Although A Familiar Sight has an incredibly interesting premise and Gretchen White is an original thought for a character (a functional sociopath), I had a challenging time remaining interested in the narrative as I found myself skimming the novel as it felt too verbose. I generally love novels that are told from different points of view and/or in different time lines, I found this novel’s moving back and forth through POVs sort of disjointed. However, the author’s writing is good, but I feel “blah” about the ending —yet I didn’t predict the surprise at the end. I had read It Ends With Her by this author and liked it better, but I will definitely give another of her books a try. This one just didn’t connect with my expectations.

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!

Dr. Gretchen White is a psychologist and criminologist who sometimes works with Detective Patrick Shaughnessy as a consultant although his partner, Detective Lauren Marconi, has a bigger role in this book. Gretchen is a sociopath herself and Detective Shaughnessy believes she got away with murdering her aunt years ago. In the present time, 13-year-old Viola Kent has been accused of killing her mother and is awaiting trial.

This was a good book but the constant references to sociopath, psychopath and empath really put me off. These references mostly took place in Gretchen's thought processes and got very annoying after a while. The storyline is a bit convoluted with some back and forth in time with Viola's father Reed Kent, the disappearance 20 years ago of the father's ex-girlfriend, the relationships among the various characters, secrets kept by Viola's lawyer who has died of an overdose and coincidentally is a good friend of Gretchen's, and more. The resolution of the 20-year-old disappearance was almost non-existent and the whole thread just kind of petered out. There was a surprising twist at about 75% but be careful what you read ahead of time because once again I had looked at some reviews and one had a spoiler with no warning so it wasn't as much of a surprise as it should've been. I liked the character of Dr. Gretchen White as a whole and enjoyed her ascerbic wit and her repartee with Detective Lauren Marconi. Although I wasn't crazy about this book, I would probably read another book in this series as I believe it has potential. 3-1/2 stars, no rounding.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I thought that the book, was such a page turner. A truly great storline. I loved the book. The plot was very well written. I cannot wait to read another book by this author.

I really enjoyed this. I haven’t read any books where a sociopath is part of an investigative team that helps solves crimes. I really like the different perspective.

I loved this twisted tale. I was guessing the whole time. There were plenty of twists. If you are looking for something to read that will keep you guessing, this is definitely worth picking up.

i had a lot of fun reading this book, it was a great mystery novel with interesting characters. I enjoyed the psychological aspects.

This book was so fun to read! It had great suspense and mystery. The characters were all so intricately involved it was impossible for me to figure out who did what. There was murder involved and one person, a child, was accused. There was also a disappearance of a young woman from twenty years previously that might've given reason for a couple different people to have been involved, but who did the cases connect or did they? The surprise ending was definitely a surprise and I loved this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

A book more about sociopaths than the actual story.

Dr Gretchen White is a psychologist and criminologist specialising in violent crime. She assists Detective Patrick Shaughnessy as a consultant. Detective Shaughnessy uses her because although Gretchen is a sociopath herself and he believes that she got away with murdering her aunt years ago, she is brilliant at dealing with crimes committed by sociopaths and he feels that he can control any urges that she may have.

She must assist in a particularly violent murder. A 13-year-old girl with multiple problems of her own has been accused of killing her mother, Claire, and is awaiting trial. However, Gretchen is not sure that this murder is as straightforward as it seems.

As Gretchen and Detective Shaughnessy probe into this troubled family things become known, and I did think this had all the makings of a fascinating thriller. The book jumps about between the here and now and from the perspective of both Gretchen and Reed Kent who is the father. We are drawn into the problems with Viola from her early childhood and how Reed has struggled to suppress her attacks not only on himself but also on his younger sons.

However, the book is ruined for me by the constant references to Gretchen’s personality and the way she rates every person that she meets as a potential sociopath or empath as she calls people who understand her problems. This distracted me from the actual story which was full of twists and turns and kept me guessing throughout the book.

I would like to read the next book in this series but hope that now we know about Gretchen’s personality more emphasis will be put upon the actual story.


Dexter

Elite Book Group received a copy of the book to review

Very interesting plot, with a different view on how a psychopath might behave. I was confused a few times with the back and forth jumping of the timeline. But the mystery more than made up for it and in the end I enjoyed the book a lot.

Firsts Impressions

What called me to this one really was the premise, a sociopath solving crimes, you see this very little in thriller books in my opinion, usually it's just always the detective and that's that but, Gretchen added a spark in all this.

Being a domestic thriller is pretty easy to imagine this happening anywhere at any moment, it's very relatable even if you haven't lived it, so it helps to paint the picture.

Something I need to address here, is that at the beginning this one it's a slow burner so you need to be a little patient on that, but it has a very interesting plot.

Characters

Gretchen was instant like, she didn't hide her personality at all and in a way it's the same as everyone trying to reel the dark desires we have and being a sociopath and a psychologist damn winner combination on my book.

Marconi grow on me super fast, she made the book for me I hope to see more of her and Gretchen in the future they're dynamic its awesome.

Themes

Some of the themes I saw throughout the book well the obvious tension of having a psychopath on the house and it's consequences.

The appearance's most often than not can paint a very different picture inside than they do outside., leaving you to believe things that aren't as real.

Final Thoughts

By the end I was totally invested and wanted the story to continue right there, rotten apples can be anywhere and not even the best can be without one.

After the initial slow burn it was pretty cool and it leave you on the edge.

Dr. Gretchen White is a self proclaimed sociopath, who uses her knowledge of her inner workings to consult on cases with the local police department. When a case of a sociopathic teenager who has killed her mother, it seems like it is an open and shut case, but Gretchen sees more than just the facts of the case, she sees herself in Viola. If Viola is the scapegoat, who is the real murderer and what are they hiding?

This book goes between two narrators, Dr. Gretchen White, and Reed Kent, the father of Viola, the accused. From Gretchen's side, we see the procedural side of things, as she investigates the murder, and we see the personal side of things from Reed. Although I found it to be a bit slow, the book still kept my interest while I felt like I was being educated on the inner workings of a sociopath.

I recommend this book to people who like procedural type reads and psychological thrillers.

Thank you to the publisher for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I found this book to be an interesting ride - I found it had a captivating plot but found the timeline with the back and forth a little confusing and had a little too much filler for my taste. But the mystery itself was really strong which I enjoyed.

Dr. Gretchen White insists that she is a non-violent sociopath, but Detective Shaughnessy refuses to believe this. Dr. White is hired on occasion to help the police with their investigations when they suspect that a sociopath may be involved. Lauren Marconi is the new supervising detective in charge of Dr. White during the investigation of the brutal stabbing of prominent socialite, Claire Kent, by her budding sociopath daughter, Viola Kent.

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White and Marconi circle each other warily, but as the story progresses, Gretchen White has made another conquest of Detective Marconi - but not by using her naturally winning ways - because Gretchen has none! Instead, Marconi comes to respect Dr. White's intelligence and her desire to get to the bottom of this high profile case. The twist was a doozy: you would be excused for coming to one particular foregone conclusion, but in this case, it would be WRONG!

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I was a tad confused by the last chapter. I thought White was in favour of keeping a certain detainee behind bars because she was very sure that the detainee would eventually torture and kill someone. Instead, the story ends with one innocent person being martyred, while the other, more culpable and dangerous person is set free to be "watched closely.". Gretchen has no doubt that this person will eventually cause harm, and even the death, of another human being (the latter person being a rampant sociopath, and all!)

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Born to kill, as they say.

It took me forever to get through this book. I lost track of what was happening so many times, I've read certain passages at least 3 times. There was too much repetition, too many internal dialogues where Gretchen had to pull herself back from saying or doing a violent thing.

I could not connect with Gretchen: she is a bit of a show off. She knows she is uber-intelligent and never lets the reader forget this. She is "above" us empaths.

That was one heck of a startling twist at the end! The last chapter seemed to ramble on and on and on and on and on. Something about the author's writing style did not appeal to me. I wanted her to move on and stop embellishing each and every idea until she killed it with over-description. How many times was Gretchen going to repeat Lena's last words to her? Enough already!

I'm rating this one a 3 out of 5 stars. It had a great premise, and the author can write a decent sentence, but the overall story did not live up to the hype for me. I was so, so glad when I turned the final page! (The Kent men weren't the only one's being tortured in this story! I think I'm done with thrillers for a bit!)

A Familiar Sight by Brianna Labuskes is a slow burn with a shock and awe ending!

A shocking murder carries echoes of the past for a psychologist in a startling novel of suspense by a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author.

A Familiar Sight by Brianna Labuskes was BRILLIANT! This was my first read by this author but definitely will not be my last.

The main character Dr. Gretchen White, although a diagnosed sociopath, is relatable and oh so interesting. I love that we are able to get glimpes into her brain and what makes her tick. She is highly intelligent and lives and breathes these cases using parts of them as a way to feed her 'demon' inside and hold it at bay. Being a criminologist and psychologist, she assists Detective Patrick Shaughnessy in profiling and apprehending killers. Their relationship is an interesting one and absolutely one that I loved and felt the connection.

In this particular case, Gretchen identifies with the accused, Viola. In order to determine whether Viola is the killer or a scapegoat being used to protect someone else, Gretchen has to delve into the life of her friend's past and present as well as those closest to her friend. She puts her life on hold in an attempt to solve this case.

The volley between past and present is something I thoroughly enjoyed as it really paints a full picture in my mind of how events in the past were linked to the case

I definitely did not expect the outcome of the book and was blown away! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a delicious, slow burn thriller with a shock and awe ending.

Special thanks to Brianna Labuskes, Netgalley and Amazon publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In A Familiar Sight, a non-violent psychopath, Dr Gretchen White consults for the police as a Psychologist and Criminologist as she knows what's going on in killer's minds. Detective Patrick Shaughnessy is leading on a new case in Boston. Viola Kent is arrested for murdering her mum but has the teenager really committed the heinous crime as everyone believes, or is she being fitted up and made a scapegoat?

This is was the first instalment in a brand new series and I thoroughly enjoyed it for its uniqueness. The plot was terrifically good, it was swiftly paced and I rather liked Gretchen who I found to be quirky and fascinating. This was unambiguously a 'just one more chapter' read for me and there were new revelations at every turn. I was constantly changing my opinion of what was going down with each character and the conclusion caught me unawares. I will be waiting in the queue for book two, What Can't Be Seen!

Disclosure: Thank you to Thomas and Mercer for providing a digital ARC of A Familiar Sight by Brianna Labuskes via Netgalley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I'm glad to see this is the first book in a series because it's not often we get a sociopath for the main character. Gretchen is definitely interesting and I found myself wondering throughout the book whether she really killed her aunt. Is she really a sociopath or is she playing up that persona for her own enjoyment?

The first part of the book was slow moving for me. Lots of characters, different time frames, lots of things to figure out. As I got into the flow of the book, I became more interested and finally reached that 'can't put it down' stage.

Everyone was a suspect but I did figure out 'whodunnit' before the reveal - - but there were plenty of other surprises. Overall, a good thriller.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Psychological Thriller

Gretchen is no stranger to the closed off and non-empathetic. She thrives on it. But when she is faced with her friend's death, a case that intrigues her and a few detectives who, begrudgingly know she's worth it, Gretchen dives into a teenage mind as twisted as her own.

This is a case of who did it, who deserves what. and will there be justice? You'll be pulled into the lives of each character and see how they ended up where they are within the current story. The format of this book isn't my favorite. It jumps back and forth between the then and now. And while it does give great context, I just have a more difficult time with this format.

You'll want to see justice, but also see that nobody else can get hurt. Gretchen will struggle with her own impulses and need to tease out the truth from everyone who has something to gain by lying.

In this game of cat and mouse, the mouse ends up with the power and the cat is just along for the ride. I'm intrigued to see what comes next.

Triggers: Abuse of animals, Abuse of people

I liked this one eventually .I like this author and have read and enjoyed several others, but this one just didn't quite do it at first. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, and there were a LOT, I kept going though. Glad I did, as I totally got into the Gretchen/Marconi back and forth! I could not wait to see what would be next with them! As a result, I totally got into the story and ended up really enjoying it. It was really interesting being in Gretchen's head. All in all, a nice mystery and good story.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Brianna Labuskes and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC.

This is an interesting one. Gretchen knows she's a sociopath but she's not a violent one. She finds herself wrapped into a sad and difficult case when her friend, an attorney, dies, leaving her a message that her client, Viola is innocent. Gretchen must look not only at the present but also a cold case to find answers. I''d like to see more with her. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of psychological thrillers.

The first in a new series, A Familiar Sight by Brianna Labuskes introduces Doctor Gretchen White. She is a psychologist and criminologist specialising in violent crime. She assists Detective Patrick Shaughnessy of Boston PD as a consultant, who believes she is a sociopath who got away with her aunt’s murder. When a lawyer friend in a high-profile case is discovered dead, Gretchen investigates. The people involved and a twenty-year-old disappearance intrigue her. Psychologically, Dr White gets motivation but emotions escape her, yet she solves mysteries like no one else can. This latest case has striking similarities to her own life and is a scintillating read with a wonderful new hero. It’s a must-read and can’t wait for the next instalment – five-star rating for those who enjoy cogent mysteries. With thanks to Thomas & Mercer and the author for an uncorrected proof copy for review purposes.