The Silent Patient

By Alex Michaelides

The psychological dark thriller, The Silent Patient, is the excellent first-time novel of screenwriter Alex Michaelides. Like a good intrigue, the plot’s twists and turns and false leads keep the reader guessing. The question isn’t who-done-it, because the murderess is a mute mental asylum patient, but rather, why.

Therapist Theo sets out to find out more behind the circumstances of the patient’s crime and sudden silence. Michaelides escorts various actors into the plot—all with potential motive—making it fun to sort out who might have done what to whom. The ending carries a nice swift surprise, making it well worth the untangling.