Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

This was a cracking read that was hard to put down. I read a lot of psychological thrillers & am well aware of unreliable narrators so I was immediately suspicious of both Alicia & Theo before I’d even begun reading!

Some comments from the narrators leapt out at me as hints that things weren’t quite what they seemed – although that probably goes without saying in this genre ;o ) - but I won’t quote them as I don’t want to spoil things for future readers. Suffice to say sometimes I was right, sometimes I was on the right lines & sometimes it must have all been in my head! I did like the connection to Greek mythology with the story of Alcestis being new to me (although I didn’t think Diomedes was much like his namesake!)

The hook of the story, a "silent patient", is one that's pretty much guaranteed to keep you reading - after all it's the only way you'll find out if Alicia will speak again & what she'll say if she actually does. So does she speak or not? Well on that subject my lips are also sealed....

Despite being generally correct about the way things were heading, the story came together in a rather unexpected way, catching me unawares more than once before the ultimate conclusion.

Overall, a good, gripping read that kept me guessing & hooked to the very end.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Have a lovely day & hope you enjoy this book x

Received as part of my birthday RABCK. Thanks very much. This looks RIGHT up my street - can't wait to start it.

This was an okay read. The idea for the story was original and I was hooked in that I wanted to find out if Alicia would speak, but I struggled with the characters, some of the language used about the patients and I felt aspects of the story (at the end) were a bit rushed. That said, it kept my attention and I didn't see the ending coming - which I always like in a book.

On its way to find a new reader. Released in the Phone Box Library near the Bull Inn.