World-renowned psychiatrist, Doctor Magnusson, is found dead in an abandoned ranch house and a post-it note bearing the name “Susan Parker” and her cell phone number is taped to the basement door. In the basement are 12 rooms and 11 occupied with emancipated and abused individuals who aren't talking.

Susan Parker is an FBI Agent drawn into the investigation, For years Susan had suspected Doctor Magnusson of being the elusive serial killer known as “Splinter”. Her quest uncovers more than she bargained for: a shocking secret linking her husband’s death to the Splinter case. Less than a year ago, her husband died by suicide and she is still grieving.

Overall, this book was a good dramatic FBI crime read. The story is told through the one POV of Susan. It is a bit slow but the storyline is intriguing enough to push through. It has the clues, the red herrings and the story flows easy enough. For me, it lacked any sort of heart pumping action or excitement. The ending left me with questions and the ending pretty much said to me, if you want the answers you are going to have to read the next book in the series.

I had the opportunity to review the audiobook of The Therapy Room and I will say, the narrator Lauryn Allman was phenomenal. i enjoyed her serious tone for the matter and her voice changes of characters. Well done. Narrators can really make or break a listen for me and this one was a definite hit.

Story - 3.5 stars
Narration - 5 stars

Overall rating - 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing this audio ARC to listen and review.

Doctor Magnusson is found dead with over 50 stab wounds, but more oddly is the 12 Therapy rooms found in his basement with 11 occupants. Where is the 12th patient and who wrote on a post it asking for Susan Parker?
FBI Susan Parker, a single mom following the recent death of her husband will work this case to try and discover the truth.

I enjoyed this well written and well narrated book (I listened to the audiobook). Good strong characters and twisting plot line. You are never sure who is good or bad. The plot thickens as the story unfolds leading to lots of dangerous situations, enjoy.

Susan Parker is a great character! Having been suspended from the FBI after her husband’s suicide, she is called back in when a note is left for her at a crime scene.

I enjoyed the balance of FBI procedural and Susan’s personal life and background. Having been out of the field, Susan is pleased to be back, but also struggles with the balance between agent and mother and makes some dangerous mistakes, showing her humanity and vulnerability between the tough exterior.

On the hunt for a serial killer called Splinter, Susan begins to realise that they haven’t been casting their net anywhere near wide enough and the people she should be able to trust, don’t have her back at all!

The plot was fast-paced, gripping and intense!

I listened to the audiobook which was brilliantly and clearly narrated by Lauryn Allman.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Sam Baron and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
So I expected a bit different from this book but I ended up really enjoying it.
I absolutely did not expect the twist at the end and loved the ending.
Great job by the narrator.

The therapy room follows FBI detective Susan Parker and her chase to find a serial killer, suspected to be a therapist / psychologist due to his method of torture and choice of victims.

Susan has been on leave from work due to a blow up following her late husbands suicide, but when the suspect is found deceased, and a note on a basement door containing her name and phone number, leading to 12 victims locked in “therapy rooms”, she is brought back onto the case.

As somebody who studied psychology and is very interested in all things psychological and therapy related, this book definitely peaked my interest. I found the plot to be unique and the brain work of the task force to be gripping and engaging.

Usually I’m not the biggest fan of FBI thrillers, but this had a different kind of vibe to it. I enjoyed watching the case unfold, revelations coming to light and mysterious chases in the fields surrounding the crime scene.

There is lots of inclusion and representation in this book of different races within personal lives and on the work force as well as individuals using sign language.

I found the pacing and momentum of the book to flow at a good speed and there was lots of tension building throughout.

I enjoyed the narrator, Lauryn Allman, she did a great job of keeping it entertaining.

Thank you to Sam Baron, Dreamscape select and NetGalley for an ALC

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeSelect for the book #TheTherapyRoom by #SamBaron. This book is a wild ride to find a serial killer targeting therapists. It contains murder, abuse and manipulation. I recommend this book.

This book is a prime example of when a good premise falls absolutely flat on its face during the delivery.

First, this book is screaming white man writing POCs and I'm so not here for it. I can’t say for sure whether Baron has Indian roots - can’t even guess since the Goodreads author profile doesn’t have a pic - but we get a lot of negative stereotypes about Indian people and as an Indian American, I’m SO not here for this. There’s zero nuance here. Mean, condescending mother-in-law? Check. Rich, snobby family? Check. Ableism/looking down on “others”? Check. Creepy uncle with shady business dealings? Check. Troubled sister-in-law? Check. The way the Indian family was presented alone was enough to make me dislike this book and never want to read this author again.

Second, despite being told in first person by our MC Special Agent In Charge Susan Parker, I did not feel like we got to know her very well. She makes a lot of rookie mistakes that made me wonder whether the author did any research at all into what her rank means? She says her daughter is her number one priority when she's put her in a lot of danger for no good reason a few chapters earlier.

Third, the story ended up being so inconsistent and boring. The timeline jumps around all over the place. It ended on a cliffhanger that was probably supposed to make us pick up book two but just made me dislike this book even more. It felt like the final scene for a TV show series.

Fourth, I wonder if this author is maybe British because we get a lot of things that make sense in Britain but not in the US (ex. Boxing Day, using Celsius not Fahrenheit, etc). I don't know why the book wasn't simply set in Britain somewhere where the author may have had a better sense of the policing/agentry ranks as well.

Fifth, what is this weird way of speaking? Which decade are we in? Who is still typing "Gr8" in text messages when we have smartphones? The constant complaining about Gen Zers was annoying (and I say that as a millennial). Who uses the word "slash" as in ("this slash that") in real life? Is this a thing? Plus we get lots of patronizing acronym definitions and info dumps.

All around, this was a huge no thank you from me. I won't be picking up any more books in this series or by this author.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Wow, did this book have a lot of what I love! There was no way that I wasn't going to request this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was the right amount of various types of drama for me. I thought the description of the crime scene was very visual and detailed. My one concern with this book is that there were so many characters, I sometimes had to take a minute to realize who was being discussed. Will I be reading future books in this series? Absolutely, yes!

This is the first book in the FBI Agent Susan Parker series and it did not disappoint.
After the loss of her husband Susan Parker has put the FBI on the back burner and has been learning how to become a single mother to her deaf daughter. When she’s called to the crime scene of a killer she’s been hunting for years.

So many twists! Loved the book and can’t wait for the next to find out what happens next. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s one of those books you can’t help to become a detective too, and try and figure it out.

I really enjoyed the narrator. She did a wonderful job.

The Therapy Room by Sam Baron is glorious. It is Silence of the Lambs for a new era. This book is so reminiscent of the theme of the classic but stands on its own in it's original narrative

Susan Parker is an FBI agent, widow and mother to a daughter. Her husbands death was mysterious, and she will not be allowed to rebuild her life, yet.

Doctor Magnusson, renowned Psychiatrist, (very, very unalive) is found in his ranch in Santa Carina Valley California, with twelve people in individual therapy rooms below the floorboards
Twelve people who will not speak

Susans name and phone number were on a noteleft behind. Did the Dr know she had been pursuing him on the suspicion that he was the serial killer Splinter? How is her husbands death connected? Can she make it through and keep her daughter safe?

The writing is fast paced, cerebral and will blow your mind. Dark, atmospheric, chilling, and Lauryn Allman's narration is on point, an absolute corker!

Thank you very much to Netgalley, Dreamscape Select, the Author Sam Baron and narrator Lauryn Allman for this brilliant ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

3.5 rounded up.

Premise - a murdered therapist is found on a farm over 12 below-ground therapy rooms. FBI agent Susan Parker thinks it’s the serial killer, Splinter, but she soon learns Splinter isn’t what she expects.

The premise is really fun and this would have been a solid 4 (lots of great diversity rep throughout btw - including a deaf daughter whose deafness isn’t just tacked on), but agent Parker is seriously SO dense she needs a new career. It’s immediately obvious what the twist is, even to someone who rarely calls the twist in advance, but she blunders along clueless for the longest time. It’s hard to believe unless she’s willfully obtuse!

I would read more from thus author, believability stretch or no, because it was a really creative idea and a fun ride.

📚 Series or Standalone: series, can be read as a standalone
📚 Genre: crime thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: maybe
✨ Recommended For:

💕 Characters: 3/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 4/5
💕 Pacing: 4/5
💕 Unputdownability: 3/5
💕 Enjoyment: 4/5
💕 Book Cover: 4/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Storm, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled to get a copy of this book based on the description given. It started off at a good pace and I enjoyed how the author portrayed the mom and daughter relationship. As far as the mystery... it was ok. I was hoping for a little more details on the experiments but that is just me liking horror as a genre. I think any mystery lover would enjoy this read.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I read the blurb and thought I would enjoy it but I didn’t. It’s more of a me issue not the book.

The Therapy Room by Sam Baron is the first in a new series featuring FBI Agent Susan Parker. Agent Parker has been on a leave of absence following the death of her husband, but finds herself being cleared for duty just in time to take the lead on the toughest case she has ever had to solve, the killer "Splinter." The story follows the progression of the investigation of this case, which is a killer targeting therapists and their family members.

While I don't often read crime thrillers, I wanted to read this book because of the premise of the plot as books with therapists as characters always interest me, given my profession. Despite being a thriller with some intense moments sprinkled throughout the story, I found it to be an easy read. The narrator did a good job portraying the characters.