This was so intensely engrossing - I finished it within 24 hours. The gradual revelation of Kevin’s mental illness is done masterfully, and the reader really experiences every bit of Sharon’s journey from prosecution to defense.

The main twist is both clever and satisfying. This book is the perfect example of a psychological thriller done well!

I really loved this book. I would never in a million years have seen the plot twist at the end coming. Without giving too much away, the condition the patient suffers with will leave you wanting more at the end of each chapter. I struggled to put this book down as I just needed to know what happened. Although I did give this book 5 stars, if I was going to say one negative thing its that the ending wrapped up really fast and there were some loose ends that were not tied up. However, I would 100% recommend this book. Its faced paced and keeps you engaged.

This was an excellent that had me guessing until the end. I found myself reading into the night. I look forward to reading more of this authors books

I cannot reccomend this book enough. The story is very clever and pacy and I was absolutely hooked straight from the start. This is a real page Turner from S A Falk.

Read this!
I was so invested, the world needs more Sharon’s.
I could read it again and find things I missed.
Great, intense and I could read more about Kevin!

This book definitely had highs and lows. The first 2/3 of the book were entirely riveting, I could not put the book down. I never knew who to trust or what was true, and I always wanted to know what happened next. The ending of the book fell a little flat for me. Everything became increasingly far fetched and I found it harder to empathize with the characters. There were also too many coincidences that went unexplained. All in all it was a fun and intriguing book, but not a favorite.

This was an intense read. This was such a great read and was hard to put down. If you loved the Mindhunter series this book would be a great read for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc!

I was hooked from the very beginning! A story about a man charged with the murders of twenty-eight women who seems to either be severely mentally ill or a super-intelligent con-artist. The twists kept me engaged until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

I really enjoyed reading this thriller. This kept me intrigued throughout the book and wanting more. I valued Dr. Stevenson’s passion to not give up what she believed. Overall this was an easy read for me with likable characters. The twist was a good one that I enjoyed seeing play out.

If you want a face pace, easy read I recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book as an advance copy.

What an absolutely thrilling ride "The Patient's Secret" was. Cannot wait for more Stevenson novels. Loved her and Kevin's interactions and fascinated with his DID. Being in prison for murdering over 27 women, Sharon, a psychiatrist is trying to see if Kevin is actually insane. She learned he actually has multiple personalities. Then quite the twist as the novel goes on. Kept me on my toes. Loved the mention of White Zombie and "Ozzie" not sure why it was spelled incorrectly but fun for a fan to see.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

FOR FANS OF THE SILENT PATIENT!

Was like reading a true crime from start to finish, sometimes I forgot this was a story of fiction. Fascinating talk of serial killers and forensic psychology, Chilling and by far one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read.

Kept me up at night reading.

If you love thrillers / true crime, this isn’t one you want to skip! Will be recommending this to anyone who will listen.

Thank you NetGalley, S. A. Falk, and Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this book! All opinions are my own.

Dr. Stevenson is a forensic psychiatrist assigned to the Blue River Strangler case, AKA Kevin Blackford. Her job is to decide whether he is of sound enough mind to stand trial. During their sessions Kevin starts to display signs of dissociative identity disorder. It’s enough to plant a seed of doubt in Dr. Stevenson’s head. Did Kevin really murder all these women? Or did someone set him up?

I’ve never read a book by this author before, but the cover and description immediately drew me in. And then I read the first chapter and I was HOOKED! I got major Frieda McFadden vibes with this book. I think I will definitely read more of her books in the future!

Out on February 5, 2024!

I give this book a solid 3.5, I could probably be persuaded to go up to a 4, and maybe I’ll end up changing it in the long run. Thank you NetGalley and publishing team for allowing me to get this book and getting to read for my review. I enjoyed this book and am happy I read it but feel like towards the end I definitely felt I knew what was coming and I almost wish that they left the daughter out of it. I found it cheesy that she ended up being part of the whole thing although I guess it was good closure. I did find it more entertaining than I thought I would with Kevin and all his personalities, though.

Omg what can I say. Parts of this book screwed with my mind. I loved it. I exhaled the book.
Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

This book is fascinating. It's a thriller with an amazing twist. It really makes you think, about the strange ways of the American justice system and the possibility of various mental illness and their impacts on patients and the world around them . To say more would spoil it for future readers. So give it a go and find out for yourself, you won't regret it!

“Dr. Sharon Stevenson is a forensic psychiatrist. Her job is to decide whether a patient is of sound enough mind to stand trial, not whether they did or didn’t commit a crime.”

That synopsis pulled me right in, and I knew I was in for a twisty ride with this book! Kevin is a man who has been arrested for being a serial killer known as the Blue River Strangler. He has strangled over two dozen women, and is facing the death penalty in Wyoming. Dr. Stevenson is brought in to see if he is mentally competent to stand trial. When she meets Kevin, she can’t believe what she is suspecting about him - but what other conclusion is there?

The rest gets into spoiler territory, but Dr. Stevenson is also missing a daughter, and the case is making her feel like she’s losing her mind. I actually thought her daughter didn’t even need to be a character; it seemed more a trick to get the main character overly involved with this man and his murder case. Regardless, it worked - overly involved she did become, and overly shocking were her findings.

This book was fast-paced and suspenseful, and I liked the character of Kevin. The doctor herself was a bit of a mess, as were some of her colleagues, but overall I really enjoyed this story. How does a serial killer evolve? Are they born that way, or does trauma kickstart something in their brains? This book tackles those questions, as well as entertains you with the mystery within. Four stars!

(Thank you to Storm Publishing, S.A. Falk, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be published on February 5, 2024.)

I loved this book! As someone who works in the field of psychology, this books checked all the boxes. I just wanted to keep reading, I could have finished this in one sitting.
Such a twisted story that included justice, mental illness and tragedy.
Overall really enjoyed this book and will continue to recommend!

Thanks Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

My thoughts were all over the place, as I read this book. To start the book from the perspective of the Blue River Strangler was genius considering how the book turned out in the end. I have never been so fucking shocked by a plot-twist in my life, but I was speechless after learning the identity of the real serial killer. Nothing could have prepared me for that ending. I would've given this a 5-star rating, if so many people hadn't questioned the mentality of Dr. Sharon Stevenson. The continuous dismissal of her line of thinking pissed me off on a level that I cannot explain. I also didn't like the face-off Dr. Steven had with the attorney that prosecuted Kevin Blackford. I just found it annoying and absolutely unnecessary.

This book was absolutely 5 stars for me. I don’t think I can articulate well enough how much I enjoyed it, and it was exactly what I’ve been craving lately. It is about Kevin, an individual whom is arrested and suspected of being the serial killer that had been tormenting the area for years. He targets young women and always they are found a specific way. It discusses his case, his mental illness, or “lack there of,” and those in charge of defending and prosecuting him. He has very few people in his life and we learn their involvement, if any, that they have in the case.
Some take aways are that not everything is black and white, this examines some of the “gray” areas in our justice system from the very start. In the beginning, it allows you to consider where you draw the line when someone has committed such terrible crimes; how they go about assessing for mental illness, if the insanity defense applies, and how he could get out of the death penalty if it went down that road. The prosecutor seemed so “set” on that and her career, that she had no regard for him as a human being.. which was appalling to the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist wanted the insanity defense because of his mental illness, and was willing to risk everything trying to prove it, but absolutely everyone and everything was standing in her way. It got to the point that even she was getting a little sloppy and she was second guessing herself, but I think that’s when her personal life and work life began to blur and she crossed the line. I still think it’s important to go with your gut, and when you think something is wrong, it probably is.
My mind was wandering of course, even when I wasn’t reading, about what my opinion is and how the book seemed to debate whether they knew all the true facts, is it morally okay to give him the death penalty when he truly wasn’t aware of any of it? Is he psychotic and just manipulating her like the prosecutor says? Even the psychiatrist was unsure for part of the book. Is it okay to execute and end one person’s LIFE when it’s for the “greater good” of the community like the prosecutor stated? It is unnerving to think about honesty alone when it comes to cases. Regardless of one’s role in a case, there’s no way to ever know if someone is 100% telling the truth, whether it’s the prosecutor, defendant, or witness unless the evidence can support whatever their truth may be without question. I liked that in the author’s note he included that although everyone may not have the same opinions, his goal is to get people talking and for the book to resonate with you long after you read it.
This book was absolutely the most thought provoking book I’ve read in a some time. With each of the characters, I took time to reflect and absorb what was being discussed and consider my own thoughts and morals regarding what was going on and how my opinion may have changed as the book went on. I feel like this book took me a little bit longer than a thriller typically would in the first half because of that, but in the second half when the suspense picked up and my heart began to race, I just needed to know the outcome quicker.
My power and my weakness is my empathy so I can totally relate to his psychiatrist in that aspect. However, I feel like hers was more so driven by her grief and wanting to find answers, and whether this case led her to her own answers or not it didn’t matter, she just couldn’t let this rest without success because she was unable to be successful when it came to her daughter, so she had to be everywhere else.
I cannot wait for other books by this author! I can’t believe this is his debut! 5⭐️
Publication date for this book is February 5, 2024. I was given a DRC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to S.A. Falk, Storm Publishing & NetGalley!

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

I personally didn’t love this book. Chapter 1/the prologue made it very clear that the ‘accused’ Kevin was not the one to be executed. What followed was another 40 slow odd chapters of Sharon acting like a dog with a bone and there being no real substance into what had done it. The last 5-10 chapters are the reason I’ve rated it two stars vs one.
I really struggled to get through this book knowing so much time was being wasted on one character and nothing else going on.