My brain is still realing. I did not see that coming! I don't even know what to say.

I loved this book. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I was invested in the character relationships and frustrations with solving the case.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

“The Therapist" by S. A. Falk is a gripping thriller with a great storyline that kept me hooked from start to finish. It’s dark and gruesome, with lots of tension and mystery, making it difficult to put the book down. Whilst somewhat predictable, this didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the story. However, I found the ending quite sudden and abrupt, which left me wishing for more expansion on the twist, as well as further exploration of what happened. Despite this, the overall read warrants a solid four-star rating.

The Therapist, S.A. Falk
2.5/5⭐️
348📖
Release date - 25th April 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was just okay. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it.
It’s incredibly gory and in some parts, a bit much, and I can stomach a fair bit of horror and gore.
This book comes with A LOT of triggers and dark topics. Including, drugs, murder, abuse, suicide, religion,sacrifice.. A heavier one for sure!

I liked the idea of the book, initially why I picked it, the blurb was intriguing. I just felt that some parts were a bit long and drawn out, maybe even unnecessary. In some of these bits I found myself skimming through.
There were a lot of twists and turns, with the final one being relatively unexpected. When I came across a twist I found myself gripped and got back to really enjoying the book but after a while I just found myself slipping back to skimming.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, which I found slightly annoying due to the fact that the final twist was introduced very shortly before hand. It felt like I’d read a lot and not really got a lot of clarity. I get a cliffhanger is meant to be suspenseful and encourage you to read the next book, but this felt quite abrupt. If there was a tiny bit more story and finding out if the character was at least guilty then I feel like the cliffhanger would have been less irritating.

Over all I wouldn’t say a bad book at all, just maybe not really for me!

This book was so dark and so twisted but I was hooked on every single word. I might say that S.A. Falk will be one of my new autobuy thriller authors. Simply put, this book was mind blowing

Really enjoyed this story. Great twist. Amazing characters.
Really looking forward to more from S.A. Falk

I did not want to compare the authors 2 books, but I still found myself doing so. I have to preface with saying that I liked the first book better because of different reasons but I don’t feel like the writing was better, I just think the content was easier to relate to, *in a sense* you could empathize with the character and really think deeply about all avenues of his future. In this book it was so beyond disturbing and he lacked remorse that it was difficult to have feelings at all other than indifference because it was the MC job, so it made me feel like I was a hair less indulged in the book than I was last time.
However, I was still just as invested. I still needed to know immediately who the “copycat” was and clues along the way led me in the wrong direction. 4/5 stars! Can’t wait for another!

Thank you to the author, Storm Publishing + NetGalley for my DRC in exchange for my honest review.

I was all set to give this book 5 stars but the last fifth let it down for me. The main character is a criminal psychologist, working with a patient/criminal who has been convicting of killing and eating his victims. After his arrest, the murders are still happening and the doctor and police are trying to establish who the copycat is. I thought it was a really gripping read and got through it so quickly but unfortunately the 'twist' just wasn't for me.

Lead psychiatrist at Pantano State Hospital Stephanie Fletcher is back at work after a bereavement. On her first day back she takes on a new patient cannibalistic serial killer Trent Davis. Soon a series of copycat murders start and he said its one of his followers. A dark thrilling read with a twist I didn't see coming at the end!

I enjoyed this read as well as the ending. I found the premise really intriguing and the characters interesting, realistic and flawed enough to become invested in their stories. It became a slower burn than my usual preference but therapist thrillers are my favorite trope.

Thank you Storm Publishing & S.A Falk for this amazing read!

I was utterly gripped from the very first chapter. This book was fast paced, gruesome, twisted and had a jaw dropping ending!

The multiple POVs were done excellently and I loved how much I was invested in the protagonists well-being.

I really didn't guess the ending on this one and so I feel this is a total winner! I do however wish the ending was tied up with a little more follow up & explanation, as the ending was very abrupt and that's the only thing which stopped this from being 5/5

4.5/5

Fans of Criminal Minds and Dexter may enjoy this novel. Dr. Stephanie Fletcher is a psychiatrist who works wth the criminally insane. Following the death of her own beloved therapist, Dr. Fletcher’ s unit receives a new patient - serial killer Trent Davis. His grisly crimes and unsettling demeanor present a challenge to Dr. Fletcher as she grapples with her own past and her grief. A copycat killer emerges while Trent is in her care, and after a police detective involves her for her expertise, Dr. Fletcher finds herself completely obsessed with the case. After multiple bodies are found it appears that Dr. Fletcher is the copycat’ s next target, Will she and the police identify and catch the copycat in time?

With my background being in psych, I was totally the target audience for this book. However it is also very dark and gory, more so than I was expecting. The first half or so was suspenseful, although quite repetitive. There were multiple attempts at riddles or cryptic communication that unfortunately were just confusing. There were several parts I found very repetitive. Although I didn’t see the twist coming and it was a creative plot line, it was the part of the book that left me disappointed as it had little to no detail or explanation. The final portion of the book felt extremely rushed, not enough details were given and the very end was abrupt.

My Thoughts /

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and author S.A. Falk, for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for April 25, 2024.

A psychologist who works in the prison system trying to rehabilitate the criminally insane. Serial Killers. Hell Yeah - I'm in.

And I was all in. Until I wasn't. Let's be honest.

This was a solid four star read, but unfortunately it came with a two-star ending. Nothing is more frustrating for this reader when that happens. WHY???? Run out of ideas? Didn't think ahead to plot the ending? Rushed into publication? I could ruminate until the cows come home and still be no closer to picking the right answer.

Dr Stephanie Fletcher is the lead psychiatrist for the high security ward of Pantano State Hospital, a state-run forensic psychiatric facility. Pantano State Hospital is reserved for a very specific type of offender. Patients who have committed heinous crimes but have been deemed criminally insane.

There is a heightened feeling of anticipation from the staff for the newest patient to the facility arriving today. Trent Davis. Convicted of murdering six women, Trent has been sent the Pantano to serve his time. Head of the Hospital, Warden Moreno, assigns Trent to Dr Fletcher.

Shortly after arriving at the Facility, bodies start turning up, and the crime scenes are an exact replica to Davis. Copycat? Or did they convict the wrong man? Fletcher has been tasked with getting into Davis' head to see if she can find out if he knows anything about this latest spate of murders.

As a MC, I didn't connect with Fletcher. I found her arrogant and overconfident. Davis meanwhile was the perfect serial killer character - so yay for that.

So much of the plot was well done. Fast paced. Engaging. Suspenseful. Right up until the last 30%, when it seemed to spiral in circles and go down the gurgler (and so did my rating).

#NetGalley #TheTherapist #S.A.Falk

I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. thank you netgalley and storm publishing.

this was a fun take on a therapist/crime book! the characters are well fleshed out and the book is well written overall. while I did guess the twist very early on, that doesn’t bother me and didn’t hinder my opinion about the book overall!

This is a fast paced book but I feel like it has been done so much already. The twist was predictable and the story felt flat in the second half.

The Therapist was a fun ride. I loved the back and forth conversations between all the characters. While I did figure out the twist, I did mind at all because of how the pieces were falling into place to make the big reveal.

This book was very well written. I really enjoyed the twists and turns. While it was a slow burn, it was a good slow burn. I never found that it got boring. The description of the various scenes really made this a detailed movie in my head. I really loved this book!

"The Therapist" by S. A. Falk was a psychological thriller that took me on a rollercoaster ride of suspense and horror. While it had its slow moments, I ultimately rated it 3.75 stars for its gripping storyline and intricate twists. The novel follows Stephanie, a psychiatrist and criminologist, as she navigates her return to work amidst personal grief and the enigmatic presence of her new patient, Trent Davis, a man accused of heinous crimes.

While the book started off slow for me, with a bit of difficulty getting into the story, I found myself increasingly drawn in as the plot unfolded. Falk's meticulous research shines through, lending authenticity to the narrative, although there were moments where certain plot twists felt a tad far-fetched.

The alternating perspectives between Stephanie and the copycat killer added layers to the story, keeping me engaged, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Despite this, I appreciated the dark and twisted atmosphere, reminiscent of other psychological thrillers, and found myself eagerly turning pages to uncover the next twist.

However, the pacing occasionally faltered, and I struggled with some of the supernatural elements, which felt a bit overdone. Additionally, while the exploration of psychological themes was intriguing, the writing style occasionally leaned towards pedantic exposition rather than immersive storytelling.

In summary, "The Therapist" offers a dark and twisty journey into the human psyche, but its occasional slow moments and stylistic choices may not appeal to all readers. Nonetheless, fans of psychological thrillers with a penchant for darker content may find it worth their while.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

You can tell that the author did her research with this book, I found it difficult to get into at the beginning however once I got past the first few chapters I was hooked. I got the vibes of "The Silent Patient" and books from authors like Freida McFadden with the twists and turns that this book entailed. This is one of those books that leaves you with so many questions with such an abrupt ending I would really enjoy a sequel to this. I am currently studying law and criminology at university and work in the probation service so this book is right up my street and I will definitely be telling people to go and buy it once it's published. I would love to read more books by this author.

I am extremely thankful to not only NetGalley but also S.A Falk and Storm publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for me to leave this honest review. I hope for more opportunities like these to arise.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a strange book for me, it was good in places and too far-fetched in others. Not really for me.

Dr Stephanie Fletcher Forensic Psychiatrist works at Pantano correctional facility. She is assigned a high profile case. Dr Fletcher had a difficult childhood and she is missing her mentor.
When crimes happen that look similar to the high profile case she teams up with Detective Navarro against her boss express wish.
Enjoyed the book.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Therapist by S. A. Falk is a dual-POV psychological thriller following Dr. Stephanie Fletcher, a psychiatrist working at a state hospital. Fletcher’s newest patient is Trent Davis, a former musician who murdered and drained the blood of multiple women. Meanwhile, a copycat killer is on the loose and seems to be picking up where Trent left off.

The novel moves at a fairly crisp pace and alternates between Fletcher and the copycat killer's POVs. The copycat POV is usually more in stanzas, almost like a song, linking back to the Trent Davis connection

Content warning for brief depictions of CSA and ableist language