I’m of two minds about this one. I found the plot compelling and was curious as to how it would end, but at times the writing was plodding, almost tediously so. It took me more than a week to finish to this one, as I kept picking up other books. I returned to it, because I wanted to see how it would end.

However, I’m more impressed than not with this one - while there are some obvious issues within the writing and details, the plot is a winning one and I enjoyed the rapport between the main female characters; it seemed a nod to the Rizzoli and Isles series.

I do plan on reading the second novel in the Gretchen White series when it comes out.


Special thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this novel. All opinions shared are influenced by nothing other than my own reading experience.

I’m speechless. A riveting storyline with intelligent characters. The story alternates between Reed and Gretchen. Reed’s part bounces around in the past as it comes together we get more pieces. Gretchen is a riot in a quirky-yet-I-admire-her sort of way. There really isn’t anything I could say about the story that wouldn’t giving something away. It was one of the best thrillers/mysteries I read in a long time. My copy was given through Netgalley and I’ve provided my review voluntarily.

Psychopaths, sociopaths, or whatever label is applied, often lead to interesting stories that don’t necessarily move quickly, but unfold in unique ways. In this “it takes on to know one” story, the reader is kept guessing.

I love books told from the perspective of a psychopath/sociopath (hello, Jane Doe & You), so once I got past the somewhat bonkers premise of this one — suspected murderer and admitted sociopath Dr. Gretchen White works with the Boston PD to solve crimes — I was into it. I loved the setup with baby psychopath Viola and all of Gretchen's disparaging comments about the "empathics".

The pace got a little draggy towards the end, but I loved the twists and conclusion and can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

I just met my new favorite sociopath,! Dr Gretchen White, assists the police in particularly gruesome crimes and feeds her needs feasting on thr gruesome details. A woman with no filters, she speaks her mind and is that mind clever, devious and entertaining? Oh yes, did I mention she might be a killer too? According to the detective she works with, Gretchen killed her aunt when she was a child. Plus, this is a great mystery, past paced, twisty and deliciously deceptive. The first in a new series (yay) Labuskes goes to great lengths to explain the differences between sociopaths and ‘empathas’ as she calls the non sociopaths. I get it, she needs to show what the norm is for Gretchen but i hope she drops the repetitive mentions in number 2 which I can’t wait to read!

3.5
A Familiar Sight, by Brianna Labuskes, is a compelling read featuring a fascinating criminologist, Dr. Gretchen White, who consults with the Boston P.D. on difficult murder cases. She is also a professed sociopath who then is also able to “connect” better with other suspects and criminals with personality disorders. The other main characters in the book, detectives Shaughnessy and Marconi, are ordinary people with their own personal problems but who counterbalance the intensity of Dr. White’s character.
Sometimes fascinating, the psychology of all the characters and their actions is often over-explained and analyzed. The jump in timelines, from present to different moments in the past, was at times confusing.
I have enjoyed several of Ms. Labuskes’ previous thrillers and appreciate her very descriptive writing skills. This novel just did not grab me as her others did. But I will definitely look forward to this author’s forthcoming books.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

This story bounces back and forth between then and now, which helps me understand what is going on, though it also makes my head spins trying to figure out who is the real villain. I find the characters engaging and the story riveting. A good mystery read.

This was hard to put down, with an interesting perspective. I didn't love the backward timeline but it ended up working pretty well for the story. Our main character, Gretchen, was really quite unlikeable in many ways (for example, endangering innocent bystanders through her reckless driving, and her misuse and overuse of the word "empath") but I still found myself rooting for her to figure out her puzzle, despite a really stupid error she made that was finally fixed almost at the very end. I felt like there were a couple of holes but maybe I just read it too fast and missed a detail here or there.

This is my first book by this author. The writing was solid and I would definitely read more.

I always find the first book in what is going to be a series a little repetitive as its characters find their groove. I hope Labuskes does not hammer Gretchen's sociopathy in every single book. We get it, she's like that but not.

I'm definitely up for a second Dr. Gretchen White. Aside from that repetition I enjoyed it a lot.

This was a surprise. I found myself completely engrossed in this story, irritated by any little interruption that pulled me from it! I found the main character fascinating. I loved her POV and how she called norms "empaths". She was quirky and sassy and I liked her.

I was so pulled in to the story I didn't even try to solve it. And the ending was such a huge surprise. Well written, well paced and with fun and interesting characters. I loved this one, so glad I gave it a try!

<i>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.</i>

This book is definitely different, and could have been interesting if it weren't for the jumping around, the long rantings, the repetitions and the absurdity of it all. Not my kind of book.

This is a murder mystery with many layers to it. Gretchen is a criminologist who is a sociopath who is potentially still suspected of killing her aunt. She's called in to help on a case where young Viola is accused of killing her mother. Because Gretchen is familiar with Viola's situation, she digs and explores lots of different options while she is solving the case.
The story line takes a little work to follow. One chapter will be present day, and then the next chapter is prior to the murder, at varying point of time. It took me a few chapters to keep all of the characters straight.

This is a title I received when I want on a request and download ARC spree and then questioned myself once I downloaded this particular title. I felt like I got too trigger happy. Does anyone else do this? Anyway, I started having second-thoughts because I questioned if I really wanted to read a suspense novel where the main character is a sociopath. But apparently my subconscious, ARC-downloading self knew what it was doing when it picked this one because it was an excellent read. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.

This is a well-executed thriller where the twists are not particularly obvious and the main character is absolutely interesting and somehow still-likable despite her cruel tendencies. I was completely fascinated by this read. Granted, it is a dark one, but it is completely gripping. I assume this is the start of a series and I definitely am intrigued enough that I want to learn more about Dr. Gretchen White (our main protagonist) and see the mysteries she solves from here forward. I would say that is a pretty good indicator of a future compelling series. I am strapped in for this ride.

So, to wrap this up, if the summary is putting you off slightly, I would say not to let it. This one may surprise you. Here lies a fascinating thriller, characters that will make you think, and compelling twists that will make this hard to put down.

This book was super creepy, I’m not sure if it was in a good way or bad yet but I really liked it. Excellent read and I will look for more by this author. This book will probably be one that people either love or hate.

I'm afraid, despite the clever premise of a sociopath who helps the police and a young girl who has (supposedly) killed her mother; this wasn't a book for me.

It started well, with quite interesting characters, but, very quickly seemed to lose it's way and become confusing.

I honestly tried to stick with it, but, I just found it to be a tedious, boring read I'm afraid. I won't be widely publicising this feedback as I very much hope it finds it's audience, but, not me.

Thanks for the opportunity to preview.

Unpopular opinion — DNF at 55%. I found the layout and number of characters confusing and difficult to follow

Gretchen White is a sociopath. At eight years old, she was the main suspect in the murder of her aunt, and Boston Detective Patrick Shaughnessy still thinks she got away with murder. Now an adult with advanced degrees in psychology, statistics, and criminology, Gretchen satisfies her "interests" by being a consultant to the Boston Police Department. She's worked (and solved) enough cases with Shaughnessy that they know each other well.

White is asked to consult on the department's latest high profile case, the murder of Claire Kent. Claire (from a very rich and powerful family) was married to Reed, and mother to Viola, 13, Sebastion, and Milo. Viola, a budding psychopath with a long history of violence, terrorism and manipulation, has been charged with her mother's murder after the weapon was found in her room. Everyone is convinced that the case is solved except Gretchen.

With new detective Lauren Marconi assigned to "stick with" Gretchen to make sure she stays within the lines so to speak, Gretchen finds that the assumed guilt of Viola has created gaping holes in the investigation. The more she looks into the case, the more possible suspects come to light. Who really killed Claire Kent, and why?

This is one fantastic read!! I don't often give five stars, but this novel earns every one of them. I truly enjoyed every moment I spent with this book and am already looking forward to the second book in this new series. The author was unknown to me (so many books, so little time!) when I started reading, and she absolutely blew me away with the intricate storyline, unexpected and clever twists and turns, and the complex characters.

Two of the things I enjoyed most about this book (and there are so many great things!) is the way Labuskes vividly paints the characters and their relationships layer by layer so that each one seems very realistic. I also enjoyed her skilled usage of time in the novel, alternating chapters which take readers through quite an array of points of time as related to Claire's murder, with those set in the present.

If you like mysteries, you won't want to miss this book. It's one of the best books I've read this year.

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for permitting me access to an e-copy of this book which is scheduled to come out in paperback on 8/1/21. All opinions and any errors stated in this review are my own.

A Familiar Sight is a complicated story of a child they think is a psychopath destined to commit murder. There are many twists to the story and there are more victims uncovered as the story goes forward. Claire was murdered and everyone suspects and suspects Viola, Claire's daughter, but there isn't enough evidence to prove it. When interviewed by Gretchen another psychopath (non-violent) Claire talks in code which Gretchen understands, and admits to the murder although Gretchen does not believe her.

The story is told from two points of view, Reed (Claire's husband and Gretchen. It also goes back and forth in time telling you bits and pieces of the story. You will change your mind repeatedly about who actually murdered Claire.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me to read this arc. The beginning really drew me it-what a great premise, a self-proclaimed sociopath once accused of murder is helping the police investigating a murder. The writing was good, but I found that the past timelines jumped around so it was hard to keep track of what happened when. In the end,, they all came together and made perfect sense, but it made for some confusing reading. I admit I lost interest a couple of times early on, but i'm glad I didn't give up because the ending was dynamite. I am so glad I read this book and I can't wait for the next book in this series.

I only have one word for this book....WOW! What did I just read? This book is so intense, gripping that the ending actually left me speechless!

This book is the first book of the Dr. Gretchen White series--Gretchen has identified herself as a sociopath and years later, she almost became a suspect of her aunt's murder case and still, her colleague, Shaughnessy believes that she was behind her aunt's murder. So when a high profile murder case lands on her desk with her friend Lena committing suicide, Gretchen along with another Detective Marconi investigates the case. The suspect was a girl named Viola Kent, a thirteen year old with a history of violent tendencies ranging from harming her brothers to hiding dead birds in the garage, was accused of stabbing her mother Claire numerous times. When Lena committed suicide, she has left a note to Gretchen saying Viola was like Gretchen--that she was innocent. Is Viola really innocent and is used as a scapegoat? If so, who is the real murderer.

The plot to me sounded interesting and intriguing to me--the story divides between Now which involves Gretchen and Marconi to the past spanning between the years with Reed Kent sharing his perspectives. The story was fast paced, a plus sign for a good thriller in my opinion with lots of twists and turns that makes you wonder, who really is the murderer. When reaching towards the end, it got more and more intense that I was so hooked into the story and couldn't wait to see who is the real culprit!!! The ending was--WOW, didn't expect that type of ending. I had such a roller coaster ride with this book that I actually enjoyed reading this book! The book mainly talks about power, social status as well as abuse which makes it both disturbing and interesting to read at times. In my opinion, the characters to me are a bit complex and intense, and to me, Gretchen seem to be an interesting character. I also like how the friendship and relationship developed between Gretchen and Marconi.

Overall, this is a fast paced thrilled packed with unexpected twists and turns with an ending that will leave you speechless--worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC--the review is based on my honest opinion only.