Beth’s office sits at the heart of the narrative: the reader is offered a glimpse of clients who walk in and out of therapy sessions, venting their issues and listening to Beth’s guidance, a lot of them identified by quirky nicknames like “dancer” and “queen.” St. Clair’s experience as a psychotherapist shines through, as the novel oscillates between psychological drama and detective story, as Beth gets wrapped up more deeply in the explosive situation at the school. The narrative picks up pace with each passing chapter, punctuated with twists, turns and truly surprising revelations.
The many therapy scenes, some from other perspectives, set the novel apart, and readers fascinated by the rules, tensions, and promises of such encounters will relish these. Some twists strain credulity, and a climactic confrontation feels somewhat rushed. But fleet, clear writing, an authoritative depiction of therapy, and St. Clair’s firm grasp on the tangled threads keep the pace strong and the mysteries intriguing, leaving readers with a chance to breathe only once it’s all settled.
Takeaway: Intimate psychological thriller of a therapist and the possibility of deadly clients.
Comparable Titles: Alex Michaelides’s The Silent Patient, A.F. Brady’s The Blind.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
