The Silent Patient

Amazon.com Review An Amazon Best Book of February 2019: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides feels like it could be the big psychological thriller debut of 2019. The novel takes a few chapters to clear its throat and set the plot in motion, but once the tracks are laid it’s full steam ahead. Alicia Berenson is one-half of a glamorous couple—she’s an artist married to her fashion photographer husband, Gabriel. But when Gabriel returns home late one night, she shoots him five times in the face and refuses to speak again. Now she is being held in an institution outside London called the Grove. When a psychotherapist named Theo Faber becomes obsessed with her case, he finds his way to the Grove to treat her. Dark twists and delightful turns follow, secrets (and a diary) are revealed, and you will likely find yourself racing to the end.--Chris Schluep, the Amazon Book Review Product Description **THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "An unforgettable―and Hollywood-bound―new thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy." ―Entertainment Weekly The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband―and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive. 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.... Review "Impressive first novel... with an ending worthy of a classic Agatha Christie mystery." ―The Wall Street Journal "Superb... This edgy, intricately plotted psychological thriller establishes Michaelides as a major player in the field." ―Publisher's Weekly, starred review "Pulling off a novel where the protagonist stays mum isn't easy, but this impressive, immersive debut―Brad Pitt's company has snapped up film rights―establishes Michaelides as a writer to watch." ―People, Book of the Week "Impressive debut...The Silent Patient is intelligent, imaginative and a terrific read." ―The Times (London), Book of the Month "The Silent Patient may be a first novel, but it has the pace and finesse of a master." ―BBC "That rarest of beasts: the perfect thriller. This extraordinary novel set my blood fizzing―I quite literally couldn't put it down. I told myself I'd just dip in; eleven hours later―it's now 5:47 a.m.―I've finished it, absolutely dazzled." ―A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window “The Silent Patient sneaks up on you like a slash of intimidating shadow on a badly lit street. Alex Michaelides has crafted a totally original, spellbinding psychological mystery so quirky, so unique that it should have its own genre. I read it in two nights and savored every luscious word, every grim encounter, every startling twist. The pages will burn with the friction from your hands turning them.” ―David Baldacci “Smart, sophisticated storytelling freighted with real suspense―a very fine novel by any standard.” ―Lee Child "One of the most spellbinding psychological thrillers we’ve read in years. Beautifully written, exquisitely plo