Author: B.A. Paris
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: July 2021
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: The multimillion-copy New York Times bestselling author B.A. Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in The Therapist--a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret.
When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…
As Alice is getting to know her neighbors, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.
Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…
My Thoughts: Can you imagine taking that big leap of faith, move into a new home with your boyfriend / girlfriend only to discover that a brutal murder had been committed there and your loved one not only knew about it but kept it from you? Worse yet, the apparent murderer was possibly innocent, which means the real murderer is still out there.
Welcome to Alice’s world. After moving into an exclusive gated community with her boyfriend, Leo, things appear to be as they should. To get to know her neighbors, she hosts a cocktail reception and notices a stranger there that nobody else recalls seeing. When the stranger appears on her doorstep with the shocking news that a brutal unsolved murder occurred in her home, Alice is devastated and when she further discovers that Leo not only knew about it, but kept it from her, she doesn’t feel like she can stay. The stranger tells her he is a private investigator hired by the family of the victim’s husband to investigate the matter and clear his name. When Alice decides to assist the P.I. with his inquiry, she is shocked at the sense of secrecy amongst her neighbors. What are they hiding?
I was quickly and easily pulled into this story and eager to discover what people were hiding. Alice appears to be consumed and obsessed with the former resident, Nina and upon learning Nina is also the name of Alice’s sister who died tragically, I completely understood and could empathize with her situation.
My Spidey-sense kept tingling and I had a major distrust of practically every character in the story, including Leo and Thomas, the private investigator. I trusted nobody. I also struggled with understanding why Alice continued to stay, especially after she noticed things out of place inside the house. She suspects someone is coming into the house. In her place, I would like to think that I would beat feet out of there.
My Final Verdict: The story is a little slow in the build-up, but quickly escalates and provides a heart pounding conclusion that I didn’t see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and recommend it to fans of domestic thrillers and mysteries who like the suspense and aren’t afraid to go into a room without turning on the lights.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Therapist from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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