Summary
**THE INSTANT #1NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER**"An unforgettable—and Hollywood-bound—new thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy."—Entertainment WeeklyThe Silent Patientis 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....
I don’t know if this book will ever stop being impressive to me. I read it in one sitting and actually screamed out loud at the twist. Then went back and reread it just to make sure it actually said what I thought it did. This was one of those books that had me just staring at a wall for half an hour after I finished. I just couldn’t believe how well written it was for the twist to come so suddenly and shockingly. Alex Michaelides became an instant read author for me from the one book alone. Kudos.