Thank you Bibliolifestyle, William Morrow Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Patient in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: William Morrow
Published: May 3, 2022
Summary:
A shocking and twisty novel of psychological suspense about a boundary-breaking love affair between a doctor and her patient, by Jane Shemilt, Edgar-nominated, #1 international bestselling author of The Daughter.
What price would you pay for falling in love?
Rachel is a respected doctor who lives in a picturesque and affluent English village where her husband Nathan teaches at an elite private school. Competent, unflappable, and nearing 50, Rachel has everything in her life firmly in her control, even if some of its early luster has worn off. But one day a new patient arrives at her practice for emergency treatment. Luc is a French painter married to a wealthy American woman who’s just bought and restored a historic home on the edge of Rachel’s posh neighborhood. The couple has only recently arrived, but Luc is struggling with a mental disorder, and so he goes to the nearest clinic…to Rachel.
Their attraction is instant, and as Rachel’s sense of ethics wars with newly awakened passion, the affair blinds her to everything else happening around her. A longtime patient appears to be following her every movement, turning up unexpectedly wherever she goes. Her somewhat estranged adult daughter Lizzie is hiding a secret—or at least, hiding it from Rachel. Nathan has grown sour and cold as well—or is that merely Rachel’s guilty conscience weighing on her? But when one of her colleagues winds up murdered and Luc is arrested for the crime, everything Rachel didn’t know about her life explodes into the open—along with her affair with her patient—a disgrace and scandal that will have consequences no one could have predicted.
My thoughts:
This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I am a fan! She definitely knows how to write a shocking, twisty novel of psychological suspense and I always love those.
This is a slow-burning mystery and I love those. It gives that sense of a quiet read that really ends up sneaking up on you. Told from just one point of view, I found it to be refreshing. Don’t get me wrong – I love books told from multiple points of view, but when you get a story from a singular narrative it’s just a nice change of pace.
I’m always a fan of the domestic thriller and this one sure got me. There is so much packed into this story and yet it all comes together so nicely – lies, love, murder and betrayal will have you flipping the pages to see how it all plays out. It really gives you such a feeling of unease right from the start and I found myself totally invested in the story. I had no idea where it was all heading and I love that. I don’t need to always know how things are going to go – sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy the right and I certainly did that here.
This is such a dark, gripping read that is addictive and totally binge-worthy. I found myself totally consumed once I started reading it and love every twist and turn it took. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you haven’t already read it and if you have, definitely give one of her other books a chance. I know I plan on reading the rest of her backlist as soon as I get the time.
