The Silent Patient

By: Alex Michaelides

Narrated by: Louise Brealey, Jack Hawkins

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

With over three million copies sold, listen to the Sunday Times and number one New York Times bestselling, record-breaking thriller that everyone is talking about - soon to be a major film.

Alicia Berenson lived a seemingly perfect life until one day six years ago.

When she shot her husband in the head five times.

Since then she hasn't spoken a single word.

It's time to find out why.

The Silent Patient is the gripping must-listen debut thriller of 2020 - perfect for fans of The Woman in The Window by A.J. Finn and The Girl Before by JP Delaney.

©2019 Alex Michaelides (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"The perfect thriller." (A. J. Finn)

 "Terrific." (The Times, Crime Book of the Month)

"Smart, sophisticated suspense." (Lee Child)

Astonishingly good

The story starts at a gentle pace and gradually reveals itself to be an astonishingly good book in every respect. I was thoroughly immersed in the plot which is woven so subtly I hardly realised how good it is until it had drawn me in. The characters are developed so well that they feel real to me. Every single one of them relatable , and every viewpoint engenders empathy. He writes simply with a gentle clarity and no wasted words, in a way that is respectful towards the reader, the subject matter and the characters. The plot is at the same time both familiar and surprising. Wonderful narration. Thoroughly enjoyable book. I loved it. And... it feels cathartic in a way that is also surprising. He writes with humility and honesty. I hope his other books are as good, because I am going straight back to buy more. Wonderful book and really good narration. Perhaps not everyone will enjoy it because it is an introspective experience, but it is such a breath of fresh air in comparison to other popular literature that is churned out using the winning formula of sex, money, greed and revenge that leaves me feeling dirty afterwards even if it is entertaining. This book is not like that. It is a gem; a holiday from the smut of popular culture. Read it. Thank Alex!

Held my attention at all times amazing ending

Wow. What an amazing book with an attention gripping story line. I liked that they used a woman and a mans voice to portray the 2 main characters. I would definitely recommend this book.

Captivant

This book is amazing. It catches me so badly. I recommend it for who like cliffhangers.

Excellent and riveting

Amazing story that made unexpected turns! Exactly what you want out of a murder/mystery. The medical aspect to it made it even better!

Will recommend...left guessing until the end

Brilliant narration! Makes a good story even better. The book is easy to listen to and story line unpredictable. Would not be surprised if they make a movie...

Excellent!

Most enjoyable read! Gripping!! With an unexpected twist in the tale!! Absolutely worth it. Kept me guessing!!

Great narrators

After getting off to a great start, the climax of the story ses underwhelming. The two narrators however did wonders with the text.

Very good

It caught my attention the whole time I was listening to It. Surprising twist and very entertaining.

Amazing thriller

Absolutely loved it, great twists. the man stalking alicia was kind of scary. theo is a pretty relatable character.

Perfect length and loved the characters

The story line was great. Kept me captivated Narration was brilliant.
Overall great read. Definitely recommend.

What a journey..

This book is a must read. If you like an intelligent crime mystery with a compulsive story, literally jaw dropping twists and turns, and thoroughly believable plot. Don't delay it's a corker!

Disappointing

There's been a lot of hype over this book, which was the reason I went for it. But it's a disappointment - spend your money elsewhere.

Theo, the psychotherapist, doesn't seem to have much understanding of therapy at all. In other words, the author did some cursory research on it and then tried to make a book revolving around the subject. At times it's laughable (in a very bad way).

The diary extracts read a bit like Pamela (again, in a bad way) with some ridiculous bits. 'He's coming in, I can hear someone downstairs, they're here!'. Come on, who's going to continue to write in their diary when you're under attack?

There's no miraculous reason for Alicia's silence, which I think is a big factor in getting the reader to keep on reading. 'The Silent Patient' is quite a misleading title, and the vast majority of the book revolves around the much less interesting subject of Theo's relationship with Kathy, an intensely annoying character. We didn't pick the book up to read about a failing relationship.

I read to the end not so much out of enjoyment for the novel, but because I wanted to know what really happened. I won't spoil it, but it's disappointing, and Alicia's silence is really unconvincing.

The female voice for Alicia's extracts is quite annoying, and so is the narrator for Theo. Both come across as very pompous. Both characters are incredibly pompous, so maybe that's what they were going for. But nobody wants 8 hours of pompous voices to listen to.

Some okay ideas in it but I'd recommend staying away.

Fabulous page turner really different storyline

I loved this book and could not stop listening and felt bereaved when it was finished. This is a very clever book with a great story. It is written by a psychotherapist and some of the psychoanalytic concepts introduced as part of the story are really well done and sit within the overall narrative without being pretentious. I was captivated by the two main characters, Theo and Alicia and felt they were really well developed by the author who clearly understands people and how childhood experiences can reverberate through adult life impacting on our actions. I absolutely did not see the end twist, which is unusual as there is so often a clue early on, this was a real bolt out of the blue. I also enjoyed both narrators and felt they aptly depicted the characters. I really hope this author produces more work as this book was exceptional.

Very poor

Alex Michaelides might be an experienced and successful scriptwriter, but he is NOT a good novel writer.

The narrative is crammed with clichés, inconsistencies and the occasional grammatical error.

The plot is extremely contrived, although the denouement is not unexpected.

Often, the characters ‘behave’ in a manner that doesn’t fit with their personality as conveyed by the author. This is somewhat disconcerting, even allowing for the contrivance.

I suppose the reader does the best he can with such a poorly written novel. Sadly, it is not enough to rescue the audio version.

More and more often, I find myself reading or listening to books that have good reviews but turn out to be... errrrr... rubbish? I fear that this is the result of publishers not bothering to edit original manuscripts that will sell well anyway. What does that say about us, the readers?

OK but not groundbreaking

I think this is a good listen for anyone who likes reading undemanding thrillers - easy to follow and pick up but unfortunately (for me) quite predictable. I guessed the twist about half way through (a few obvious clues in the narrative).

Clever twist

Gripping and full of suspense, When you start thinking ? who do you trust ??
Could not stop listening

Brilliant!

I loved this, really gripping build up to a spectacular twist! Can’t wait for his next book.

Fabulous riveting story

I really enjoyed this book- had me captured from start to finish- highly recommended for those who enjoy a good story and have an understanding of psychotherapy/ psychiatry dynamics

Brilliant!

The end had crossed my mind but .......!! a tangled web that slowly unravels keeping you totally engrossed to all the way through!

Very average book with vaguely interesting twist

I have no idea why this book has been heralded as the next great thriller. It’s really run-of-the-mill stuff for the vast majority of the book and the characters are paper thin throughout. Admittedly there is a nice twist, though I guessed it around half way through and I’m sure many readers will have cracked way before then. All in all a truly average read.