The Silent Patient

De: Alex Michaelides

Narrado por: Jack Hawkins, Louise Brealey

"The perfect binge listen." — Yahoo Lifestyle

Instant #1 New York Times bestseller.

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....

More praise for The Silent Patient:

“Absolutely brilliant… I read it in a state of intense, breathless excitement.” — Stephen Fry

“Smart, sophisticated storytelling freighted with real suspense - a very fine novel by any standard.” — Lee Child

“The Silent Patient sneaks up on you like a slash of intimidating shadow on a badly lit street. Michaelides has crafted a totally original, spellbinding psychological mystery so quirky, so unique that it should have its own genre.” — David Baldacci

Amazing debut!

This is an AWESOME book. It doesn’t rely on cheap thrills or shock for shock’s sake. It’s a mystery, full of tension and suspense. I love the Greek mythology component. One of the best I’ve listened to or read in a long time (and I read and/or listen to a LOT)! Highly recommend!

Best in Class

There is no hyperbole when using adjectives like brilliant, stunning, and remarkable. There is also no way to write a detailed review without risking a spoiler.

The two narrators were perfect. Their collective voices leant credence to the voice of the characters.

To quote a famous line from another novel, “Please, sir, I want some more.” I anxiously await more from this author.

Good from start to finish

I love to be entertained by a good book. This story moves along quickly without any confusion of characters, and it kept my interest throughout. The ending was not disappointing. It's not "dark" as some people like to refer to psychological thrillers. It's just a good story with a few surprising twists. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Pleasantly surprised

I downloaded this book thinking it wasn’t going to be that good. I was wrong! Do yourself a favor... give it a listen

Had Potential

This novel took me in immediately. After listening to myriad sloppy and unoriginal audio books of late, I sighed a sigh of relief and leaned into this story.

But then came “the twist”. While original, it meant the reader had been repeatedly lied to. Clever authors offer red herrings to throw you off the scent. Lazy writers deceive you which is disappointing. This device (lying) detracts from the fun of using one’s critical thinking skills. How can you problem-solve when you’re not presented with the facts?

As for the performances, the male lead was strong. The female lead paused in unnatural spaces and where the male lead performed the characters’ accents, those sane characters all had her same British accent. I’m not sure if she’s unskilled or if the director didn’t provide more context for that actor. It was definitely a break in character continuity!