Subject 375

I finished this in the wee hours of the morning, and had to write my review straight away!

I just HAD to have a copy of this book. I had two clear reasons why I was busting to read this book, the first is that the synopsis had me intrigued, the second was that the main character Maria, has Aspergers the same as me.

I love to read fiction with Aspergers characters in because I like to test how much research the author has done on it, I have read some novels where the Aspergers character was so over the top stereotypical and unlike any real Aspie person I knew that I got angry.

Nikki Own did not let me down, talented writing, well researched and creatively put together, in short, I loved this book for many reasons.

What to believe?

Who to betray?

When to run?

We quickly find ourselves inside the fascinating and fast paced mind of Dr Maria Martinez, who has landed in prison which to her is just too far out of her comfort zone that she is quickly not coping. The book starts a touch slowly, but very quickly I was hooked in as more interesting events began to be revealed.

Maria is certainly the star of this book, the other characters all play important roles, some more than others but they all seemed so peripheral to the power of her character, the intensity she gives off. I related totally to every Aspergers thought, feeling, sensory issue, anxiety and confusion.

The plot starts to get VERY interesting as Maria realises she is being treated differently to other inmates and I was just busting to know what was going on. Nikki Owen weaves in that sense of secrecy under the words, creates smoke screens and undercurrents that you are thinking you are figuring it out but then realise you are helpless actually. Did I say conspiracy out loud?

Then the first big reveal - BOOM!

It was SO GOOD, I was jumping and whooping internally (as it was 3am and hubby and the two cats were snoring in the bed), it was better than I could have hoped for, I knew then I was in for a brilliant ride.

I highly recommend readers go into this book with a very open mind, take your time to be "inside" Maria because it's a huge part of why the book works so well, if you feel befuddled and confused it's because you are supposed to. Good luck in figuring out the plot anywhere early on in the book.

Then more reveals! - BOOM! BOOM! Puzzle pieces clicking together.

I was even more excited. Nikki Owen developed a plot that in parts seems so far fetched yet had me thinking "you know what, that could happen, I wonder if it is?" so it's a bit of a thinking person's book but wow, what a whole lot of entertainment.

The pace really picks up and does not let up as we scramble towards the finale, where more and more puzzle pieces are being put together, we begin to understand the memories and flashbacks that Maria has, we begin to know who to trust or not....well actually no, it was still a bit hazy that at the end, but great finish, all set for the next book in the series which I can't wait to get my paws on.

A sophisticated, cleverly written and plotted novel that stands out as one of the best I have read this year. This one gets an easy 5 paw prints from this Booklover Catlady. Purrrfect entertainment on pages.

I loved this book, it was so interesting it kept me engaged right from the first page through to the end. This is my first book by Nikki Owen, I will certainly look out for more.

Dr. Maria Martinez is a cosmetic surgeon with Asperger's. She is put in prison for a crime she isn't sure she committed. With a gut feeling she is innocent, and puzzle pieces starting to fit together - Maria must not only fight to prove her innocence, but she must fight for her life.

This fast-paced thriller had me gripped from the start and I couldn't wait to find out what happens. With a mixture of high-intelligence characters, secrets, lies and intrigue - this story is unlike anything I have ever read. This storyline is intense and will have you questioning what you know about the authorities, but it is a rollercoaster of action that will leave you wanting to know more.

What was most unique about this story was the main character, Maria, not only because the story gave an incredible insight into the world of Asperger's but she was also a very unreliable narrator. I wasn't sure I could trust her, or her memories and it threw me through a loop when reading this book. Incredible story, very fast-paced and very tense, I would highly recommend this book and I will definitely be carrying on with this series.

Subject 375 was previously published in the UK as The Spider in the Corner of the Room.
It's an intriguing story about Maria who is a plastic surgeon with Asperger's Syndrome who moved from Spain to the UK where she has now been convicted of killing a Catholic priest.
Told from Maria's first person perspective, the story flits back and forth, through "therapy" sessions and recurring memories, as Maria is trying to work out how she ended up in jail. Did she really kill the priest? Maria doesn't know. All the people around her seem to be giving her conflicting messages and she is confused as to whom she can trust.
I think this will appeal to readers who enjoy a good conspiracy thriller. It reminded me of the British TV series Spooks. I thought Maria was an interesting character and the author did a very convincing job of portraying her, but I found it difficult to completely engage with the wider story. It became more interesting towards the end, but as this is part one of a trilogy, it just ended as I was finally starting to become more invested.
I received a copy from Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nikki Owen's Subject 375 (Blackstone Publishing) is fascinating. We meet Dr. Maria Martinez, a brilliant doctor with a 181 IQ, the ability to retain and repeat information second to none, and Aspergers, as she is being inducted into prison after being tried and convicted of murdering a priest. We suffer through the indignities of shedding her clothes, cavity searches, and being thrown into a cell with no thought for how someone of her mental state would react to the strangeness of these circumstances. Maria remembers little of the trial, nothing of the supposed murder, and spends all of her time trying to figure out how she ended up here. Since Maria usually remembers everything--every event, word, and circumstance--this strikes her as quite odd:

It’s a forty-page booklet outlining the rules of Goldmouth Prison. It takes me less than a minute to read the whole thing

...remember every word, every comma, every picture on the page.

As a person who relies on routine, she now has none that she's familiar with. And as a person who could count on one hand the people she trusted and turned to for assistance, now she has zero. Even her family thinks she murdered the priest, though she tells them she didn't. How awful it would be to have no one to trust, no one you could believe had your best interests at heart.

The reader quickly realizes that Maria is an unreliable narrator. She often can't tell reality from dreams. She is usually under the influence of drugs, given to her by the psychiatrists treating her in prison with or without her knowledge and permission, and she spends most of the book questioning her own decisions and actions, and seeking ways to verify that what she thinks she knows, she actually does. As a result, we as readers rarely have a good handle on what's going on as Maria struggles to unravel the mystery of her incarceration and what turns out to the powerful forces who have placed her in that prison for a purpose of their own. To make the confusion all the more complete, the storyline jumps around, sometimes following two discrete timelines simultaneously. It makes it challenging to tell what events precede or result from others.

When the book finally wraps up, we know more, but not enough, which makes sense: This is Part One of a Trilogy. Where Maria ends up (and of course I can't reveal that) means there is no way I won't read Part Two.

If you like clever mysteries that challenge you cerebrally, this is exactly the book for you.

--this review will be published on my blog and my social media on or about December 9th. (http://wp.me/p90mx-3ny)

Thanks for the opportunity to have read this great read! The whole book plot was based on a conspiracy and everytime I thought I figured.it.put, wham - another.plot surprise!!! Entertaining read - recommended!!

When offered a copy of this to read for an honest review by NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read more about Dr Maria Martinez.
Maria is in prison for a crime she didn't commit or at least she thinks she didn't, she has Aspergers and the strict regime of prison is making her very anxious as her routine cannot be followed in here.
She doesn't like people constantly touching her and getting into her own space, the therapist she is seeing in prison gives her a notebook as this is Maria's way of life as she constantly writes things down and her previous 'diaries' are with her mother and she is sure that the answers to the murder will be in there. This book has it all from conspiracy theories to murders and also friendships, in parts it was a little confusing to read as there more characters have an input but please persevere as it things get clearer as you go along and it is well worth the wait.
I for one will be on the lookout for more about Dr Maria Martinez.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy in return for an honest review.

Wow! I c-o-u-l-d n-o-t p-u-t i-t d-o-w-n. Maria is guilty. Wait, maybe not. Ah, she is delusional. Hmmm, then again. But, she must be. No, she cannot be. Back and forth and back. Bobbie is a bad! No, she is trying to help. Or, is she. What about Pat, Mickie, Kurt (or is it Daniel), Harry, Mom, Papa, Father Reznik, Father O'Donnell, Balthus, Dr. Andersson? Are any of them who they seem to be? Make sure to keep a neck brace handy, because you are about to get a severe case of plot induced whiplash as Ms. Owen flings you one way, then draws you back, then nudges you off on another tack, then implodes it all and slips in another plausibility. It is enough to make me scream, "when is the follow up coming!!!" Great job, Nikki!

At first, I found myself a bit confused when reading this novel. It was hard for me to keep track of what exactly was happening. But very quickly, I got accustomed to the style of the author and the way that the story jumps back and forth in time. Maria's character is extremely unique and the author has done a very good job in portraying the various behavioural and analytical aspects that come with a diagnosis of Asperger's. The more I read, the more I liked Maria, and the more confused I got with what was the actual truth (which is the whole point of the story)! By the end of the novel, I was on tenterhooks and I just HAD to know what was going to happen next. I don't think I have ever been this sad to have a novel finish! I hope the author is going to release the sequel to this novel soon because I just HAVE to know what happens to Dr. Maria Martinez! For those of you that like action-packed conspiracy novels with lots of murder and mystery, this is the story for you! It was just released on September 6th, so don't waste any time in getting your hands on it!

A well-constructed conspiracy thriller with a fresh spin and a wonderfully unique protagonist.
Recently jailed for murder, Dr Maria Martinez is on the autistic spectrum and the noisy, stressful and unpredictable environment of prison soon sees her panicking and losing touch with reality, imagining strange government conspiracies. Unless it's all real after all...
A truly unreliable narrator and a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere make for a fast-paced, compelling read.

This was an extraordinary story! I will admit, there were a few times in the beginning where I found the shifts in time/sequence to be distracting and difficult to follow - never to the point that I lost interest though, rather the opposite... I found the bizarre back-and-forth, the nothing-is-what-is-seems of it all, only piqued my interest. This is a phenomenal read. I've read about Asperger's before, but never read OF it, if that makes any sense - this story was gorgeous in its treatment of the complexity of a brain that operates under its own set of strictures and guidelines... There are layers upon layers of story line here. Poor Maria Martinez has no idea what is happening to her, or why, and you as the reader often do not either - until, suddenly you do. Sort of. Maybe. Unless... If that sounds frustrating and unnecessarily confusing, just wait until you dig into the story - you'll rapidly realize it's exactly that frustrating and unnecessarily confusing nature of "reality" that makes the tale so immersive and engaging.

It opens with a murder. And prison. And also a visit to a therapist. But what, exactly, ties all those things together - and, more importantly, what underpins those connections - is left on the table for most of the book. This sounds like it might be irritating; it is, but not in a bad way - in a "oh merciful heavens, read FASTER!" kind of way. I am a fast reader; my eyes were flying over the pages as I tried to force my brain to comprehend the letters faster, quicker, better, simply so I could see what was going to happen next. This was one hell of a ride - my stomach was left on the floor more than once, but I couldn't wait for each new twist and turn...

There's a gorgeously convoluted tale here, comprised at times of fantastically simplistic yet intensely deep sentences. To read Maria's brain is a truly amazing thing - her observations are startling in their unusual perspective, but beautifully crafted nevertheless. A few of my favorites:

-- "This came for you," she says, her voice a bowl of plums, a swollen bunch of black grapes.
-- "No," she says, her smile like a splinter on her face. I want to dig it out, throw it away.
-- When he finally sits, he feels less looming, more honey-like, natural. But honey is made by bees, and bees can sting.
-- Everyone appears to be wheeling suitcases of legal files, dragging them behind like clubbed seals.

There is power in Maria's view of the world. Power granted her by an immensely talented author. Power that I hope continues to come pouring out in the remainder of the series. Amazon lists a second book (The Killing Files) with a 2016 date but no new purchasing information; I'm cautiously optimistic it means I won't have long to wait for the next installment, because the ending was a doozy and left me with as many new questions as it did answers... There are paperback copies available used, which coincides with some internet research I found suggesting this is a rerelease. Regardless, if you enjoy your thriller with a more than healthy dose of the unusual, this one is for you!

I read the second book in this trilogy the killing fields before subject 375 so was keen to read this one having so enjoyed the other, plus needed to know what had happened at the start! What a great thriller this is, others have given great synopsis so I will just say read this book you won't regret it, role on book 3,
Thanks to net galley for opportunity to review this book

Subject 375 is a fast paced thriller that keeps you off balance every moment. Told in the first person, from Dr. Maria Martinez's perspective, her mind is cluttered frantically analyzing everything. I would recommend this fast paced thriller that leaves you hanging to every page; who can you trust, what is the truth?

Breathtaking - Literally
Are you prepared for a breathtaking trip? I am referring to reading Nikki Owen's book: Subject 375. The narrative rushes through your head at break neck speed almost like an intercity train. It is the novel with the fastest paced narrative I've read in ages. And just in case you're in any doubt read it yourself. The pages fly by as the countryside does when you're looking through from the vantage of a speeding train's window.
I found this book delightful in at least two respects. Firstly, it is based on a plausible and intriguing plot and secondly, it successfully presents the world from an autistic perspective (admittedly Asperger's Syndrome but it is still on the Autistic Spectrum, albeit almost off the top of the graph, and presents sufferers with a lack of social skills taken for granted by us "normal" folk). On both accounts I considered it a great success.
I have an Autistic son and can confirm that every word or phrase you say is taken literally by the truly Autistic as Maria demonstrates on many light-hearted occasions through the book.
Nikki Owen does a great job with the creation of Maria. She is a real character. Nikki Owen must have either personal knowledge or invested a lot of time researching the basis for her personality. Possessing a very high IQ is arguably a plus but not all sufferers from Asperger's are the same as the author herself points out at the back of her book. We are all different as are those on the Autistic Spectrum. Maria in many ways reminded me of Alan Turing, the WWII mathematician, who was cursed with a gift which he devoted to the good of our nation only to be hounded to his death by a lack of care and compassion by the same nation he served to the end.
The novel flickers back and forward in time. This book is of course narrated from a reality which is Maria's brain and it is wired differently from "normal" people. The author uses this ploy to great effect. It deliberately at time disorientates: adding dramatic tension.
If the book has a weakness it perhaps might lie in the portrayal of Maria's incarceration. Life inside any HMP would single Maria out for special treatment and I am referring to her likely treatment by fellow inmates. However, on the premise that she has been properly medically and clinically assessed and has been placed in an appropriate institution then the reality wouldn't probably be far off. The author herself does not to my recollection refer to this.
I wouldn't dare spoil the plot for others: suffice it to say that it will have you gripped until the very last paragraph. Yes, paragraph.
This book is a treat to read and may educate some on the problems faced by the Autistic and their families, no matter where they fall on the spectrum. (It differs greatly from Mark Haddon's novel "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" which tackles "low" ability autism.) The novel is a thriller and fulfils that task amply.
I wish Nikki Owen (and her writing team!) every success with this novel. She deserves it.

I honestly did not expect this book to be as good as it turned out to be. Dr. Maria Martinez is convicted of a murder she does not remember committing though DNA evidence ties her to the scene. Dr. Martinez is a plastic surgeon and also happens to have Asperger's. The novel is written from her point of view and it does take a little time to get used to the style but that style is also the book's strength. I really felt as if I were in Maria's head, feeling her confusion and conflicting memories. I don't like to give spoilers so all I will say is that all is not what it seems. I am eagerly awaiting book two in this series. Highly recommended. I received a copy of this book from the publishers (thank you!) for free in exchange for an honest review.

I am rating this stirring book 4/5 stars, but it was not an easy decision. The quality of writing was very strong, and I was transported into Maria's mind. However, it was emotionally and psychologically very difficult to read. The well-written, concise tension was so high on every page, I felt like I never got a chance to catch my breath. It was harrowing. I nearly put it down several times, but once I got hooked past a certain point, I committed to finishing it, and I'm so glad I did.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC of this book.

Dr. Maria Martinez is being accused of murdering a priest, and is awaiting trial in prison while the details get figured out. Sadly, she has no recollection of the event. She also has Asperger’s and is incredibly intelligent. While in prison, she meets with a few therapists and others who try to help her determine what really happened the night the priest was murdered. Could she really have killed him and then forgotten about it? Did she commit the murder, or is she being set up? And if so, by whom? Who is Subject 375?

This story moves around quite a bit, as it jumps from present to Maria’s early childhood and back again. And sometimes it seems as if her “memories” may have been fabricated. She questions everything and everyone so often, you wonder midway through the book if she has a type of paranoia or some other type of mental illness. The characters she encounters are well-defined. Some relationships seem strained, but the reasons for people distancing themselves from Maria is explained later in the book. I enjoyed the suspense and recommend it for anyone else who does, especially when it’s a trilogy, with two more books to come. Can’t wait to see how this unfolds!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Audio for the opportunity to receive an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. It’s my privilege and honor to do so.