This was so good. Hard to believe it is a debut novel. Elisabeth weaves the story together so well. We get some pretty crazy reveals along the way. I will be watching for more books from Elisabeth Eaves. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the copy of The Outlier by Elisabeth Eaves. I loved the description of this book, and Cate was a great main character at the start of the book. I wish there had been more about her psychopathy in the present as I didn’t find the past narratives very compelling. I would have also loved to have known more about her Alzheimer’s drug and the sale of her company. This was a good book, but it didn’t live up to what I expected based on the description. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

The Outlier by Elisabeth Eaves tells the story of Cate, a successful woman with a unique history. A history that just might end her career and the few relationships that she has.

Eaves writes in a way that information is given to the reader a little bit at a time. The author has found the balance between giving everything at once and spoiling the mystery, and giving just enough information to keep readers hooked. Usually I don't read physiological thrillers as I find authors misrepresent mental illnesses, however it is clear Eaves has done their research and as created characters that fit diagnosis, but also creates an interesting read. Throughout the book, readers will find themselves questioning who to trust, and what will happen next.

The Outlier has the vibe of 'Silent Patient', but is uniquely it's own story.

An engaging mystery thriller about sociopaths!

One portion of the story deals with Cate, Winter, a neuroscientist who has invented a cure for Alzheimer's and will make billions selling it. Cate is a sociopath and keeps that secret to herself. She learned to live in the world at the Cleckley institute - a facility for children. Another portion of the book deals with this and the discovery that another or her childhood is also successful. Cate is drawn to find this person as she thinks it will make her more "whole."
Cate however is forgetting the number one problem - psychopaths are complex and not always predictable!
I like this story and certainly would follow Cate in another mystery but I think more needs to be filled in - including the sale of the company - I wanted to enjoy some of the wealthy lives description! But the idea is very unique and worth expanding in to series. #outlier #penguinrandomhousecanada #elisabetheaves

I didn’t know this was the authors debut novel until I got to the end. But I can’t wait to read more of her work if she keeps it up. I found it a little over the top. For example Cate’s breakthrough of an Alzheimer’s cure. But it didn’t negatively impact anything. What I really enjoyed about the whole book was Cate and Hunters story about the institute. I would love for Elisabeth Eaves to write a prequel about this is more detail. Even tho it’s all summed up in the book. But I found it the most interesting part of the story. It’s like a story inside a story for me. I also enjoyed the other characters in the story. You really got to know them each on an individual level that really made it come alive. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Aug. 6, 2024
“The Outlier” is the debut novel by author Elisabeth Eaves. Intelligent, witty and razor sharp, this novel is two mysteries tied into one. With a protagonist who is more of an anti-heroine, “The Outlier” is a relevant story riddled with taut suspense and non-stop action.
Cate Winter is a neuroscientist and an entrepreneur. Alongside her business partner, Cate has developed a cure for Alzheimer’s and is on the cusp of selling her company and becoming a multi-millionaire. However, Cate is keeping a big secret. As a child, Cate grew up in the Cleckley Institute, a psychological institution for children with sociopathic tendencies. Although most of her classmates ended up in the prison system there is one other pupil that is similar to Cate- rich, successful and, as far as Cate knows, has stayed out of legal trouble. Cate is desperate to find her peer, in hopes of making a connection and finding someone else who is like her but her quest uncovers far more than Cate ever wanted to know.
“The Outlier” has an intriguing premise and I was immediately interested, especially in all things Cate and the mysterious Cleckley Institute. That being said, there is an alternate storyline in this novel and, although it does connect to Cate in the end and is, on its own, interesting and exciting, the two storylines were very different and made it seem as if I was reading two different novels, right up until the end. I would’ve loved the focus to remain on Cate, the Cleckley Institute and her peers, but Eaves manages to connect the two in a cohesive way by the time the end comes around.
Cate narrates her portions of the novel in the first-person, but we also hear from other characters that help to introduce the second storyline, which involves dying aquatic life and the generation of an alternate energy source. “The Outlier” can get very scientific in parts, but the language is not dense or too intellectual, so the story is able to flow without the reader getting hung up on tricky theories and dialect.
Eaves absolutely did her research with this novel, and it is very evident right from the first page, and her writing is fluid and creative. Although “The Outlier” is a debut, Eaves writing is such that it is difficult to recognize this as a first-time novel. Thought-provoking and intelligent, “The Outlier” is unlike anything I’ve read before. The Cate storyline fascinated me, and I hope to see more of this from Eaves in the future.

The beginning of the book grabbed my attention, but within the first few chapters, my attention was wandering. I think making the writing so clinical and straightforward made sense given Cate's history, but as a reader, I felt a bit detached from the narrative. This ended up being a DNF for me, but I would absolutely try something else by the author.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.