Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.

I wanted to like this book so much. The idea of it was so intriguing and the characters were diverse. I appreciated the representation that was presented in this book the most! The book overall did not grab me like I hoped it would. It would have been my first serial killer read and while I think it has the makings of a great story (and could imagine it as a show), I thought this first installment was overly detailed and did not move as quickly as I hoped.

I really enjoyed the plot and the idea of the book. The idea of this serial killer "splinter" hitting so close to home for FBI Agent Susan Parker, it really makes you want to root for Parker to solve this case and slay her own personal demons. This was a slower read for me, there was a bit of over-explaining situations and needlessly listing out every single persons full name and title on the police force, as well as family dynamics that didn't really contribute to the story in this first book. I would have also liked to know what happened to her husband, or alluding to a resolution coming in the next book. Those strong cliffhangers and whispers towards what's happening in the next books of the first book of a series keeps me coming back for each new book.

I enjoyed the story over all and the creative twists that ended up in the book you didn't see coming, as well as the descriptive nature of police official investigations and chases that really bring the story to life in my mind! The descriptions of scenes had no question in my mind the story the author was trying to build, as well as the personal component coming out so strongly in Agent Parker to find out what happened no matter the personal cost. Thanks for the option to read this ARC of The Therapy Room, I am excited to see what happens in the next book in the series!

Thank you Storm Publishing, NetGalley, and Sam Baron for the chance to read The Therapy Room. This is book one in the FBI Special Agent Susan Parker series and I really enjoyed it. Susan at the beginning of the book is still on bereavement leave after her husband’s death and trying to find out what happened to him. She gets pulled into a case that she had been working on before his death when the body of a man is found at a farm and in the basement are several individuals in cells that have obviously been kept as prisoners and tortured. It is quickly apparent that one of the victims is responsible for the man’s death but why does he stay? Why are they all there? Susan and her team are trying to figure out what these individuals have in common and the answers will surprise you. I look forward to more books in the series. I really enjoyed Susan and her savvy team of FBI agents. They are all unique characters and I am eager to learn more about them in future books. Definitely a

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

I did not connect with the main character at all. Susan Parker was dull and very inconsistent. She says she could never imagine putting her daughter in danger just a handful of pages after... guess what? Putting her daughter in danger! Also, in a matter of pages she goes from not wanting to know what happened to Amit anymore to changing her mind (for maybe the 10th time) at the end of the book.

The cliffhanger was WAY TOO MUCH because Amit was such a crucial part of Susan Parker's story... we needed to know what happened to him in this book.

I did not enjoy this book and will not be continuing on this journey.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Therapy Room by Sam Baron due to be published February 23, 2024.
FBI agent Susan Parker has been hunting a serial killer known as “Splinter” as well as see if she can find out if he is connected to her husband’s death. They called it a suicide, but Agent Parker has a feeling that “Splinter” is involved.
When she is called to investigate Splinter’s death, she finds the twelve people he had imprisoned in basement cells. After they are released, they all refuse to talk. Why won’t any of them talk and say what happened in the basement? Are they connected to her husband, Amit’s, death?
This book started out slowly, but it picked up as it went along. I enjoyed all the characters that were introduced – including Lata, Susan’s sister-in-law, and her daughter, Natalie, who is deaf.
It ended up being exciting and towards the end took a surprising turn. Since this was the beginning of a series I look forward to see what happens to Susan Parker in the next book.

.#NetGalley #SamBaron #StormPublishing #TheTherapyRoom

This is the first book in the Susan Parker FBI series. It had all the hallmarks of a good read – a dead body in a remote farmhouse and a dedicated FBI agent chasing a serial killer. For the most part I enjoyed it, although it didn’t quite turn into the story I'd anticipated.
Set in California, Agent Susan Parker is pulled from her bereavement leave, following the death of her husband. The body at the farmhouse, together with eleven people who have been imprisoned there sets her once more on the trail of Splinter, the sadistic serial killer, who has evaded capture. Reunited with her team, including newly-arrived Detective Navid Seth, Susan is soon up to speed and keen to process any new information. Unfortunately, she seems to continually come up against problems.

Being the first in a series, the author also includes scenes from Susan’s private life. She lives with daughter Natalie and sister in law Lata. Although her father in law is great, her mother in law is a nightmare, and she is in full mother in law from hell mode at the Thanksgiving dinner.

The action takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas as this new discovery sends Susan and her team trying to use the information from the farmhouse. There are many dead ends and times when little progress is made. But eventually there are breakthroughs which move the story on to a nail biting conclusion. It will be interesting to see where the author goes with their next book in the series.

I would like to thank Storm Publishing, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of The Therapy Room in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret that I have a weak spot for a good serial killer thriller, and I was sold as soon as I read the blurb of The Therapy Room. I loved the sound of the psychiatrist angle and the Splinter case, and I've been looking forward to dive in. Sadly, the premise is probably the only thing I ended up enjoying about this first book of a new series. There were so many things that went wrong for me in The Therapy Room, and in end I saw no other way out than to DNF. More about the why below.

Like I said, I still can't deny the premise is absolutely intriguing, and this story had so much potential. It's such a shame the execution was so incredibly lacking... Sure, the pace itself is fast and it's surprisingly easy to keep turning those pages, but unfortunately the content wasn't exactly worth writing home about. One of the things I struggled with had to do with the characters themselves. Most are basically stereotypes and not well developed at all, and I never did warm up to the main character Susan Parker. On top of this, it seems like the author wanted to add diversity rep just for the sake of it, and randomly included disability, race and sexuality without it being properly integrated nor developed. The way certain etnic characters spoke in their dialogues was honestly almost insulting as well... Like for example Marisol: she is an important FBI agent, and then we have to believe she can't even put together a proper sentence in English? Highly disrespectful to the Latin culture indeed. And no, this wasn't the only example.

In fact, the dialogues in general were horrible. And then I mean absolutely cringeworthy, and one of the main reasons I started skimreading sooner than later. There is just no way on earth you can convince me that FBI agents talk to each other that way, and the tone wasn't right for their age group either. And what's with all those text abbreviations, and constantly explaining acronyms like the reader is stupid? And then I'm not even talking about the constant repetitions... Seriously, how many times do you have to say victims SLASH suspects SLASH patients or some variation?!

I also struggled considerably with the credibility of the plot and the actions of Susan Parker. With the way she behaves, it's just not believable AT ALL she was a successful FBI agent and leader of the Splinter case. I mean, she makes SO many mistakes that even a rookie cop wouldn't, and honestly she never should have been put on the case again in the first place. But not seeing certain key evidence? Taking a suspect that just shot at you away from the crime scene in that way? Not listening/believing someone when they give you key information? What the actual fuck?! And this is only the tip of the iceberg, and this book made me scream with frustrating every time yet another ridiculous scene popped up.

Like I said before, I started skimreading long before the halfway mark. I tried to make it to the end, as I didn't want The Therapy Room to be my first DNF of the year... But in the end I just couldn't take the extremely bad dialogue and stupid actions anymore and decided to just throw in the towel. I did read some reviews first, and after I saw the mention that Susan took her seven-year-old to an ACTIVE shooting, there was going to be a major cliffhanger and nothing was going to be properly resolved, I think I made the right call to do so. As you might already guess, I won't be continuing this series.

First book in a series with FBI Special Agent in Charge Susan Parker as the protagonist.

I enjoyed getting to know a bit about the main character, her family, her work colleagues and recent (traumatic) events in her life.
The characters were likeable, especially her daughter Natalie who is deaf.
This book was well written, I wasn’t bored or confused at any point. The storyline was exciting and I was keen to know how it ended. Just as things were wrapping up at around 85%, there is an unexpected turn of events which ramped up my keenness to get the book finished.
I enjoyed this book and would read the next instalment which has a continuing storyline about Susan trying to find out who murdered her husband. Many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the advanced read.
This is published on 23 Feb 24 so you don’t have long to wait.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review.*

When I started this book, I questioned whether or not I was going to like the author's writing style. The dialogue felt weird and the writing just wasn't vibing for me. However, I kept reading and I ended up really enjoying this book. About 25% of the way in, I forgot about my reservations at the beginning.

This book was so full of suspense. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It felt like there was always new info or something happening so I didn't even have a chance to get bored. It was hard to put this one down.

The premise of this book was so interesting. I don't read a lot of crime thrillers, so I wasn't sure if I'd love it, but it felt like I was watching a Criminal Minds episode. The dialogue was a little too cheesy to be Criminal Minds, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment.

The book left off on a huge cliffhanger/potential break and it's times like these that I kick myself for reading arcs of a series, knowing that I won't have a second book for some time. The author basically told me I have no choice but to continue the series with that ending.

A really fast paced and intense thriller. The psychological components were really well thought out and brought about many twists and turns. The main characters were complex and diverse, either several you love to hate! It will keep you up at night, just to get it finished!

Wow, this was a crazy ride. I myself don't believe in conspiracy theories , but this story sure makes me stop and think about what might be true and what people are actually capable of. It will definitely make you sit up and take notice of everything Sam Baron is trying to say.

Susan Parker is an FBI agent who has lost her husband. She is now a single mom to her 7 year old little girl Natalie. Her sister-in-law, Lata lives with them and helps with Natalie.
Susan has been suspended from the FBI due to her behavior. She has been sent to mandatory therapy.
She had been investigating a case they called Splinter. According to the findings Splinter was a serial killer but some how he was always just out of their reach. Susan Parker gets put back on the case and she is in charge.

Exciting and full of twists and turns. Just when you think one thing you find out it is something else! Again, conspiracy theories are in this book and they fit! Fully intend in reading the rest of Sam Barons books about Susan Parker!

FBI agent Susan Parker has been on suspension for a year since a fallout with a therapist whilst investigating the Splinter case. But one evening she gets a call from a detective, her name was on a post it note, telling whoever arrived first on scene to call her. Reluctantly her boss calls her back onto the case and the pace really ramps up as Susan and her team work to resolve the splinter case.
This novel was a pretty solid start to what appears to be a series of books, I liked the characters, especially sweet Natalie, the book ends on a cliffhanger so you're left wanting more.
Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this advanced copy with no obligation to leave my review

I received The Therapy Room from Netgalley, thanks Netgalley and Storm Publishing.

This book had some great things about it and a few things that left a little bit to be desired.

The Good.
The pacing on this book was fantastic. I truly was sucked in right from the jump and didn't want to put it down until I was finished. There was a lot of inclusivity in the book which was fantastic: ethnicities, orientation, and disabilities. FBI agent Susan Parker is amazing, she is smart and focused on her job while also trying her best to be a mom.

The Not So Good.
The giant cliffhanger! I generally don't hate a cliffhanger but at the end of the book, we are not closer to solving part of the mystery than we were at the beginning. The overuse of the word copacetic - if I never heard it again, it would probably be too soon. The subplots? There were some parts of the story that truly just didn't feel like it added to the plot or characters in any real way.

Overall, a really enjoyable read that I'd recommend!

3.5 ⭐️This is the first book in a series with Agent Susan Parker, and overall I did enjoy the story. It was different and even though I did predict some things, I was still engaged. I did find some of the dialogue to be a bit unnatural but I was able to get past it. The cliffhanger at the end was just enough to make me pick up the next book

This book drew me in big time and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen! I loved the way the main characters personal life was woven into her work life and all of the twists and turns the book took with both aspects.
My 2 biggest complaints were that some of the filler areas didn’t feel relevant to the story in any way, I didn’t need to know something’s to keep the story going and there was the cliff hanger ending. I’m glad there will be another book because I would be angry with the ending if there wasn’t.

I really enjoyed The Therapy Room. I did find it predictable and knew "who done it", quite early on but I liked Susan Parker and her partner. I liked the pace and the characters. I'd like to have had more of an ending but enjoyed it nether the less and I shall look our for more books in the series.

I really wanted to love this book, the storyline was brilliant but for me I just found it a bit of a slow book to read. Too many characters with abbreviated official titles that made me skip to the interesting part The ending concerning her husband was left unfinished and left me feeling frustrated.
As I say the storyline itself was brilliant but it just didn't grab my attention like I would have liked it to.

Wow! This book had me gripped from beginning to end! I liked the characters, the plot was fast paced and there were plenty of twists. I did find a character I wished would be the culprit as they seemed unpleasant (and they were) but I'm not giving spoilers. The ending leaves you wanting the next book to hurry up and be released. A great read in my opinion

I requested a copy of the ARC from the publisher, Storm Publishing, on NetGalley and was approved in exchange for consideration of a review. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.

I can tell you why I requested this one on NetGalley in two words: SERIAL KILLER.

This is my first experience reading anything written by Sam Baron and after staying up WAY past my bedtime to finish this one, it certainly won't be the last. I mean, Baron made it practically impossible for me to not to continue reading future Susan Parker books. (If you've read it - you know why!!)

I read this book in three sittings. The high profile case of the notorious serial killer Splinter, the fast paced writing style and the enigma that was Susan Parker's obsession with the last woman to see her husband alive before his suicide just wouldn't let me out of this book's clutches for long.

There were a few plot conveniences and glossing over of details of the case that puzzled me - Sam Baron did such a great job detailing Susan's continued mental anguish of the loss of her husband and how present she tried to be - and was - for her hearing impaired daughter, Natalie. (Natalie and Susan's father-in-law Kundan were just the most precious characters!!) I found it odd that the author chose to do a few little time hops of several days/weeks and recap later in a conversation between a couple of the characters. The information I felt was important and would have been fun to read in "real-time" with the characters.

I'm very proud of myself because I totally solved the case! Well, okay, maybe not exactly...and not completely - but I definitely suspected the right one! I had a lot of fun trying to solve the case before Susan and her team, but ultimately, Susan did the heavy lifting. I even learned a few new things to add to my crime junkie treasure chest of things to spout off to my husband the next time I make him watch a serial killer documentary.

All rambling aside, I had a great time reading this book and will absolutely keep an eye out for the next case Susan Parker gets assigned. If there had been any way for me to continue on last night after finishing this one, I would have. The author ought to be just plum ashamed of leaving off like that! lol

3.5 stars
*Thank you Netgalley for this ARC*
Story was good, decent amount of twists and it kept me interested. Some of the language was a bit “hinky” (if you read the book you’ll get why that’s funny), like maybe it wasn’t originally in english and a few things got a little weird in the translation? Wasn’t enough to stop be from finishing though.
The ending was a little far fetched, and still left some questions unanswered but overall it was a good read.
One might even say it was, copacetic (again if you read the book you’d probably chuckle at that)