The Therapist by B.A. Paris

    The Therapist is a compelling murder mystery novel by New York Times bestselling author B.A. Paris. Alice, having lived alone in a quaint countryside cottage in England for her entire life, has made the decision to move in with her long-distance partner Leo. Together, they buy a large house in a gated community called The Circle, a seemingly perfect neighborhood with 12 houses in a circle around a beautiful garden. Furthermore, their neighbors are exceptionally nice, and all seem eager to meet the new residents and see their house. As time progresses, Alice begins to feel as though things are not as perfect as they seem, seeing whispers travel between neighbors and questioning why such a coveted house was sold to them at such an inexpensive price. Then, Alice discovers a devastating secret about the house. The previous owner, a therapist named Nina Maxwell, was brutally murdered by her husband, who then proceeded to commit suicide. After learning about the tragedy that took place, Alice becomes fixated on attempting to piece together what happened, however none of her new neighbors want to discuss the topic. Thinking this behavior is odd, she dives deeper into the details of the murder, and it becomes increasingly clear that things are not as they seem.

    Many murder mysteries follow a similar cut-and-dry plotline, in which a murder takes place and shifts the dynamic of the entire town, then the main character enters and solves the case that has stumped many individuals in the past. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book did not partake in this overused outline. The author presents a scenario where the killing is not the topic of the town, and instead, it seems as though everyone does all they can to avoid talking about it. I think the author made a good choice in doing this because it served as a hook that made me want to continue reading and figure out why this was. Additionally, Alice underwent many ideas and theories of what happened before finding out the truth. Although it was at times frustrating that just as you thought you knew what was happening, everything changed, it kept me reading and guessing.

    The one criticism I have of this book is the writing at some points. For the most part, I liked the author’s writing style, however it got fairly dense at times, which I didn’t appreciate. Despite the exciting plot, there were instances where I had to take a break from reading because too many themes were being introduced at once. It was difficult because you could skip a page and have no idea what was happening and how it related to what you were previously reading.

    Although it was at times challenging to stay on track with all of the new ideas being constantly introduced, I enjoyed this book and its plot. I would recommend it to those who are bored of typical murder mystery plots and want a book with the same elements but a contrasting storyline.

- Lena