a Refreshing Psychological Thriller
931483
I really enjoyed the ending of this book more so than the beginning. It was a nice climactic way to end the story that's compelling enough to make you pick up the next book of the series. I'd recommend this book to those who like an easy read and to be psychologically stimulated.
1238378
Louise is a divorced single mother trying to balance working as a secretary in a psychiatry office and raising her young son, Adam. On a rare night out, Louise stops for a few drinks at a bar and meets a handsome man with whom she makes a quick connection. Before the night is over they have shared a kiss and now she cannot stop thinking about him. 

The following Monday her new boss will be starting, a new psychiatrist joining the practice, and she is really nervous to meet him. She cannot believe her eyes when the new doctor walks in with his wife and it is the man she met in the bar over the weekend. 

A few days later on her way home from taking her son to school when she runs into Adele, David's wife. The two of them become quick friends, though as their friendship develops Louise begins to suspect all is not as it seems in Adele and David's seemingly perfect marriage.

Behind Her Eyes is a psychological thriller that pulled me in from the very beginning and did not let go. It is a suspenseful and slow-burning story that is told in both dual perspective and with a dual timeline. It is a combination of this and the fact that the characters are all so unreliable that keeps you guessing until the end.

When this book first was first published I heard a lot about the ending on the podcasts I listen to. They all said the book is good, but man that ending! Now that I have read it, I can agree that this book is a good read, but I never saw that ending coming. I even really tried with this one having heard so much about it!
2340457
The book cover encapsulates the plot of the book brilliantly.  There are two protagonists, their lives intersect, and there is a disturbance in the field just outside the intersect.  Though the plot is static, the book feels dynamic because the degree to which their lives tangle is spooled out ever so slowly creating a great deal of tension.
The themes are large, mental illness, the legacy of the Holocaust, and adoption and the meaning of family.
This book is a psychological thriller with rich layers and complexity unfolding from the leather chairs of a therapist's office, and the eavesdropping stalker in the adjoining office, and it kept me on the edge of my own seat for the duration!
2880052
Grace Blades is an accomplished psychologist with a troubled past. At age five, she watched her parents die. As an adult, she now has a secret dark side, which her new patient, Andrew Toner, knows about. He recognizes Grace from a recent hookup. Andrew tells her he needs her expertise as a psychologist. However, before she can learn why, he winds up dead. As her private life seems to collide with her professional life, Grace quickly realizes that a police investigation could uncover her secrets. She finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery, with someone now targeting her. Can something from her brief relationship with Andrew help solve his murder and save her own life?

This is not Kellermans typical Alex Delaware novel, though he is briefly referenced. Instead, this is a standalone book. Complex characters and a fast pace combine in this newest release, which demonstrates why Kellerman excels at psychological thrillers. His expertise in the field is apparent.

Grace is a flawed, intelligent character, with a Jekyll and Hyde personality. While she may turn off some readers, she will have many more fearing her, yet rooting for her. The book neatly ties past and present events with the young and adult Grace. It is a thrilling ride to watch events unfold.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
866571
This is a fun and creepy psychological thriller.  There is a perfect couple, Ford and Pfeiffer, who see their daughter off to college.  She has a hint of depression about her, which may conceal mental illness, and trying to find her way in life with an empty nest.  Ford is a career academic, very intensely involved with advancing himself.  Strange things start to happen, unravelling the facade they have built into their marriage with increasing terror at what the truth may be.  I was surprised, but not all that much.

I would recommend this as a nice pass time with good acting.  But it sticks to tried-and-true formulas and there is nothing unusual or original or even nuanced that would make you want to view often.
4917156
Psychological thriller...I love character driven novels, and ones that are full of mood and tone.  This novel set in a small college down in the North East is about a young woman art professor with family secrets regarding the death of her father.  She befriends an across the street neighbor who happens to be a wildly successful novelist and gets swept up in revenge, co-dependency and many twist and turns.  This book is well written, the author has a wonderful sence of place, and atmosphere.  One can almost feel the quick, cold bite in early morning air on Andrea's dog walks, the crunch of the leaves and twigs underfoot.  The apartment and studio come to life easily more by anicdote than trite descriptions. The characters are drawn well, and un-fold nicely over the length of the book.  I could predict the ending quite soon, but that was not dissapointing at all.  it was so intersting to watch the progression of a "freindship" , hat was so similar to ones i have developed in my life, but thankfully with  differnt endings.  Women will really relate to the building of the relationship between Laurel and her neighbor. Their are bleak moments, but the end is strangely redeeming and uplifting.  Very fast read, good book for a plane ride!
2425722
Very good somewhat psychological thriller. I'm still not sure who killed Melissa Summers, but it doesn't really matter.

Other than that, all loose ends were neatly tied and I liked that the story ended with a new life beginning.
2225243
This was my first experience reading Galt Niederhoffer's work, but it won't be my last. Poison is a highly unusual & unique psychological thriller that kept me guessing right up to the end. The narrator is highly unreliable -- or is she? Therein lies the mystery. Cass Connor is an educated woman, an acclaimed journalist who has agreed to relocate from the East Coast to Seattle and become a journalism professor. Her architect husband, Ryan, seems like a perfect stepfather to her two oldest children and father to their two-year-old son. Until it begins apparent that something is horribly wrong and the Connor family is highly dysfunctional. But what is the source of the problem? Is it a case of Cass being emotionally unstable as demonstrated by fits of jealousy, suspicion, and even, perhaps, paranoid delusions? Or does she have good reason to be suspicious? Is she really in danger? And, if so, can her experience and skill as an investigative journalist lead her to the answers she seeks in time to save her life and her children's? Poison is indeed a chilling mystery about trust and betrayal. It is also a timely work in light of recent headlines & the renewed focus on female empowerment in America. For fans of psychological thrillers, this is a must-read.
1024091
First Sentence:  There is a moment when all hope disappears, all pride is gone, all expectations, all faith, all desire.

Clinical psychologist Joseph O'Loughlin is asked to help talk a potential suicide down from a bridge.  He fails but before she jumps, he notices he is on a cell phone and is believes the person on the other end instructed her to jump.  His belief that she was not a typical suicide is confirmed by the woman's daughter informing him her mother was terrified of heights.

When a second woman is found having hung herself from a tree and the two women were business partners, Joe knows he is after someone who kills by manipulating his victim's minds.

First and foremost, I look for strong characters and Robotham really delivers.  Joe isn't your standard character but has physical and emotional pressures that make him different.  Robothan not only depicts Joe's Parkinson in a realistic manner, but addresses the impacts of it both on the character and his marriage.  Joe's wife and daughter are integral characters as his friend Ruiz and DI Cray.  These characters add to the veracity and suspense of the story.

The author creates a very strong sense of place and has a great ear for dialogue.  The book is very suspenseful; a definite page turner.  I did, however, find it predictable, which took the edge off some of the suspense for me.  I still really enjoyed it and Robotham's perspective on family and fear did make me think.  This was a very good psychological thriller and makes a perfect airplane book.
299840
This book was a real page turner!  Psychological thriller at its best.  I couldn't help enjoying every character, even the bad guys.  Once one learns the concept of"no judgment" it becomes easier to live and learn.
3485878
It's been a long time since I read a book that engrossed me to the degree that I put down things to finish it in 2 days. That being said, it's a short psychological thriller with beautifully spare writing.  I found it original, well-conceived and developed and insightful. Lots of suspense with twists and turns but no mindless red herrings. I loved the ending--it made sense--but I probably would have enjoyed a bit more flushing out in the last chapter or two. Still, a very satisfying quick read. I look forward to reading your next one, Flynn.
249337
This book lured me in and I found myself analyzing the characters.  The author gives a very interesting description of conditions and results of PTSD (i.e. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).. His premise could have been in the Newspaper headlines on any day.  This is a real psychological thriller, of the first order.  Waiting for the next one.
1668782
This is a psychological thriller.  It is not horror.  So, I was not disappointed.
4699490
I thought this was a great psychological thriller.  The author is very skilled  at painting pictures with words and I felt invested in the characters.  The plot twists were not easily guessed and I really enjoyed this book.  Will definitely be reading more books from this author.
1364716
"Try Not to Breathe" is a solid debut that, like every other psychological thriller published this year, will likely be marketed to readers of The Girl on the Train.  Both books feature female characters with drinking problems, and the authors of both books live in England..... oh wait, Holly Seddon moved to Amsterdam, so there!

The story focuses on Alex Dale, a former reporter who lost her job, husband and self-esteem to alcohol.  While researching a freelance article about persistent vegetative states, she happens upon Amy Stevenson, who has been in that condition since a brutal rape and assault.  Alex remembers the case as Amy was her age and grew up near her.  The person responsible for Amy's condition was never caught, and Alex comes to see solving the mystery of Amy's assault as her chance for redemption.

Each chapter focuses on a specific character's story, and is identified by the name of that character and the date the events took place.  This format allows for a few neat surprises as the relationships between the characters unfold.

Although I did want to see what happened next, the book was not suspenseful enough to keep me reading past my bedtime.  I thought that the "who" of the whodunnit was somewhat weak.  The writing and story were clever enough that I plan to read what Holly Seddon publishes next.
4805009
First of all: be forwarned!  Many of the reviews below mine give away some plot twists that are more fun to stumble across on one's own.  I'm glad I didn't read any of these reviews before I read the book.
As for the book: without giving anything away, this is a very enjoyable, suspensful psychological thriller.  The ending is just surprising enough to be satisfying - no absurd plot twists, just some skillfully incorporated red herrings.  I read this whole book in one sitting - it is a tough one to put down!
For a first novel this is written quite well.  Blanchard does a wonderful job invoking the mood of her small town with its dark secrets.  She has a talent for fleshing out characters and settings using the fewest amount of words with great impact.  The only thing I found annoying (not at first, but by the end of the book) was her obsession with describing how things smell.  It does a fine job of putting the reader into the book, but when overdone becomes a bit distracting.
If you are looking for a great read, a fun "whodoneit" and a first look at a writer with a promising future, I highly recommend this book.
2799620
It is not surprising that Andrew Wilson, the biographer of Patricia Highsmith has written this quasi-Ripley psychological thriller. Our narrator, Adam Woods, goes to that bastion of beauty and creepiness Venice to make a fresh start in life after a failed love affair. He takes a job with a reclusive and idiosyncratic writer by the name of Gordon Crace. Crace is famous for a bestseller he wrote many years before while teaching at an English boys'school. Woods sets out to discover the secret of why Crace stopped writing and has hidden himself away for thirty years. Things become interesting when we discover our narrator has sociopathic tendencies. There are many twists and turns along the way in the battle between the creepy Crace and the sociopathic Woods resulting in an explosion of violence and a surprise ending. None of the characters in this novel have any redeeming qualities which might put off some readers. However, if you like a page turner this is the book with which to while away a rainy night.