Dr. Ellie Spencer works as a forensic psychologist at a jail. However, when women start disappearing and turning up dead, Ellie is reminded of her past. Her sister went missing five years ago and was never found. When her sister's necklace turns up on the body of one of the latest victims, Ellie is desperate to find a connection to her missing sister. In order to figure out what is happening, Ellie works with one of her patients, a notorious serial killer, in order to get into his mind and catch the latest killer.

I really enjoyed this one! I love novels that dive into the psyche and the inner workings of a killer. You can tell the author is very knowledge on this subject. The author does an excellent job at keeping the reader engrossed and on their toes. I honestly had no idea who the killer was and kept changing my mind throughout the story. Lots of great twists and turns. The character development was really well done - you can really get a sense of each character and connect with them.

Thank you Avon Books UK | Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Psychopath had all the ingredients I look for in a psychological thriller: a mysterious disappearance, a morally murky protagonist, a manipulative killer in a prison cell, and a dark past slowly unraveling. And for the most part, it delivered! The setup was genuinely compelling—Dr. Eleanor Spencer is a psychologist with a polished exterior and a mess of unresolved trauma underneath, and when women start vanishing again, it becomes clear that her past and present are dangerously entwined.

Alice Hunter does a great job building atmosphere and slowly peeling back the layers of Ellie’s mind. The idea of a psychologist becoming too close to a case, possibly to the point of losing objectivity (and her grip on reality?), is always intriguing. Add in Lucas Hayne, the convicted killer who may or may not know more than he’s letting on, and the tension definitely ramps up.

But here’s the thing: the pacing is a bit uneven. While the story is interesting, it leans more into slow-burn mystery than edge-of-your-seat thriller. Some parts drag a little, and Ellie’s reluctance to confront certain memories—or even open her old journals—felt like a slightly frustrating plot device rather than a believable trait. I found myself wishing she’d just read the damn entries already, especially when she kept saying they might hold clues. It got repetitive after a while.

That said, I was genuinely surprised by the final twist. I didn’t see it coming, which I always appreciate, even if the execution didn’t totally land for me. The motive felt a bit undercooked, and the ending could’ve used a stronger punch.

Overall, The Perfect Psychopath is a solid, twisty read that’s perfect for fans of psychological mysteries with damaged protagonists and morally grey choices. It didn’t quite blow me away, but I enjoyed it enough to keep Alice Hunter on my radar.

This kept me intrigued throughout. While I did figure out the final twist/reveal. I was still invested enough. Wondering if I missed something.
This had the perfect balance between personal life and the crimes being solved.

This was a really good book but I'm still a bit confused with the ending . It is well worth a read as it keeps you guessing .

“Broken people try to heal themselves by breaking others”

I was lucky enough to be approved for an advanced readers copy (ARC) of this book via @netgalley @avonbooksuk having recently read and loved The Serial Killer Series I was overjoyed to be reading @alicehunter_author The Perfect Psychopath.

Dr Eleanor Spencer is a psychologist who works in a prison and has sessions with the inmates who are serial killers and rapists.

When women start to vanish and are later murdered it resurfaces feelings of her sisters unsolved disappearance and before she knows it, Eleanor is entwined in the present investigation.

Lucas Hayne, a convicted serial killer speaks of his crimes within his sessions with Eleanor and not only are there similarities in his crimes to the new murders but he is taunting Eleanor and encouraging her to look closer to home for the answers and links to her sisters disappearance.

It was fascinating having a look into the mind of serial killers and eye opening how powerful the human brain is. This book will make you question every character and keep you on your toes with mini twists and turns until the big revelation.

This will be a big hit and I am honoured to have been able to read an early release in exchange for a truthful review. @harperfiction @harperfiction

The idea for this book was engaging. The psychiatrist, Ellie, is interviewing serial killers for research and also wants to get to the bottom of the years old case of her sister’s disappearance. The other point of view is the detective investigating a suspected copy cat murder. DS Sarah Knight finds clues linking the current crimes to Ellie’s missing sister.
The portrayal of the prison setting felt realistic and well drawn. The characters were ok, but none of them had a lot of depth.
The story is past paced and kept me reading. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that Ellie just forgot all the pertinent points relevant to solving the crimes. This seemed far too convenient and it wasn’t explored why. This let the overall plot down for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC

A great psychological thriller with some perfectly creepy characters. The way it was written made you feel like you were part of the investigation which added to the feeling of tension that was throughout the book. If you like a having your mind messed with, this is the book for you.

I received this as an eARC from NetGalley

This book had me at the edge of my seat with every turn of the page. So many twists and turns - all unexpected. It was gasp after gasp with all of the new developments.

I highly recommend this book!

4.5/5 stars! This is a psychological thriller done right. To be transparent, I have enjoyed basically everything I've read by Alice Hunter, so I had high hopes for this book. It was so good. The mental health aspect was spot on and intriguing and THAT TWIST! Omg. I was stunned. Only gripe is that the pacing was very mellow for what should be a tumultuous time seeking answers faster.

What a fantastic gripping read, our main character Dr Ellie Spencer is on big journey to help her solve the disappearance of her sister and to finally get closure. It takes us through her day to day of working in a prison which is very insightful as she works with some big characters, it shows the challenges faced when trying to rehabiliate prisoners. You can almost feel the anxiety coming off the pages as you are taken down a road of turns and twists. This interwines her personal life and feelings , but with the added challenges of the outside world and key events that keep happening. I dont want to give any more away! This was consumed within 2 days and i felt that the character development was outstanding, you could get a real feel for the different characters in the book. A great read ! I will be purchasing more of Alice Hunters books. thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my Advanced reader copy it was a pleasure as always !

"The Perfect Psychopath" by Alice Hunter this book I couldn’t put it down! From the very first page, this novel captivated me with its brilliantly twisty plot and suspenseful twists that kept me guessing until the very last moment. The writing is stunning—each chapter grabbed me by the throat and pulled me deeper into its thrilling world. If you’re a fan of edge-of-your-seat suspense and masterfully crafted stories, this is hands down one of the best novels I've read this year! Highly recommend!

Wow just wow I have no words
This is a masterpiece literally couldn’t love it more
I loved everything about this the characters the plot the ending like what !!!
Lovely pace shocking moments twists that blew me away i couldn’t put it down i love it

The Perfect Paychopath is a psychological thriller which follows the life of prison psychologist Ellie and police officer DS Sarah Knight. The multi pov story is fast paced and hooks you in quickly. The story starts with the missing sister of Ellie from years previously, and builds quickly on.

The story has lots of interesting characters, and is set up well to make you question everything and everyone. The level of detail relating to the prison systems and structure is good, and is reflective of strong author knowledge and research, this really adds to the story as it makes it feel more realistic.

The main characters face a number of challenges, and the way the story builds around these is good.
The twists keep happening, right to the very end! A must read, I couldn’t put it down!

The Perfect Psychopath is a tense, fast-paced thriller that follows Becky, a former police officer desperate to expose the dark truth about her manipulative ex-husband. Alice Hunter crafts a chilling story of power, gaslighting, and the fight to be believed. Though some may wish for deeper insight into the antagonist, the suspense and emotional stakes make this a gripping read from start to finish.

I enjoyed the way that this story was structured, and it kept me guessing throughout which is perfect as this is exactly what I look for in a book! I really liked the main characters profession and getting to understand more around that throughout the story. I always enjoy a book from Alice Hunter, and I think this is another well written story, perfect to binge over a long weekend, long commute or holiday!

Oh my gah!!;;; 10 out of 10!!!!!!! I own all books by this author. This one is by far my favorite one!!!! Want twists? Turns? Can't put it down? This one is for you!!!

You ever read a book that when you get to the end of it your mouth hangs open in surprise and you think to yourself what in the world did I just read? Well the Perfect Psychopath by Alice Hunter is one of those books .

The story about a missing sister and the convoluted attempt to find out what happened to her takes place from the viewpoint of the older sister who is also a psychologist who works with serial killers .

It's a very different kind of psychological thriller and detective story because we see the internal thoughts and actions of family, as well as join the entire police case.

As an ARC reader for Netgalley I was able to read this book before it was published and it was definitely a treat . I got completely caught up in following the case at the same time seeing into the mind of serial killers .

Despite that I was completely unprepared for the twists .

I give the book 4 stars and recommend it to anyone looking for a good murder mystery with a side of psychological tension.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for such a great pleasure .

A fabulous twisty book which I just couldn't put down. I love Alice's books and this one is right up there with her others. The story kept me guessing right until the end. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for arc I loved it, it was fast paced, very gripping couldn’t stop reading it, I loved the plot and the twist and turns and the characters the ending I didn’t see that coming can’t wait to read more of books of the Alice wrote I have a few of her books on bookshelves

This was an extremely addictive thriller that kept me guessing until the very last chapter!

Dr Ellie Spencer is a psychologist working in a prison. 10 years ago, her younger sister Grace went missing and her family are still looking for answers as to what happened to her. Now, a young woman is found murdered and Grace’s necklace is found at the scene. Ellie is now drawn into the investigation, and finds herself spending more time with convicted serial killer, Lucas Hayne, whose MO is similar to that of the new killer.

Her interviews with Lucas become more and more disturbing as he seems to know more about her past than he should.. and warns her that the truth may be closer to home than she realises.

It is interesting reading that Alice Hunter worked in prison intervention programmes – you could tell from the descriptions of Ellie’s work in the prison that there was a lot of personal experience of the environment and how working in a prison really is.

This was such a great page-turner and a very enjoyable read. I found the missing chunks of Ellie’s memory maybe could have done with a bit more of an explanation, other than being convenient for the narrative! But looking past that, it was a great story and perfect psychological thriller!