Theo Faber is a psychotherapist with a new job,. He waited for years for a job to open up at the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit that holds many potentially violent offenders, including the enigmatic Alicia Berenson. Alicia was a painter, and a wife. Her husband Gabriel, seven years her senior, was a renowned fashion photographer. They were happy. They were talented. Alicia was preparing for a big showing of her paintings.

And then she was arrested for killing her husband.

She is found home alone with Gabriel. He had been shot five times with his shotgun. Her wrists were cut. She survived. He didn’t. Since the police showed up on the scene, she hasn’t said a word. Not for the 6 years since the shooting.

Theo finds himself drawn to her, to her story, to her trauma. As a kid, he grew up with abuse, and after a very difficult young adulthood, he found a therapist who helped him heal and move forward with his life. Now he is convinced that he can do the same for her. The other doctors at the Grove are not so sure. They feel that Alicia is too far gone to be saved. Can Theo prove them wrong and get Alicia to give up the dark secrets about that night that she holds so closely, or will Theo fail in his mission?

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is one of the most talked-about books of 2019 so far, and that is well deserved. Personally, I love a good thriller. I read so many that it’s hard to shock me now. Sometimes, with a well written thriller there is a piece of the puzzle that I don’t see coming, and that makes me happy. But it wasn’t like that with this book. The twist in The Silent Patient was something I didn’t see coming at all. And like Alicia, I was stunned into silence. I’m not going to give anything away here. Just know that this book is at least as good as everyone is saying, and if you’re a thriller fan, you absolutely have to read it!

And again I say, if you’re a thriller fan, you absolutely have to read it!

Galleys for The Silent Patient were provided by Celadon Books, with many thanks.