Today dear readers I am on the blog tour for How To Spot A Psychopath (Published 20 April 2022) By M Q Webb. A big thank you to the publishers TBR for sending me a copy to read and review, always appreciated. Also the lovely Anne for the invite to take part, always a pleasure to work with.
How to Spot a Psychopath
We’ve all wondered about someone… are they… how do I know?
How to Spot a Psychopath is a thoughtful, intelligent, psychological thriller full of conflicting accounts and sharp turns. How to Spot a Psychopath will keep you questioning who is hiding what, and why.
When four-year-old Mia Edwards goes missing on a play date, everyone suspects that Jessica Green knows what happened to her, especially Mia’s mother, Holly, but Jessica isn’t talking.
Psychiatrist, Dr. Oscar de la Nuit, is determined to save Jess from the same mistakes he’s living with.
Will Jess lead to his redemption, or will she be his downfall?
About The Author
MQ Webb enjoys writing thrillers, suspense, mysteries and horror. They once worked in an office in a building that was actually an old goal. How to Spot a Psychopath is the first book in the Oscar de la Nuit series.
My Review
Every parent’s worst nightmare is losing their child. The trust you place in another person to look after the most precious thing to you in the whole world is extremely important. To think that those you consider a friend would ever place your child in danger is not worth thinking about…but unfortunately dear reader, it happens.
When 4 year old Mia Edward goes missing on a play date everyone points the finger at the last person who saw her alive, Jessica Green. But Jessica is not talking and time is running out in the hopes of finding Mia alive. Jessica knows something. Mia’s mother Holly is desperate to find her daughter and is adamant that Jessica has murdered her. Psychiatrist Dr. Oscar de la Nuit refuses to believe that Jessica has killed Mia and is more interested in saving Jess from the same mistakes he is living with. With Jess not talking there is little hope in finding out what happened to Mia. Why won’t Jess speak? This question baffles the reader throughout the book as we begin to wonder what exactly happened on the day Mia disappeared. And why can no one find her? Where is she?
The narrative takes place between the events leading up to Mia’s disappearance, Then, to the present, Now, with Dr. Oscar treating Jessica as his patient. Jessica caught Oscar’s attention from the moment he saw her, she didn’t fit the typical killer profile. She was a suburban journalist with a four year old daughter, Zoe and hardworking husband, Clay. Oscar is a forensic psychiatrist, his job is to read people and he is extremely good at it. But he has a dark secret that taunts him daily. He finds Jessica interesting and sees the same silent suffering that he endures is weighing her down. He wants to save her from the torment. But can he?
Oscar puts in a transfer request for Jessica to be moved to Whitner Psychiatric Hospital and for him to be her psychiatrist. The media has made Jess look like a monster and with her not speaking it only makes things look worse. But why won’t she talk? What is she hiding? The questions whirl around Oscar’s head as he becomes more immersed in why she refuses to talk. There has to be a reason behind it. Oscar has already got his own theories about what happened and doesn’t believe that Jess killed Mia, but he thinks she might know where she is and is covering for someone or saw something that has traumatised her.
It’s interesting to read the exchanges between Oscar and Jess in the present. The reader starts to make their own assumptions about what happened and question if they can trust anything that Jessica says when she does finally start to talk. Oscar understands what she’s going through but that doesn’t make them the same. He has to remind himself not to get emotionally involved in a case as it is selfish and could cloud his judgment. He wants the truth and can tell instantly when Jess is lying to him. The scenes between these two are thick with tension as they need to trust each other. Oscar questions if he is getting the real Jess or a persona she’s created to get her through the days. She doesn’t eat much, avoids the other patients and refuses to see her sister when she visits. Oscar quickly finds that Jess seems to leave him with more questions than answers but the clock is ticking. Time is running out not only for Mia but also Jess and Oscar. The writing is intense and you can feel the pressure building, you cling to the pages desperate to find out the truth. It’s exhilarating! But so so worth it when you uncover the truth dear reader.
The chapters titled Then are events leading up to Mia’s disappearance the reader follows Jessica and how she is struggling with the new sudden friendship that Holly forces upon her. Wherever Jessica and her sister Niki go for coffee, Holly will appear. Jess doesn’t like her and avoids her but worries about her sister as she starts to spend more and more time with Holly. Jess learns that Holly is Mia’s mother, the little girl who has been telling on Zoe since she started kindergarten. Mia’s father doesn’t live with them and Holly tells them that he was violent towards them both. Jess feels for them both but is still unsure about Holly. Things don’t add up and she begins to question what it is about Holly that she doesn’t trust. Zoe isn’t adjusting to kindergarten and Jess suspects a child is hurting her as there are bruises on her arm. It soon becomes clear that Holly isn’t how she appears and only Jess can see her for what she really is. A Psychopath. There are many moments like this one that will shock and scare you to question just how well do we know the people we consider our friends…it’s chilling!
I give How To Spot A Psychopath By M Q Webb a Five out of Five paw rating.
Highly addictive you won’t be able to put this book down until you know the truth about what happened to Mia Edwards. It will consume you, I loved every second.
Full of shocking twists and heart-stopping turns you will begin to question who can you really trust. What secrets are these characters hiding and who is telling the truth? This is a MUST read!
Don’t forget to follow the rest of the blog tour, dates below, enjoy!
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Thanks for the blog tour support x