I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own

It's been a minute since I got really into a mystery/thriller, but The Therapy Room got me into the genre again. It took a few chapters to understand the who, what, and where, but once I figured things out, I was invested.

I was torn with this book. In parts the book was really very good in other parts the writing was almost childish with some of the dialogue especially. That said I did enjoy the book and will purchase the next in the series, however I do hope that the conversations depicted are more of a believable adult nature.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC. I love the plot but the writing was disappointing. The was so much detail that was left out that would help the reader connect. It left a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the book as well.

I was immediately captivated and read this in two sittings. Unrelated to the plot, I throughly enjoyed the diverse characters, names, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Representation is important and I think it’s really cool the lead forensic scientist is in a wheelchair, the main character is a woman of color, and multiple characters communicate in ASL. While reading I was hoping for a sequel and was reassured this will be a series due to the cliff hanger. I’ve never been left in such suspense before! I prefer books to have their resolution, even if it’s messy and up for interpretation. This book doesn’t really end. As for a rating; this is a solid four stars. I wish the reveal was teased out more rather than revealed in ones scene. It was the classic “bad guy monologue” that explains the plot.

When FBI Agent Susan Parker was called to the rundown farmhouse, the horrors which were uncovered brought them closer to the serial killer "Splinter". The dead man in the chair in the kitchen was a well known therapist - was he Splinter? The discovery of individual rooms in the basement - therapy rooms - each with a malnourished, dehydrated and battered victim inside, was a breakthrough. But there was much more to the case than was initially obvious.

Parker had been off on leave after her husband Amit had died twelve months prior. Seeing a psychologist during that period, she was more than shocked when he said she was fit to return to work. After promising her sister-in-law she wouldn't go back to work yet, she did. Her seven year old daughter, Natalie, deaf from birth, was an angel, and Lata, Amit's sister, cared for Natalie when Susan was working. Her family life was important - but so was her job, and bringing down Splinter was a priority, especially now they had new leads...

The Therapy Room is the 1st in the FBI Agent Susan Parker series by Sam Baron and I enjoyed it, even though I picked the "bad guy" early in the piece. Fast paced, electric and heart thumping, I found the interactions and camaraderie between Susan and her team, were great. I'm very much looking forward to #2, and recommend The Therapy Room highly.

With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a great idea and an interesting premise, however, there was a lot wrong with it. It was a checklist of racial and ethnic stereotypes. It seemed like the author took one person from every ethnicity and put them all in a law enforcement job. There were also many inconsistencies, like a child going to school ON Thanksgiving day. The setting was a fictional area in LA county, but the author did not capture the essence of southern California. These things tanked the book for me. I can't recommend this one.

I really wanted to like this book. The concept sounded great! But within the first few chapters, I was already forcing myself to just get through the book. The best way to describe it is by comparing it to those lazy horror movies where the character hears the killer coming, and instead of running out the open door, they run up to stairs and get trapped. It reads like a 90's cop drama. The dialog was cringy, the chemistry between the characters was non-existent. The book could have been great if it wasn't for those major issues. First of the series, let's hope the coming ones get better.

The Therapy Room by Sam Baron is the first book in the FBI Agent Susan Parker series. It was also my first book from Author, Sam Baron. I truly enjoyed this book. When I read the description of this book I knew I had to read it. I found this story extremely addictive. The end of every chapter leaves you wanting more. Plus, if you love a great cliffhanger… here you go!

We are following FBI detective Susan Parker and her chase to find a serial killer. Who is suspected to be a therapist / psychologist due to his method of torture and their choice of victims.

Susan has been on leave from work due to a blow up following her late husband’s suicide. When a suspect is found deceased, and a note on a basement door containing her name and phone number, leading to 12 victims locked in “therapy rooms”. So Susan is brought back onto the case.

I enjoyed watching the case unfold, revelations coming to light and mysterious chases in the fields surrounding the crime scene.

This book takes readers on a gripping journey into the twisted mind of a serial killer, tangled with the personal struggles that face FBI agent Susan Parker.
This fast-paced thriller kept me hooked the whole way through. It takes you on an intense ride of twists and turns that doesn’t stop until the end of the book. I can’t wait for book two, I would recommend this to all thriller/mystery genre readers.

Susan Parker, an FBI agent who has been suspended from her job due to an incident that occurred on duty in the wake of her husband’s death, is called to an abandoned farmhouse by local police when the body of a psychiatrist is discovered along with her name and number on a post it note on the basement door. The mystery deepens when twelve “therapy rooms” are discovered in the basement filled with victims who refuse to speak about their time imprisoned at the farmhouse.

As a therapist myself, the premise of this book interested me. The book gave FBI TV show vibes…it reminded me a lot of Criminal Minds. It was humorous at parts and action packed at others. For me personally there were parts of the story that were too unrealistic, and Susan was a hard character to connect with despite the author’s attempts at making her a sympathetic single mom grieving the loss of her husband and navigating the pressures of balancing career and family.

Overall the story was fun and the mystery was intriguing. If you’re looking for a read that doesn’t take things too seriously, you’ve found it. The ending and the hints at a bigger mystery with family secrets to be revealed definitely piqued my interest, and I will be keeping an eye out for the next in the series 👀

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of The Therapy Room!

A debut novelist, Sam Baron’s The Therapy Room (2024) is an absorbing crime thriller. Susan Parker is the FBI lead special agent at the Los Angeles field office, on medical leave after an incident at work. Santa Carina Valley police detective Navea Seth rings her to attend a crime scene of a murdered man and eleven malnourished captives. The police and FBI management determine that they have finally caught the serial killer known as Splinter. Yet Susan is convinced that the case is linked to her husband’s death and the real killer is still out there. An enthralling crime mystery, with an all too human protagonist and a taut narrative, an absorbing serial killer hunt that is a four and a half stars read rating. With thanks to Storm Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

Ok, so the premise sounded amazing. I love psychology so I thought this book is for me.

One, I am not a fan of books coming for the point of view of an fbi agent or detective. I was honestly hoping it was going to come from one of the victims.

Two, this was a very slow burn. I got some great quotes out of it though and it is written well.

So if you like detective books and slow burns then this one is for you.

Thank you Netgallery for letting me review and read this book!

Susan Parker is a great character! Having been suspended from the FBI after her husband’s suicide, she is called back in when a note is left for her at a crime scene.

I enjoyed the balance of FBI procedural and Susan’s personal life and background. Having been out of the field, Susan is pleased to be back, but also struggles with the balance between agent and mother and makes some dangerous mistakes, showing her humanity and vulnerability between the tough exterior.

On the hunt for a serial killer called Splinter, Susan begins to realise that they haven’t been casting their net anywhere near wide enough and the people she should be able to trust, don’t have her back at all!

The plot was fast-paced, gripping and intense!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Sam Baron and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for the book #TheTherapyRoom by #SamBaron. This book is a wild ride to find a serial killer targeting therapists. It contains murder, abuse and manipulation. I recommend this book.

This book is a prime example of when a good premise falls absolutely flat on its face during the delivery.

First, this book is screaming white man writing POCs and I'm so not here for it. I can’t say for sure whether Baron has Indian roots - can’t even guess since the Goodreads author profile doesn’t have a pic - but we get a lot of negative stereotypes about Indian people and as an Indian American, I’m SO not here for this. There’s zero nuance here. Mean, condescending mother-in-law? Check. Rich, snobby family? Check. Ableism/looking down on “others”? Check. Creepy uncle with shady business dealings? Check. Troubled sister-in-law? Check. The way the Indian family was presented alone was enough to make me dislike this book and never want to read this author again.

Second, despite being told in first person by our MC Special Agent In Charge Susan Parker, I did not feel like we got to know her very well. She makes a lot of rookie mistakes that made me wonder whether the author did any research at all into what her rank means? She says her daughter is her number one priority when she's put her in a lot of danger for no good reason a few chapters earlier.

Third, the story ended up being so inconsistent and boring. The timeline jumps around all over the place. It ended on a cliffhanger that was probably supposed to make us pick up book two but just made me dislike this book even more. It felt like the final scene for a TV show series.

Fourth, I wonder if this author is maybe British because we get a lot of things that make sense in Britain but not in the US (ex. Boxing Day, using Celsius not Fahrenheit, etc). I don't know why the book wasn't simply set in Britain somewhere where the author may have had a better sense of the policing/agentry ranks as well.

Fifth, what is this weird way of speaking? Which decade are we in? Who is still typing "Gr8" in text messages when we have smartphones? The constant complaining about Gen Zers was annoying (and I say that as a millennial). Who uses the word "slash" as in ("this slash that") in real life? Is this a thing? Plus we get lots of patronizing acronym definitions and info dumps.

All around, this was a huge no thank you from me. I won't be picking up any more books in this series or by this author.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Wow, did this book have a lot of what I love! There was no way that I wasn't going to request this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was the right amount of various types of drama for me. I thought the description of the crime scene was very visual and detailed. My one concern with this book is that there were so many characters, I sometimes had to take a minute to realize who was being discussed. Will I be reading future books in this series? Absolutely, yes!

This is the first book in the FBI Agent Susan Parker series and it did not disappoint.
After the loss of her husband Susan Parker has put the FBI on the back burner and has been learning how to become a single mother to her deaf daughter. When she’s called to the crime scene of a killer she’s been hunting for years.

So many twists! Loved the book and can’t wait for the next to find out what happens next. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s one of those books you can’t help to become a detective too, and try and figure it out.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an advance copy of The Therapy Room, the first novel to feature Special Agent In Charge Susan Parker of the FBI, set in the fictional Californian town of Santa Carina Valley.

Susan is on an extended suspension after the death of her husband and some wild behaviour. She is surprised when a local detective calls her to a crime scene and they find one dead body and eleven malnourished prisoners. The dead man is a renowned therapist, who Susan thought was the serial killer known as Splinter when she led the task force. The prisoners/victims won’t talk and so she and the team have to dig out deeper secrets than they could have imagined.

I enjoyed The Therapy Room, which has an interesting premise and is full of twists and turns. It is told entirely from Susan’s point of view, meaning that the reader can live the investigation with her while, thankfully not participating in the more harrowing experiences.

The ultimate concept of the novel is not unheard of, but the author puts a good spin on it and produces an absorbing read. The novel has a bit of everything, starting with Susan’s slightly unstable personality. She is neurodivergent and that leads to a level of obsession that got her the suspension, makes others doubt her and, at times, encourages marginal behaviour. It also makes her a smart, committed detective who occasionally manages to outmanoeuvre the boss, who obviously doesn’t like her. I loved it. Her not infrequent meetings with bosses provide the non dangerous drama, while her investigation offers a few brushes with death. Meanwhile the twists keep coming. I must admit that I guessed two of the big twists early in the novel as they weren’t well enough disguised, but it wasn’t enough to spoil my enjoyment of an action packed, entertaining novel.

The Therapy Room is a good read that I can recommend.

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a psychological thriller that had me creeped out, scared, and staying up waaaay past my bedtime to see what happens next.

4/5 ⭐️

Some interesting concepts explored and a very modern tale but predictable storyline. I have to admit the book did not really grip me but I did complete it. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

An interesting concept, but I guess I’m missing the point of why therapists are being targeted. The book did have a lot of action but was absent of the twists and turns that I love so much! It ended on a cliffhanger that might be enough to get me to read the next installment just to get the answer!