The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient

by Alex Michaelides

WITH OVER THREE MILLION COPIES SOLD, read the Sunday Times and No.1 New York Times bestselling, record-breaking thriller that everyone is talking about - soon to be a major film.

'The perfect thriller' AJ FINN

'Terrific' - THE TIMES Crime Book of the Month

'Smart, sophisticated suspense' - LEE CHILD

'Compelling' - OBSERVER

'Absolutely brilliant' - STEPHEN FRY

'A totally original psychological mystery' - DAVID BALDACCI

'One of the best thrillers I've read this year' - CARA HUNTER

'The pace and finesse of a master' - BBC CULTURE


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-read debut thriller of 2020 - perfect for fans of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW by A.J. Finn and THE GIRL BEFORE by JP Delaney.

Reviewed by Amber on

4 of 5 stars

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I also posted this review on my book blog if you'd like to check it out!

I read this book as a buddy read with Amy and Steffi, and we all ended up powering through it in record time (and completely ignoring any deadlines we’d set ourselves), so I think that says a lot about what The Silent Patient is like.

I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant about the plot in the beginning. I didn’t like the idea of a guy becoming obsessed with fixing a woman because she’s a challenge or thought of as unfixable. Thankfully, the main character wasn’t portrayed like that, and it turned out to be a really good plot.

I absolutely flew through The Silent Patient, mostly because it had such short chapters and the plot just didn’t stop. I don’t think it would have worked as well as a longer book, and it certainly wouldn’t have been as thrilling.

I loved getting to know the female main character, Alicia, through her diary. Her story was told really well, and I was totally invested in seeing her side of things and wanting her situation to improve.

Of course, the ending was explosive, and I loved how the author wove the story together. The author dropped little hints throughout the story and in the end it all came together and made so much sense. I was reading faster and faster towards the end because it was all starting to make sense and I finally had a decent theory on what was happening!

While I really liked The Silent Patient, I didn’t love it, unfortunately. I have nothing really bad to say about it, but it wasn’t a favourite of mine, which is why I’ve only given it four stars despite the positive review!

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  • 28 March, 2019: Reviewed