I don’t know why this isn’t getting more five stars because I absolutely loved this. Maybe I give out five stars too easily I don’t know, but It was gripping it was captivating. I didn’t want to put it down. It’s everything you want in a psychological thriller as well. It was also a little unhinged, which I appreciated. I haven’t read anything from her before, but I will definitely now.

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux/MCD on June 4, 2024

Most psychological thrillers fail to take a deep dive into psychology. Tell Me Who You Are features a psychiatrist who lectures the reader about various psychological maladies, including dissociative personality disorder — commonly referred to as a multiple or split personality disorder — the existence of which is controversial. Certain characters in the novel — maybe all the important ones — might be delusional or deranged. The ambiguous truth that underlies their apparent maladies supplies the intrigue that engages the reader's interest.

Caroline Strange is a psychiatrist. Her patients call her Dr. Caroline. A local online rag published a story that included her on a list of the ten worst doctors in Brooklyn. The story was written by Ellen Garcia. It didn’t take Caroline long to find out where Ellen lived.

Some of the story is written from Caroline’s point of view. It quickly becomes apparent that she might not be a reliable narrator. Nor is she anyone a reader would want to know. She’s self-absorbed and self-important and scornful of her patients — the kind of therapist who probably belongs on a Ten Worst list. She doesn’t want to be burdened by her sons or her mother, making her self-indulgent both as a parent and as a child.

Some of the story is narrated by Gordon Strong. He was Caroline’s next-door neighbor when, as a child, she gave him some disturbing news. Not long after that, Gordon killed everyone in his house, except Caroline, who was staying overnight. Or did he?

Gordon is the most convincing character. Gordon was laid off from his job. He drinks too much. He’s portrayed as a man who is disintegrating, who has turned to alcohol to cope with his vanishing self-esteem. It doesn’t help that his father belittled him while he was growing up. Gordon progressively demolishes the hedge he’s trying to trim, the hedge perhaps serving as a symbol for his life.

Several chapters are narrated by Ellen as she’s being held captive. After a few days of captivity, Ellen launches into a monolog that amounts to “It’s hard to be a woman.” It’s well-written but too well-written to be the delirious rant of a water-deprived kidnap victim. For a woman who is starving and dehydrated, she’s way too chatty.

The meat of the story begins with a walk-in patient who tells Dr. Caroline that he thinks he’s going to kill someone. Then he says, “and I know who you really are.” The man, who calls himself Nelson, does seem to know something about Caroline’s past.

After Ellen disappears, the police question Caroline on the theory that she might resents Ellen’s unkind article about her. Caroline points the police toward Nelson as a more likely suspect. As the story unfolds, the police are more focused on Caroline than Nelson, whose existence they can’t establish. Caroline decides to track down Nelson herself.

It isn’t clear whether Nelson is in fact a criminal or the subject of Caroline’s warped delusions. I could have gone either way on that question for most of the novel. While the story is a bit farfetched, the clever plot kept me reading with interest. The story ends with a mild surprise that reflects Louisa Luna’s willingness to take chances. She understands that novels can be good even if the key characters are unlikable. Because Luna pulls off a difficult plot and fills it with difficult but carefully developed characters, Tell Me Who You Are stands apart from run-of-the-mill farfetched thrillers.

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*3.5 stars rounded up

'Give me an hour, I'll tell you who you are.' Psychiatrist Dr Caroline Strange introduces us to her practice and from what she describes, she's heard just about everything from her patients over the years. But even she is taken aback when a new patient named Nelson Schack announces he thinks he's going to kill someone and then walks out of her office with the parting comment, 'And I know who you really are.'

So when police show up on her doorstep asking about a missing woman named Ellen Garcia, a local journalist who had maligned Dr Caroline's practice in a recent article, she decides to tell them about her strange encounter with 'Nelson.' Only they find his personal details were made up--there is no Nelson Schack. And Caroline realizes she is quickly becoming their 'person of interest' because of her grudge against Ellen. So it would behoove Caroline to try to figure out what is going on, right? Ah, but we get some hints about what's happening to Ellen in her own chapters so we're one step ahead of Caroline.

And what did 'Nelson' mean by his parting shot, 'And I know who you really are.' We begin to learn about Caroline's childhood through alternating chapters told by Gordon Strong, her best friend's father. The Strongs lived next door to the Stranges and their lives ended tragically one summer after Gordon lost his job. What role did Caroline play in what happened?

Caroline is really not a very likable character. She's a clever self-made woman, making the most of her intelligence and her looks, and is pretty smug about it all. But what is she hiding? And is she smarter than the police?

The story gets off to a great start, drags a bit in the middle, but delivers an exciting conclusion. Definitely worthy beach-read material.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new thriller. I always enjoy Louisa Luna's books and this was no exception. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I love psychological thrillers, especially with a therapist angle. This one centers around Dr. Caroline Strange (hey-o, Dr. Strange) who encounters a patient who may have information about a recent murder.

As she tracks down the details on her own, she begins to peel back layers of what the mystery actually is. The story hinted at going toward a specific mental health diagnosis kind of way, but the actual background is something with more meat albeit less interest for me to the story, though I'll likely seek out whatever this author puts out next.

I absolutely loved Louisa Luna's Detective Alice Vega series so I was excited to read one of her stand-alone books. This was a wild ride of a thriller and I read it in two sittings. I really enjoy psychiatrist characters in this type of genre and Caroline Strange is a memorable main character, although she is only one point of view included in the story. I was so invested in finding out what was really happening with her patient Nelson and how she would get ahead of the murder she knows is coming. I love how Luna creates narrators that are possibly unreliable but also definitely imperfect. She makes them feel very real and it adds to the tension of the plot. I am excited to keep reading her work for years to come! Thanks to Louisa Luna, Farrar, Straus and Giroux | MCD, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have no idea why the synopsis for this calls it “The Silent Patient meets Gone Girl”; I find those very strange books to compare to this one. This is clever in its own way, and to me, was darkly humorous. I do think it may have been slightly miscategorized though…

Dr. Caroline Strange, a psychiatrist, has a patient named Nelson coming for his first appointment. It’s soon into their that he reveals that is going to kill smoke someone, and that he knows who Dr. Caroline is and, presumably, what she’s done. She marks him off as someone trying to get a shock out of her, until the police come knocking at her door.

We get chapters from three characters: Caroline, along with a journalist and mother named Ellen, and a drunken, hedge-trimming father named Gordon. The former, you’ll know right away what her role in the story is, and the latter, you’ll most likely figure out soon after. Not a problem, though, as it’s still incredibly fun to read about this trio!

Caroline was the character who really stole the show in this book. Sarcastic, cool to the bone and often darkly funny (I love the names she has for her clients), she is as unlikeable as the other characters, but I still loved reading about her life. For some of the book, I knew where things were going, but the ending blew me away. Several twists end up making this a deviously funny and thrilling read. Four stars!

*I also must say, I read a lot of horror, including splatterpunk. This book toes the line of horror, but it’s definitely more of a thriller. Still, the (bloodless) telling of the garbage disposal story almost made me gag - impressive! 😂

(Thank you to Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Louisa Luna and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Dr. Caroline Strange, psychiatrist, is a pompous, arrogant,know it all, who thinks normal rules don’t apply to her. She is a very unlikable character, and possibly an unreliable narrator. Throughout most of this I just wasn’t sure. When a new patient comes to her office the visit is short, but far from sweet. He tells her he is going to kill someone and that he knows all about her. The next day a young woman goes missing and the police show up at Carolyn’s door. She explains about the patient but the police don’t believe her. Where does the truth lie?

The book rotates between the past and present, and we soon hear the narration from a man in Caroline’s past. Usually a book that has unlikable characters would cause me to put the book down. Not the case here. The slow unraveling of the plot, the insidious tone, I found intriguing. I was curious to see where this was going. Sometimes the past comes back to haunt with dire consequences.

Love her Alice Vega series but this one is a standalone.

The narration was terrific.

Imagine you are a psychiatrist and you have a new client. The new client tells you that they are thinking of killing someone, someone that you know. Then, before he leaves, he says "I know who you are."

Louisa Luna has written a thriller on another level. Everyone is terrible, but you HAVE to know what happened and how it all ties together. Caroline, our psychiatrist, is snarky and not at all what you want in a mental health professional, and maybe that's why this story works so well.

I feel that this story works so well, because each of the POVs is wacky and it makes an interesting story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Every once in a while a character comes along that I just have to know more. Dr. Caroline Strange is one of those characters, and I hope that we haven't seen the last of her, because the parts of Tell Me Who You Are that are told from her viewpoint are just so delightfully twisty. Right up until the final page of the book, I wasn't sure if she was inherently good or bad or somewhere in between.To be fair, I'm still not convinced, and it doesn't matter, because I was so throughly entertained along the way. While one mystery was cleared up at the end, I still want to know more about what makes Dr. Caroline tick.

This psychological thriller kept me on my toes the whole time.

Engaging character development kept me interested in the characters' lives and their unfolding. I found I could relate to some of their characteristics and traumas, making me sympathetic but also confused on who the bad guy was.

I loved the dual timeline and honestly, I did not see the twist coming.

I would highly recommend for lovers of thrillers and psychological drama, but TW - there is discussion around murder, suicide and trauma.

TELL ME WHO YOU ARE by Louisa Luna was a roller coaster of a ride!

When psychiatrist, Dr. Caroline Strange is meeting with new client, Nelson Schack, he ponders that he thinks he’s going to kill someone and that he knows who she really is. How is this possible? She’s done everything to put her past behind her and move on with her life. Then Nelson goes missing and Doctor Strange is contacted by a ‘friend’ claiming that he has information about Nelson‘s whereabouts. When Caroline goes to meet with Billy Harbin, she is in for a shock.

Meanwhile, Ellen Garcia, who penned an article about the worst doctors in the area has been abducted. As the police race to find her, Doctor Strange becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance due to her name appearing in that article. Do the police have it right?

Flashbacks to Glen Grove, Wisconsin, 1993 when Gordon Strong committed a heinous act resulting in numerous deaths, including his own. What led up to that fateful day?

This one had me hooked early on and had me dancing on the end of the line throughout. I could feel the desperation of Ellen while she was trapped and the anxiety of Caroline as she struggled to put the pieces together. I loved the different POVs and learning what exactly happened all those years ago. I think this is my first Louisa Luna novel, but it will not be, my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ferrari, Straus and Giroux for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Enjoyable story with what I felt were unenjoyable characters. Dr. Caroline Strange meets a new patient, Nelson, who tells her he is going to kill….again. Of course Dr. Strange has to act, but at what cost? Who is really keeping secrets?

Pitching a book as "The Silent Patient meets Gone Girl" sets up pretty high expectations. But I am a big fan of Louisa Luna's excellent procedurals so I went in keeping those expectations sky-high.

Tell Me Who You Are definitely felt like a more out-there Alex Michalides book. I had a theory that I was hoping would be the case the ENTIRE time and then the author pulled back and went for a more conventional ending that definitely left me a little disappointed, given that both Teh Silent Patient and Gone Girl had HUGE shocking twists.

I still think I prefer Luna's excellent procedurals, but I love an author who will try something new and I hope this resonates with suspense readers.

If Louisa Luna publishes a book I will read it. I fell in love with her writing when she wrote the Alice Vega series and I must now read everything she writes. Tell Me Who You Are in a multi POV novel that centers around Caroline Strange, a psychiatrist who's the linchpin of all three POVs. I don't want to say too much because I think it's better to go in as blind as possible.

I found this novel extremely readable and one that can be easily devoured. I'm personally over unreliable narrators so this was a little hard for me to read at times. This isn't my favorite novel of hers, but I didn't completely dislike it. I thought it the middle of the book dragged a little bit.

Thank you to MCD and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

Louisa Luna is a gifted storyteller and Tell Me Who You Are is a fabulous example of her talent to create a compelling narrative, complex and problematic characters, and keep the reader captivated until the end of the novel. Luna delivered another great thriller that presented a twisted doctor/patient relationship and all of the secondary characters that are brought into their world of cat and mouse. All readers who are fans of a good thriller should grab a copy of this novel -- immediately!

The premise behind Tell Me Who You Are sounded very intriguing when I first read it and in the long run that’s not my issue with this book. The plot is still very compelling and the book itself is well-paced and well-constructed. This book just didn’t vibe with me from the beginning in almost every other way: I didn’t enjoy the writing style, the narrative voice was rather annoying, and there seemed to be a few holes here and there that maybe could’ve been taken care of with another pass through with the editor.

I didn’t find it to be as sharp or propulsive as other reviewers have found it to be. While it does have some unpredictability in its favor the shock factor isn’t that great when the turn comes.

Sometimes we just don’t vibe with a book, and I think this is one of those times.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was rated three stars or lower, meaning it will not be appearing on my social media pages. Thank you.

File Under: Murder Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Thriller

Tell Me Who You Are is a standalone novel from Louisa Luna (no Alice Vega in this one)

"Dr. Caroline Strange is a Brooklyn psychiatrist. A new patient, Nelson, comes in and claims that he is going to kill someone and that he knows who she really is. Suddenly, Dr. Caroline is a "person of interest" in the disappearance of a woman who happened to write an article claiming she was one of the worst doctors in Brooklyn. Caroline doesn't believe the police are competent enough and sets out to find the missing girl and clear her name."

This is a psychological thriller from Luna. Caroline is always searching for the reasons that Nelson is what he is. There's a semi-duel timeline. It took a few pages for me to make the connection with the present, but it's a husband/father that's slowly losing it - with horrible consequences. That's the character that you will dislike the most.
There are red herrings galore in this story. Just when you think you know what's going on and who the bad guy/girl is, Luna throws another one in there. It keeps you guessing and the tension high.

There was a moment where I thought the story was going to veer into a trope that I'm not a fan of but Luna addresses it and moves along.

Another good story from Luna.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux MCD, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Louisa Luna, perfectly narrated by the cast of Megan Tusing, Robb Moreira, and Stephanie Németh-Parker. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Brooklyn psychiatrist Dr. Caroline Strange is certain she knows what's best for her patients, her family, and pretty much everyone else, but that all changes when a troubled young man arrives for his appointment and makes a pair of alarming confessions: I am going to kill someone, and I know who you really are. Thus, the story begins.

I really loved this book - it's full of unreliable narrators and unlikeable characters with a plot and storyline that will have your head spinning in the best possible way. I think you really need to go into this book as blind as possible to get that full head spinning effect; suffice it to say that it will keep you gripped until the very end. Be sure to add this to your reading list - I switched between the digital and the audiobook, and the cast was wonderful.

I love Louisa Luna's Alice Vega series, so I was really looking forward to reading this. It's a wonderful psychological thriller, with all of the ingredients to make it good - unlikeable characters, an unreliable narrator, and twists and turns along the way. I was a little disappointed in the ending, however. The author flirts with different possibilities for the ending throughout the story, and I think it could have been more explosive than it actually was. All in all a great book, though and I look forward to what she writes next! Thanks to Netgalley and MCD for the advance digital copy.

Tell Me Who You Are by Louisa Luna is a compelling and thrillery multiple point of view novel with an intriguing premise. Psychologist Dr. Caroline Strange was unconventional in her professional and personal life. When a client shocked her with, "I am going to kill someone" followed by, "I know who you really are" my pulse quickened with possibilities. Caroline had secrets galore and a past she wanted to forget. Would Nelson (or anyone else) reveal anything? Things began to unravel when police questioned her.

Unfortunately, my mind and heart weren't engaged. The first page turned me off, not a great start. The characters were juvenile, messy and infuriating. I like to dislike characters but this was a different level. Covid references were frequent, something I could do without. Ellen's point of view was too discomfiting. I simply didn't enjoy my reading experience. Such a shame as the blurb had grabbed my attention.

My sincere thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley.