKES! Okay, so before I started listening to this book, I did not pay attention to the genre. So after hearing the disclaimer as an introduction, I thought the whole thing was real for most of the novel...to be truthful, I believed it to be true until I listened to the acknowledgements. Oops! (Stranger things have happened, I figured.) FYI: This was truly frightening, yet I could not put it down!! Apparently, as it happens, I didn't mind being scared out of my skull. I was also delighted to know that there is a plan to produce this as a motion picture, which I fully support. (I would even pay the $19.99 on pay-per-view during COVID-19 quarantine to see this one--something I have previously refused simply on principle.)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Patient by Jasper DeWitt (3-½ Stars)

This book started out as creepypasta, on a Reddit thread titled “ The Patient Who Nearly Drove Me Out of Medicine.” It’s now a book, and I believe it will soon be a movie.

Parker’s mother was committed to a psychiatric hospital when he was a child, which leads to his career as a psychiatrist. His first job is at a state institution, where Parker comes across Joe. Joe was admitted to the hospital at 6 years old, and is now 40, defies diagnosis yet is considered incurable. Indeed, not only is he incurable, but he has the ability to send those who he comes in contact with to the edge of sanity and beyond. Contact between Joe and staff is forbidden, with only a select few granted access. Parker is suffering from newbie confidence, believing he can be the one to save Joe, and he soon sticks his nose in Joe’s business.

Years later, Parker decides to post his experience on-line, and tells the tale. The story is told entirely through Parker’s on-line posts, and is well-written and creepy to the max. Parker attempts treatment of Joe, and things just go to hell in a handbasket from there. If you are looking for a horror story with a supernatural spin, pick this one. It really was a page-turner! Yes, you have to suspend belief along the way and accept that some of these things would happen (I won’t give details so as not to spoil the story). The ending is a bit vague, so I’m sure we’re in for a sequel.

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This book was surprisingly now energy, which a thriller should never be. I just could not get into it and ended up not finishing it.

I don't often read horror stories. However, I enjoyed this thriller/horror book. It a was a quick read and had an interesting online post format rather than a flowing narrative. The ending left me a little disappointed. It just wrapped up so quickly and left a lot unsaid. But overall I liked it.

My thanks to Houghton Mifflin and blah, also Netgalley and the author Jasper DeWitt.
Mr. DeWitt came up with one of the best messed up tales in a while! I really enjoyed this freak show. This is a story that I would tell my friends to read, without reading any other reviews.
This was some kind of messed up! The kind of messed up that I like. Damn! My mind was working furiously! I had much of the puzzle, but just getting there was 😎 cool! I love when I'm right! Nearly as much as when I'm wrong!
I liked this upended tale of crap that goes where it's not expected!

The Patient
Jasper DeWitt
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date 7/6/20

I was very excited to read this book as the description sounded like it was up my alley. It was gripping, creepy and I became quickly invested! I was rooting for Parker to figure out the diagnosis of a patient who had remained at the asylum since he was just a little boy. Without giving away any spoilers the story fell flat... The premise was promising but It went in a direction that wasn’t appealing to me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with the electron ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

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This novel is written in a series of online posts, describing a young psychiatrist's most confusing and shocking patient. "Joe" is a patient at an unknown facility that has baffled and alarmed all other doctors, nurses and even other patients since he was admitted. Admitted to the mental facility at the tender age of 6, Joe went through doctor after doctor and roommate after roommate before being deemed "impossible" to cure and extremely dangerous. The novel is written from the perspective of Parker, the young doctor, who has vowed to solve even the most complex cases.
Parker is drawn into Joe's case and what comes next is a creepy and gruesome narrative that was a bit shocking. I was drawn in with Parker as he worked the case and examined the outlandish patient. The patient is very menacing even when he's not. This story is definitely a quick read, I read it in a day. It's also more horror than thriller but I like a bit of horror and anything dark. I recommend this to any fans of Stephen King and loved the way it was presented as online posts. The end lacked closure a bit so I'll give it 4 stars.

This was an incredible read! It was engrossing, thrilling, and captivating. It is written in the style of a blog, which was interesting and unique. It follows a young psychiatrist as he goes through his first job and the one special patient that he will never be able to forget. Excellent read!

A super-creepy short read. Parker is a psychiatrist, posting online his experience with an inexplicable case early in his career while working in a mental institution. Joe is an enigmatic patient that no one has been able to diagnose, let alone cure. Parker, being young and enthusiastic, of course knows how to treat him. He doesn’t care that all his previous doctors and nurses have been driven to madness or even suicide. So he starts trying to find out as much as he can about him. What happens then surprised me, even if in the end the explanation left me a little dissatisfied. I liked it, it was not just what I was expecting, which is good. The author doesn’t really delve deeply into the inner lives of the supporting characters, or even Parker’s. You know all that’s needed to understand how Joe is affecting them, but no more, and I really liked this. No unnecessary talking about their feelings, even Joe’s. Some parts were so creepy, that I had to turn up the lights because I didn’t like the shadows in my living room. A very enjoyable read for fans of horror and the macabre.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt!

This book was in the mystery/thriller section and I selected because of the subject matter not realizing that it was a horror novel. Normally I don't read this genre, but I really enjoyed this one. The story was compelling, believable (or at least my version of reality was successfully suspended), but most of all well-written. I read it in a single sitting over a few hours. In the James Patterson era of fast food literature, this is not unusual. For myself, I would have been annoyed if I had paid a bookstore price for only a few hours of reading pleasure. It is also apparent that the author has a background writing for the screen, as the book is a series of scenes rather than a flowing narrative. But, I am not going to deduct any stars from a well-written book just because it doesn't conform perfectly to my personal preferences.

I have a comment and a suggestion... I am a pediatric psych nurse (and an attorney) and there is one medical error that you may or may not be aware of. Minors are never diagnosed with adult mental health disorders. Specifically, a child is never diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. A child can be diagnosed with conduct disorder, and this patient is likely to progress to antisocial disorder as an adult. My suggestion is to swap places/genders for Jocelyn and Parker. I would make Jocelyn a newly qualified PMHNP and Parker her significant other. A female interacting with Joe would be a lot creepier. Every other detail of the book does not need to be changed to accommodate this one.

I was really looking forward to this one as it's billed as The Silent Patient meets Stephen King. It's told through a series of journal posts which is an interesting premise and I was hooked from the beginning as the new young psychiatrist thinks "talk therapy" may help Joe, an "incurable" patient who's been at the institution since he was four. But then it got a little too weird for me. I do enjoy an occasional horror story (I mean who doesn't love Stephen King?) but this was a little supernatural for me and I had trouble suspending my disbelief. I would certainly read more from this author though!

Being a thriller lover, the description of The Patient was right up my alley. However, after taking a few hours to read this novella, I would classify it as more horror than thriller. I really enjoyed enjoyed the first 4/5 of the book, but the resolution was a disappointment. I liked the blog post format of the book but the last 1/5 of the story felt rushed and the explanation as to why the patient behaved as he did was dissatisfying.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was compared to The Silent Patient and Stephen King, and the premise hooked me, but the overall book left something to be desired. Without spoiling the story, I think it started strong and was intriguing as you tried to piece together what is wrong with this “incurable” patient. It’s told completely through a series of online posts like a reddit thread which was okay, but it limited the amount of back story and character development we were given. I was expecting more of a psychological thrill that messed with your head, but it took more of a supernatural turn which isn’t in my taste.

I’d recommend checking out The Patient if you like horror / supernatural stories.

Wow. What a good book this is!

So I wasn't too sure what I would expect going in. I loved the blurb but wondered how it would pan out. And I was so glad that the book lived up to my expectations.

I love how the story is told by Parker, the psychiatrist protagonist, by blog entries describing his time and experience at a dark, bleak asylum and how this one case intrigues him and completely takes over his life.
The tension is high, the atmosphere is creepy and you are constantly on edge as you see the plot playout through Parker's notes.

I enjoyed the buildup. It was intriguing, horrifying and gripping.
The pacing of the book was pretty good and before I knew it I was at the end of the book. I just wish it was a longer story with more details into the case. Maybe that's just me because I love horror books.

I was sucked into Parker and his terrifying twisted story. Definitely recommend people to horror/supernatural lovers to give this one a read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Patient is more of a horror novel with a hint of paranormal than it is thriller/mystery. With that being said, it does a great job of hooking the reader from the start and keeps you guessing throughout the blog entries/story. I had no issues flying through this shorter book in one sitting since I found myself always needing to know what happened next. The ending left something to be desired, but that was probably intentional and reminded me of many Stephen King books. Definitely recommend this as a fast paced, captivating read for those who like a good creepy storyline. Solid 3.5 stars.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest review

This novella is not what I was expecting. I thought thriller/mystery but instead it leans more on the psychological/horror side. I like stories that have a psychological twist to them and this was definitely one of them. With that being said, I had hoped there would have been a bit more clarity at the end as to the "why" of the patient in question and the current doctor treating him. I was waiting for some magical full circle moment and it wasn't there. Still, a quick, easy read that keeps the reader engaged and guessing.

Thank you to #netgalley and #houghtonmifflinharcourt for this advanced copy to review.

Well, I'm not a fan of horror, but I loved this little story! Written as though a blog, Parker recites his tale of his first job outside of medical school in dated "chapters", which makes it seem so realistic. A long-term resident in the under-resourced psychiatric hospital is the challenging patient that Parker is sure he can help. He quickly finds out that this patient is nothing like those he encountered in medical school. The story that proceeds is shocking and horrible, but I loved it! This book is short. I had trouble putting it down. It's a fun easy read!

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read The Patient.

Let me start by saying this is not my normal genre. Another reader may enjoy it more than I did. It's about an overconfident young psychiatrist, Joe. He is assigned to an insane asylum and finds the a patient he is determined to cure. The patient is 46 and has been housed in the asylum for 40 years. Everyone who treats this patient has a tragic ending. Dr P has a good connection with Joe. He delves into his history and the story follows what happens. Good writing and character development, just not my thing. Thanks @netgalley for the Advanced copy. #thepatient

This story is written in a blog style and was engrossing from the beginning. I liked that Parker sometimes seems to be addressing us the reader. This is the story of Joe being in a mental institution since he was six. Parker is the young psychiatrist who wants to treat him. What follows is your worst nightmare coming to life, I believe it should be categorized in the horror genre. Beware when you go to sleep because you never know what may come through the walls.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.