Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley, Brianna Labuskes and Thomas & Mercer for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.
I really love the first chapter of this book so much - just such a good opener. I really enjoyed the plot on this one and how much I wanted more Gretchen and her life. Definitely a nice paced thrilling novel!
The third book of this series is truly the best of all.
Why? Cause it is completely different. Have a vibe I have not expected and the plot that definitely change the way I see the main character and discover her inner features. Gretchen has a chance to show us what is really hidden inside her head, the way she see the worlds, relations. This can surprise even herself.
Laura Marconi, the detective she works close with, is accused of cold-hearted murder. Sounds unbelievable? Kinda, but Laura confessed to do it and ask Gretchen to not investigate and just accept it. White does not let bad things happen to her only friend and despite that, starts asking questions and led the case herself, not in the official way, but definitely more effective.
The truth about Laura, her life, previous experiences and reasons why she did some things, may be a huge surpise not only to Gretchen, but also for any reader immersing themselves into this story.
Unpredictable, brilliant, piece of art! 5/5
Although I haven’t read any others in the series I was able to jump right into this one and it really hit all the right spots for me. I love the dual timelines and the multiple POV’s so I was sucked right in. The characters felt so real, I find in some thrillers I’m questioning every decision the characters make cause it feels so forced but Gretchen and Marconi felt so natural and worked so well together. Over all I loved this book, the twists and diving deep into the characters. I’ll be checking out Brianna’s other books for sure!
This was an awesome thriller by Brianna Labuskes!!! If you enjoy mysteries and murder then you will like this book!!! Read and enjoy!!!
I didn't realize that this was part of a series when I requested it, and now that I have finished this one, I'm eager to read the earlier novels in the series. We are following Dr. Gretchen White as she looks into the potential murder caused by her detective acquaintance Lauren Marconi. What I will say is that Gretchen is not a force to be reconned with! This story was very well crafted and paced, even if the ending was a bit over the top and far fetched. But all in all, a fantastic read from Brianna Labuskes! Thanks for the published for this advanced copy in exchange for my review.
Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Brianna Labuskes for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The third book in the Dr. Gretchen White series, I’m also thinking the last but I’m not sure? I read the first two books in this series and rated both five stars. You can read this book as a stand-alone and understand it or read the two pervious books for further depth.
Gretchen is a sociopath, dark and gritty in the best ways. I love the unique point of view this offers. This book also has interesting side characters with loads of witty banter as well as multiple POVs.
I’ll be honest this was my least favourite out of all of the books in this series. It felt repetitive for the first 100 some pages and I was a little sad when Marconi was taken out of the story because she and Gretchen’s banter was possibly the best parts of book one and two. But it was interesting to see insight into what made Marconi tick.
I saw the ending of this book coming and for some reason it didn’t grip me as much as the first two. But I still enjoyed it.
"See It End" by Brianna Labuskes is an absolute gem! This gripping book combines gritty subject matter, authentic characters, and an addictive plot that had me hooked from start to finish. Dr. Gretchen White, the protagonist, evolves beautifully, showcasing both her sociopathic traits and unexpected empathy.
The witty banter between Gretchen and Lachlan, Lauren's boyfriend, brings a delightful touch of humor. Labuskes masterfully weaves twists and turns, revealing monsters lurking in the shadows. The climactic ending tied up the series perfectly, though I'm left hoping for more. A must-read for crime fiction and psychological thriller enthusiasts, Labuskes' work is pure brilliance. Don't miss out!
I didn't read the first two of this series but I was not confused at any point so this can be read as a standalone (in my opinion), but I do want to read the first two that I am now curious about.
I enjoyed this one, thought it was well written, gripping at times, with a twist or two I did not see coming.
Holy guacamole! I honestly think See It End was the best I’ve read by Brianna Labuskes. And that’s saying something. A sobering mix of a hard-hitting, gritty subject matter and flawed but genuine characters, which was completely spellbinding, I’m going to truly miss see Gretchen White if this is indeed the last of the series.
Perhaps my favorite part of this entire series, though, was the main character. While I had already fallen in love with Gretchen’s straight-forward, near emotionlessness ways in the previous two books, this one showed a side to her that I was surprised by, a core of empathy (tinged with her trademark sociopathic ways, of course). On top of her sharp tongue and cutting remarks, she actually cared what happened to Lauren, and not simply to keep her as her metaphorical guardrail. This rounded out her character into one that I can easily say is my favorite of any I’ve read without a doubt.
I have not read the previous books in the series but I did not have problems in understanding See It End. This is a must-read for those who enjoy thrillers. The story is full of action, well-written, and keeps the reader cheering for the good guys till the end. Dr. Gretchen is also one of a kind character, loved it! She is fearsome, and may be reckless but get the necessary results!
I thank Ms. Labuskes, her publisher, and NetGalley for this amazing read.
First of all, this is book 3 in the Gretchen White series, but you don’t need to have read the previous two. I didn’t, but the author gives enough information that I hadn’t realized it was book 3.
Detective Lauren Marconi is caught red handed with murder. Literally. She has blood on her hands. Lauren doesn’t remember the murder, but she must have done it right? Dr Gretchen White can’t believe it. She knows Lauren. Gretchen gets with Lachlan, from internal affairs and Lauren’s boyfriend.
Sounds predictable right? The only thing predictable here is that you will be wrong!
So good, lost of twists as the author adds more information. I gotta get the first two books in the series!
RECOMMEND
My first foray in Dr Gretchen White's world and wow, I'm definitely returning back for more! The characters were intense and the storyline had me so invested throughout, especially with all the unexpected twists! The audiobook narration was fabulous too. Definitely a good pick for all the thriller lovers!
See it End - Brianna Labuskes
MANY thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this highly enjoyable police procedural thriller.
The novel opens as Detective Marconi is arrested for murder while there is a DA in office excited to discover wrongdoing in the police department.
Enter the wonderful Dr. Gretchen White, a sociopath who works harder than most people do to do the right thing (or she at least works much harder than most to stop herself from doing the obviously WRONG thing).
Dr. White quickly becomes Marconi's best advocate, working diligently to prove her friend could not be responsible for a cold-blooded murder.
Lordy, I didn't realize how much I MISSED Gretchen White until I encountered her again, it was like the warm and happy reminiscent feeling you get when you bump into an old friend, I immediately recognized her and remembered details from earlier encounters
Thank you, dear author for the perfect book at the right time, just when I sorely needed an entertaining vacation from reality.
As far as I am concerned, See It End by Brianna Labuskes is the best book yet in the Dr. Gretchen White series, and it was so full of twists and turns that it left my head spinning! In this installment, Gretchen's friend and kind-of partner Detective Lauren Marconi is accused of murder and Gretchen is convinced she is innocent, so she is on the hunt to prove it. This means we take a deep dive into Marconi's past, specifically the disappearance of someone very close to her. There were a lot of moving parts, but it was never hard to keep track of even with viewpoints switching between Gretchen, Martha, and Lauren in the past. Labuskes did an excellent job of building suspense throughout the book and packed in plenty of action as well.
This time the audiobook is narrated solely by Kate Marcin due to having 3 female viewpoints, and while she doesn't really differentiate with her voice in between them all, I still loved having her as the narrator and I was fine with it. These characters are all so different as they are written that it isn't hard to follow along with which viewpoint you are in even with one narrator. I am not even exaggerating when I say See It End shook me to my core and for me, it was also one of the most emotional storylines of the series. Lauren and Gretchen are both whip-smart and self-assured, and definitely 2 of my favorite fictional characters. I highly recommend this entire series, especially in order, if you enjoy getting to know individual characters very well and suspenseful mysteries that make sense.
At first, I wasn't really sure i liked the main character, Gretchen, enough to continue reading the book. Clearly, she's more than a bit difficult and has some issues getting along with others. Perhaps, that's what made the book more intriguing as the plot carefully ensnared me and I found myself picking the story back up whenever I could fit in a few minutes to continue reading.
I honestly found myself totally outwitted by the story. The plot was extremely well woven with one theory of how the events unfolded carefully considered, and then found to not be true. By the time the book was almost over, I had figured out some of it, but there were still surprises in store.
And, by the end, I also came to feel a grudging respect for Gretchen.
Firsts Impressions
On this ending of the trilogy, we had some nerve wracking twists and lots of thinking to do to discover the culprit, but it was so nice to come back to Gretchen and Marconi, they're amazing.
It was very confusing at first since we did had a few new faces to deal with and the mystery seemed so peculiar in a way, and there were so many twists that I had to think very hard.
We go from a good standing from the last book to a total disaster at the beginning of the book, but that hooked me very fast.
Characters
We had out usual suspects and a few new ones, i think in this one the characters and their development where more intriguing and complex than the previous books.
There were a lot of information left unsaid in the worst moments really leaving us with more questions at some points but it did move forward the plot with it ever so slightly in the wrong direction.
And I have to say that the chase that was going on was wild but so ever enthralling that it kept me coming back to see what else they were going to discover next.
Themes
We had a few hard tones on the book, children kidnapping and deaths, ambiguous beliefs and wrong assumptions.
Final Thoughts
By the end I was surprised but elated with the development that went down, Gretchen was amazing in this book, I do hope to see more of her maybe in another time.
It was delightfully dark and knotty, truly a masterpiece for thriller seekers, I wasn't able to put it down.
Holy guacamole! I honestly think See It End was the best I’ve read by Brianna Labuskes. And that’s saying something. A sobering mix of a hard-hitting, gritty subject matter and flawed but genuine characters, which was completely spellbinding, I’m going to truly miss see Gretchen White if this is indeed the last of the series.
Perhaps my favorite part of this entire series, though, was the main character. While I had already fallen in love with Gretchen’s straight-forward, near emotionlessness ways in the previous two books, this one showed a side to her that I was surprised by, a core of empathy (tinged with her trademark sociopathic ways, of course). On top of her sharp tongue and cutting remarks, she actually cared what happened to Lauren, and not simply to keep her as her metaphorical guardrail. This rounded out her character into one that I can easily say is my favorite of any I’ve read without a doubt.
But she’s not, by any means, the only strong character in this addictive, potential slump destroying novel. When I discovered that Lauren, while playing a central role to the plot, would not actually an active participant, I feared that the hallmark dry, sarcastic humor would be missing. Considering this was also one of my favorite attributes in Labuskes novels (it happily isn’t limited to this series), I was overjoyed to find it replicated within the relationship between Lachlan and Gretchen. Outside of Lachlan, who was a delightful foil to our dear sociopath, the various other characters were brilliantly drawn and left me fully satisfied. And, despite the rather large cast, I wasn’t confused or lost once. Boisterous hand clapping for that one.
And then there were the twists. With each one, the story morphed into a more complex, mind-boggling creature that revealed monster after monster and left me reeling. But only in the best possible way, of course. Topping off this incredible feat was the kiss-worthy climax that was riveting without being over-the-top in the slightest. Quite the master stroke, to be sure. The only aspect I didn’t love was the ending. Not that it was lacking in any way, but because it wrapped up the whole series so well that I have a sinking feeling that I won’t be lucky enough to read a fourth book in the Dr. Gretchen White series. Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong.
All said and done, I couldn’t have fallen more in love with a book if I tried. I mean, I couldn’t even guess who the murderer was. And I took notes! Equal parts crime fiction and psychological thriller, it began with a slow burn start which was only transformed into a rip roaring inferno of suspense. Even when I thought I’d put all the pieces together and worked out the who’s, the what’s, and the why’s, I found myself shocked by the conclusion as nothing is as it seems in this dialogue-driven, sweaty palms inducing, mindgame of a book. If you haven’t picked up a novel by Brianna Labuskes yet, this is your bullhorn of a suggestion to grab one as soon as you can. You won’t be disappointed. Rating of 5+ stars.
Meh, just ok. I really had to push to finish this one. I think my mood has effected my reading. I will probably re read this in a different time.
An amazing read. I simply couldn't stop reading. The perfect suspense builder where I could not guess what would happen
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
“See It End” is the third novel in the “Dr. Gretchen White” series, by author Brianna Labuskes. As a criminologist, psychologist and certified sociopath, Gretchen has consulted on many police investigations. Using her instinct, her experience and her knowledge, there are some cases that only White can help solve. In the newest novel, White’s partner in the police force, Lauren Marconi, is arrested for a grisly murder but Gretchen seems to be the only person who knows Lauren is innocent. Forced to team up with Lauren’s partner, IA officer Lachlan Gibbs, Gretchen has more on the line than ever as she works to save her closest, and only, friend.
“See It End” is the first novel I’ve read by Labuskes, so I jumped into the Gretchen White series completely blind, without background knowledge of the characters. I was completely intrigued by the sociopath criminologist that is Dr. White, and when combined with a murder investigation police procedural? I couldn’t turn it down. That being said, I do regret not reading the other novels in the series. Although this novel was not completely unreadable, I struggled to keep up with the complicated character relationships that had been developed in the other novels.
I enjoyed the character of Gretchen, as I knew I would, and the plot was gripping and entertaining. The story is told by both Gretchen and Lauren (as well as another woman named Martha who is integral to the plot), in both the past (before Lauren is arrested) and the present. As the story develops, I found it easier to follow the plotline and was even able to relate to the female protagonists. The ending was solid, with a few openings for future novels in the series, as you’d expect.
The male suspects (Grant and Owen) had an intricate and confusing relationship, and I found the plotline with these two individuals challenging to follow. I am not sure if they were around in the other novels, but it didn’t seem like it. Labuskes seemed to throw Owen in to distract readers from the real killer, but then had to make up a complicated and detailed storyline to make him fit.
Overall, Labuskes has creativity and ingenuity when it comes to plot development, and “See It End” was able to keep me engaged through to the end, even without reading the previous novels. This is one of those stories which is far more entertaining to those who have read the series in its complete and proper order. I will, however, gladly take a chance on Labuskes again, without regret.