The Girlfriend by K.L. Slater is a psych thriller that is heavy on the psych – but almost as heavy on the thriller.
I knew it was going to be a different read when there was no prologue.
There’s almost always a prologue in psych thrillers.
Instead, this one uses the first few chapters of “real-time” action to set the stage for the events that follow.
I really like this approach. It felt more like watching the opening of a crime show with the whole set-up that occurs before the opening credits.
If you’re a careful reader, you may also notice that there are clues in these opening chapters that play a bigger part in the overall story. But they’re difficult to find.
Without giving anything away (read the blurb and the cover for an overview), let’s just say that not everything is as it seems. The characters you think you understand, you probably don’t.
And the motives you think you’ve figured out, you probably haven’t.
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0B9C385CRsocial
One thing that is done very well in this book is the “psych” part of psych thriller. There are layers upon layers of psychological warfare at play.
There are also a lot of little clues and hints dropped along the way. Some are red herrings, and some are legit. It’s nearly impossible to tell which is which until you get to the end, though.
As the book reaches the climax, there are a few revelations that I did not see coming. Pretty sure if I went back in, there were hints that would have told me (like I already mentioned).
And about the climax and the end? Those felt rushed. The author had been very methodical to a point and then it all just…sort of went whoosh and it was over.
I am not so keen on that.
At any rate, The Girlfriend is an intriguing read. K.L. Slater has written another solid psych thriller.
