Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse cases. One of her clients goes missing, and as Naomi gets pulled into the investigation, she realizes he is not the person she thought he was.

The Blame Game is a character-driven domestic noir/thriller. It's a slow-burn read, taking it's time to get to know Naomi and ramping up for an exciting ending. If you enjoy this genre, you will enjoy The Blame Game.

Note: I've seen some people give lower reviews because Naomi has terrible boundaries as a psychologist, and they say that makes this read totally unrealistic. I agree she has terrible boundaries (and in real life she would lose her license IF she were reported), but 1. this is a work of fiction and 2. her terrible boundaries are needed for the plot of this book. If you are looking for more realism, it may be that fictional domestic noir thrillers are just not your literary cuppa.

Despite this one being short and getting straight to the plot, I found myself having so many questions in the end. I also thought the ending was a little rushed. However, I did enjoy the characters and felt that they were really developed. A slow burn, but unfortunately didn’t do it for me!

Psychologist getting too involved in their patients sorted lives and now is in danger? Sign me up! Perfect for people who liked Silent Patient, Golden Couple and An Anonymous Girl. A fast paced page-turner, prepare to stay up late finishing it!

After reading The Other Woman I was really excited to be chosen to read this book as well. And, while I didn't enjoy it quite as much, it was a solid read. The end is what threw me for a loop and I didn't enjoy it really.

There were aspects that felt forced to me. Some things just seemed a little far fetched and I didn't care for how the investigation was handled. It doesn't mean I won't read anything else by her - sometimes books just resound differently with people. This was just not a hit for me.

This book is a complete mess. The main character is a therapist with zero professional boundaries who invites troubled clients into her home despite the threat to her own marriage. There is a lot of confusing backstory, characters who are not relatable, and an ending that gives no resolution.

I’ve been a big fan of Sandie Jones for awhile now and have read three or four other books by her. This one was fairly different but still focuses on family dynamics. There were some great twists and turns in this story that kept me reading. I would highly recommend this one to everyone.

This is the 3rd book I've read by this author, and it is just as good as the rest. It started off intriguing, wondering what was going to happen. There were several chapters that had me saying "What?!?!?" at the end, which of course forced me to continue reading. The ending was fast, and at times very confusing, but push through and it will all be cleared up in the end. I'd recommend this to thriller readers.

This one kept me interested. I wanted to find out who was out to get Naomi and why. The ending wasn’t my favorite part; I think there were a lot of red herrings which had me excited for a different ending.

Overall, I’d go with 3.5 rounded up because I stayed intrigued.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

In order for a book to receive 4 or 5 stars from me, it has to hit certain marks for me:
Unique or Interesting Plot
Unpredictable Ending (or at least a plausible ending)
Likable Characters
Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me with its totally unlikable characters and it’s implausible plot. So much just did not add up and it was infuriating to read. I do like the author and have read a few of her books and enjoyed them but this one I struggled to finish.

This book was so much fun! I flew through it in a day. This psychological thriller will keep you guessing whether our narrator isn’t as reliable as she seems or if there’s a big conspiracy going on it. I can’t wait to read more from Sandie Jones. I gave this book 3 stars instead of 4, because I was able to guess the big plot twist. I still found the read very enjoyable though.

Quick read, but not one that I’d go back and read again. What I did like were the suspenseful twists along the way, but I felt like the story was a little confusing. Looking forward to another Sandie Jones book! Thanks to #NetGalley for this ARC. #TheBlameGame

This book was interesting and very well-written. I would likely want to read more from this author and will recommend this to friends.

I loved this book. Possibly my favorite of hers so far! The characters were so well developed and the story kept me guessing the whole way through!

Naomi is a psychologist who specializes in domestic abuse victims and has a tendency to over-extend herself to many of her patients which sometimes get her into trouble with her husband who can't seem to understand why his wife can't separate her heart from her business. Many times Naomi might be crossing the line with some of her ethical boundaries but she is willing to take that risk if it will.help her patients get out of possible deadly situations.

When a patient named Jacob needs some extra help, Naomi again steps in to hopefully save her patient which is really putting a strain on her marriage and soon after Jacob become a missing person and you'll never guess who becomes a number one suspect! Naomi, Naomi, what are you doing or is it what have you done?

This was another book that was hard to out down since it was delightfully entertaining and enjoyable. A fast read to be sure. There is something special about "Sandie Jones" writing that has me fully engaged from beginning to end with unexpected twists and turns. Now, don't expect a story about realism or you might be disappointed but if the reader just accepts the book for want it is which is a domestic/thriller and a whole lot of fun even though it is written as a serious drama, I'm sure most people will love the book. This is my second novel written by "Sandie Jones" and I hope to read many more of her books and I highly recommend this author.

I want to thank k the publisher "St. Martin's Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital copy and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this entertaining book a rating of 4 DELICIOUSLY DECEPTIVE 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

OK, so I’m going to say this again for the foolish authors in the back: STOP WRITING FEMALE CHARACTERS THAT ARE STUPID AND UNRELIABLE! Just stop. I would give this book negative 5 stars for the female characterization alone. Add to that the fact that literally nothing in the story made sense. An unethical, overly involved therapist gets herself involved in a “situation” with a patient and when things get crazy, she starts lying and lying rather than being honest. There are multiple storylines that never tie together and the epilogue is just a steaming dumpster fire.

This review was also published on Goodreads.

I feel like the psychologist and domestic abuse situation is slightly overdone in the thriller realm right now but at least this one was good. I took off a star because I don't feel like this is unique but I still rated it highly because I would recommend reading it anyways. It is captivating and entertaining from the moment you pick up the book.

This again was a great work of art By Sandie Jones! She continues to throw twists and turns that I feel I get figured out then she surprises me again! I loved the setting in this book and fell in love with some of the characters. She will forever be an auto buy from me!

Naomi feels frustrated. She wants to help her patient, Jacob, but she knows her husband, Leon, won’t want her to get involved. As a psychologist, Naomi knows she is there to listen and to guide the patient toward resolving his problems. His problem is his wife is quite abusive. She has been mentally and physically beating him up for ten years and poor Jacob sounds desperate. Despite her misgivings, Naomi offers him a flat she and Leon own but aren’t using. Jacob can stay there for a while, clear his head, and move on with his life.
Anna is also in an abusive relationship. More than once, Naomi has seen bruises on Anna’s arms. Anna wants to work toward a better marriage. She has two small children and doesn’t want them growing up homeless. As a psychologist who specializes in abusive relationships, Naomi doesn’t believe Anna’s marriage can be saved.
Strange things begin to happen. Naomi’s office is broken into and a file is missing. A few days later, the file miraculously appears. Then Jacob goes missing and there is blood found in the flat she lent to him. The police question her about a man named Michael but she doesn’t have any patients named Michael. Her husband is acting odd like he is jealous, but of who? Naomi feels like she is losing her mind!

I love Sandie Jones! Her books always have me on the edge of my seat. This one was her best psycholo-gical thriller yet! Sandie is very good at leaving her clues subtlety so the reader most likely misses them. I know I did until I began to get suspicious close to the very end. I found the ending stunning! Kudos Sandie – you keep writing and I’ll keep reading. Readers of B. A. Paris and Alice Feeney will love this book.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for an honest review.


The Blame Game just wasnt a fav. for me. The plot did interest me but I didn't care for or liked any of the characters. The MC is a psychotherapist professional and has her business office in her home. But what bother me was that she wasn't professional at all and was making ethically bad decisions throughout the whole book. A client goes missing and everything becomes a muddled mess. What I did enjoy was that this was an easy fastpaced read and I still wanted to know what had happened.

𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀: The Blame Game
𝒜𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇: Sandie Jones
𝒢𝑒𝓃𝓇𝑒: Mystery
𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 3 stars
𝒫𝓊𝒷 𝒟𝒶𝓎: Out now!

The plot of this book pulls you in immediately! A psychiatrist lacking whose lack boundaries with her clients gets her into some sticky situations! It is a page turner and I read it in two sittings. I would have given it another star, but the ending felt rushed and lackluster. I also felt it lacked character development for both the protagonist and the antagonists. I think that if some of those things were expanded on more, this could have easily been a 5 star book. I wanted more! I wanted more because it was well written and enticing. I will remain a Sandie Jones fan and snatch up her new releases year after year! 🥰
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur books for this ARC.