The Therapy Room by Sam Baron
FBI Agent Susan Parker #1

I nearly gave up on this book at various times while reading. This is a twisted tale that is complex and complicated but one I had trouble relating to or becoming immersed in. At times I felt like I had come into book two of a series as there was little backstory and the characters were not well fleshed out. There was a lot going on with numerous characters introduced but I never really felt I got to know them well and found them difficult to warm up to. Though the FBI team did figure out who “The Splinter” serial killer was, there were still many holes in the story that were not dealt with and hopefully will be wrapped up in future books of the series. As I was unable to relate to Susan, I probably will not continue with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars

I love a good twist and this one had plenty with a hint for a sequel. Definitely pick it up.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving the opportunity to read this!

The Therapy Room was extremely compelling, due to the characters. I liked the diversity represented. The FBI team is wonderful and really helps the main character, Susan Parker, readjust to being back on the force after a leave of absence. I especially enjoyed reading about Susan Parker and her history- her obsessions with the last woman to see her husband alive, and her family connections, especially with her deaf daughter.
My only complaint is that it seemed almost too easy, though there were great twists, to figure out who the serial killer is.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the advance ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book had me gripped from the start, very fast paced and the characters were all enjoyable. Somewhat predictable in its ending I was still shocked at how the story ended, Would recommend to readers looking to get into the thriller genre

I was really excited to read this book, and was pulled in immediately with all of the action. There was a lot of diversity in all of the characters, and the storyline was interesting. However, by the middle of the book, I was a little annoyed by the blatant stereotyping in those characters. The mystery of "Splinter" had me curious, but I kind of had things figured out pretty early on after so many clues had been dropped. The ending being a cliffhanger and leaving so many plot holes still open left me feeling disappointed.

4.5 stars rounded up.

This book had all my fave things of a thriller: psychological mindfuck, suspense throughout, quick read, and a WTF cliffhanger. It’s been a minute since I’ve read an encompassing thriller and honestly, this one did not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing and author Sam Baron for this gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

I’m not a huge fan of crime thrillers but this one sounded quite interesting.

The plot was okay but i didn’t find myself super engaged and excited to see what was next.

There was a lot of different characters, most of which didn’t have much background or even personality.
I also didn’t care much for the main character Susan.

Thank you to the author and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

3.5 stars

The Therapy Room by Sam Baron  is the first in the FBI Agent Susan Parker series. 

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Storm Publishing and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
 

Series Information:
FBI Agent Susan Parker has been with the bureau over 10 years.  Her team consists of Special agents Ramon Diaz, Kayla Regis, and David Moskovitch, with Trainee agent Brine Thomas.  Their boss is Deputy Director Connor Gentry.  They work with Chief Evidence Investigator Marisol Mancini.  Susan is a single mother to 7 year-old Natalie, and they are living with her sister-in-law Lata, who stepped up after Susan's husband died.



My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions):
Susan has been on leave for most of the last year.  Her husband Amit had committed suicide, and Susan went a little crazy and attacked a psychiatrist, who she thought was a serial killer called Splinter.  Dr. Keller is still on her radar.  The serial killer, who targeted psychiatrists and their families, is still at large.

When the body of Dr. Magnusson, a psychiatrist,  is found in the farmhouse he was renting, with twelve therapy rooms below him, it looked like he may have been the serial killer.  Eleven of those rooms were still  occupied, and all the residents are rescued and taken to the hospital.  There was a post-it-note on the door with Susan's name and phone number.

But Susan is not convinced that Splinter is dead.  This is a different situation.   Detective Naved Seth from the local police will become her partner in this investigation.
 

My Opinions:
For a debut novel, and the start of a series, I was impressed. 

I was quickly captivated by the characters and the plot.  I didn't think that Susan always made the right decisions, but her heart is in the right place.  I also like her team, and hope that includes Naved.

I think my only problem with the characters may be that the author tried to combine too many  diversities.  Talk about all-inclusive.  We have a single Indian mother raising a deaf daughter with the help of her ex-marine gay sister-in-law, a mother-in-law from hell, as well as a boss who seems to hate everyone.  Susan, of course, is obsessed with her job, and trying to find out the truth about her husband's death, while dealing with everything else.  If it hadn't worked so well, It might be a little much.

As well, it was somewhat repetitious and the dialogue a little strange occasionally, but neither of these things were a detriment to me enjoying the book.  I always give a new author the benefit of the doubt, and hope to see improvements as we go along.

It was a fairly fast and easy read, and although the culprit was obvious, there were definitely a few twists.

Anyway, I will be looking forward to the next one.

i

the therapy room- Sam Barron

when Susan Parker shows up to this farmhouse she finds a man dead at his kitchen table. in the basement, there are 11 being held captive in “therapy rooms.” however, there are 12 spots, with only 11 people. Susan is on the hunt to find who the 12th captive and get them to talk.
as she’s working with her detective team, she’s getting close to her answers, but her and her family are getting threats..will she get to the bottom of this before it’s too late?

this book had SUCH an intriguing story line and had some really great potential, but it just fell flat. the story was confusing, with too many different characters to try to keep track of, many plot and story line inconsistencies. this writing was pretty cheesy and and seemed to throw a lot at you in hopes that something would stick.
overall, not a great read for me and one i won’t be continuing on to finish the series.

This is the first book I've read by Sam Baron and I was pleasantly surprised. The Therapy Room is well-written. It details FBI Agent Susan Parker and her team as they investigate crimes committed by the serial killer, Splinter. What I enjoyed most was the representation in the book with different cultures, a deaf child who is thriving, and a family member representing the LGBTQ+ community.

First in a planned series about FBI Agent Susan Parker. She has been on indefinite leave after the death of her husband, and now after the discovery of her name at a crime scene tied to a case she has worked for years, she returns to work. This was good, and I liked Susan and Naved's new partnership/friendship. I thought the ending with The Therapist somewhat over the top, so only 3 stars but I'll read the next book when it comes out.

I started this novel but I couldn’t quite finish it. Idk if it was the writing that didn’t grab me or it wasn’t as interesting as I had hoped. I wanted more from a serial killer novel and I wasn’t getting it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the main character so maybe that was it

I think this book is a really good start to a series that I want to read. I would say it was more police procedural than thriller for me as it lacked twist and turns. I kind of guessed the plot fairly fast. I really enjoyed Susan's character, she a strong, independent women who is not afraid to step on toes. I have book 2 in my TBR list so I'm hoping a few more questions will be answered.

This seems to be a good series in the making. The background and character of Susan Parker, FBI agent is complex and interesting.

The story starts with a man who has been captive but finds his door open, and a knife within reach. A murder follows. Susan Parker, in Santa Carina Valley, is trying to move on after time off since her husband Amit’s death. He was first reported missing and later found shot. Susan has been trying to make sense of what happened, including visiting a lady he had last met. Susan has a seven-year-old daughter, Natalie and her sister-in-law Lata is helping her. Susan is called to the site of a murder by law enforcement officer Naved Seth, who has recently moved to the area. The murdered man is Viktor Magnusson, who Susan had suspected to be a serial killer codenamed ‘Splinter’ and had been keeping an eye on. 11 people are rescued from the place but are not talking. Susan is now determined to pursue the case, and rejoins the force.

The plot is decent and the pace is very good. I liked how the author is linking Susan’s husband Amit’s death to subsequent events, though it is the books to come which will uncover the full story. This is also a little irritating as major plot reveals are pushed to upcoming books. The Indian characters portrayal in terms of customs is refreshingly authentic. I would have liked the plot to progress more in this book itself, but well – will wait for the next one.

My rating: 3.75 / 5.

I got confused with the FBI talk and I wasn’t expecting this book to be completely revolved around solving the case. I loved the serial killer concept part but that’s about it.

Loved this fast paced thriller, my only issue is it took the detective way too long to get what was going on. But it kept me coming back for more. I will definitely be reading the sequel

This was a great book! It had me on the edge of my seat and I could not put it down! I will definitely recommend this book to everyone I know!!

Thank you for an advance copy of this thriller. This seems to be the first in a series of books. Susan's husband dies from suicide and she goes back to the farmhouse he had and discovers 12 therapy rooms in the basement and other mysteries she must solve to get answers for her grief. She has her own personal struggles to deal with as well, which I liked that the author was trying to be inclusive in this book. The characters were pretty well developed, some good and some bad, but overall this didn't hold my interest super well...I feel like some more editing was needed perhaps? Lots that didn't seem necessary to move the story along. I liked it fine but it could have been even better perhaps.

This book had its ups and downs, but unfortunately far more downs. I thought the premise was really interesting, and I love thrillers that involve therapy and psychiatry. However, this book was executed very poorly. The main issue was the main character being told point blank important information, but simply not listening because it was said in "broken English." This leads to another large issue: the representation in the book. I will give the author props for including such a diverse cast of characters, but they are little more than stereotypes. Unfortunately, it definitely reads as minorities written by a white man. In addition, it does not seem as though a lot of research went in to the FBI and law enforcement side of things. The characters do not interact realistically and use odd language that does not fit in well. Altogether this book had an entertaining premise, but not much else.