The Psychiatrist

by Emma Curtis

TWO FAMILIES. ONE LIE. NO FORGIVENESS.

In the leafy suburbs, status is paramount and reputation is everything...

Recently qualified psychiatrist Dr Geddes is building her career at a prestigious practice when an unexpected encounter with a young male patient threatens to expose her darkest secret.

Lorna Chilcott is delighted to befriend the glamorous Elise, wife of the ex-boyband star she had a crush on as a teenager. But when her daughter goes missing after leaving Elise's house, friendship turns to discord and accusations fly.

A single lie connects these two traumatic events - and its impact will be deadly...

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery

416 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2026

Reviews

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

In a leafy and prestigious West London suburb, status and an exemplary reputation are everything. Psychiatrist Dr Geddes is relatively new to the profession and one of her patients is especially troubling. He’s bipolar, vulnerable yet combative and he asks very unsettling questions that are very close to crossing lines. She’s itching to be rid of him as a patient as she senses danger. Unfortunately, their final session as doctor/patient is not the last she sees of him, her instincts about him prove correct. The encounter threatens not only the security of the new life she’s created for herself but also threatens to expose secrets and lies she has hoped are dead and buried.

Lorna Chicott is thrilled when Elise, wife of former popstar Dexter Coleridge befriends her, especially as a teenager she has a huge crush on Dexter. When Lorna’s daughter Amy goes missing from the Coleridge’s home, carefully constructed worlds start to tumble like a house of cards. How do the secrets and lies of these families connect?

The story is told from several points of view which I do enjoy although I find the psychiatrist/patient storyline is the most tense, suspenseful and is downright intriguing. Within the others there are some lulls as the plot builds and for the life of me I can’t see how they connect. Then there’s a mic drop moment which changes everything and illuminates the seemingly disparate scenarios. It’s clever and even better as I haven’t seen it coming!

The novel is extremely good on how the family’s intertwine and the dynamics within them and the friendships are done equally well, as is the characterisation. I can’t say that any of them are especially likeable but that frequently makes for a much better story.

It’s a slow burner of a psychological thriller and at times the pace is a bit too slow for me, I think the different perspectives probably slows it down although they are absolutely vital in order to build the tale. The ending is a bit convoluted but it does make sense as all the jigsaw pieces start to connect.

I don’t feel this is Emma Curtis‘s best book, but it is still a good twisty and enjoyable read.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to the publishers for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

[Cristina Lazăr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Două familii, un secret și o minciună ale cărei urmări nu pot fi șterse. Acestea sunt ingredientele principale ale thrillerului psihologic „Psihiatra”, scris de Emma Curtis, o carte care mi-a plăcut destul de mult și care a reușit să-mi mențină interesul de la început până la final. Deși nu a fost o lectură perfectă și au existat câteva aspecte care m-au făcut să nu-i ofer punctajul maxim, povestea m-a prins treptat, iar misterul din spatele evenimentelor m-a făcut să-mi doresc să citesc în continuare, pentru a afla cum se leagă toate piesele acestui puzzle.

Mai multe în recenzia de pe blog: https://carti.blog/2026/10/11/psihiat...

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my last review of an Emma Curtis novel, I said I enjoyed the first 70% and then, after that, the book went completely off the rails. Sadly, I could just copy and paste that review and place it here.

I honestly don't know what it is. She is clearly a gifted writer and I was fully engaged in this book, particularly in trying to work out how two seemingly unrelated stories connected together. Once the twist was revealed, it was a shock but then I felt it just went downhill and I was just skimming to the end.

It's a real shame as I do enjoy her storylines and writing, just not the endings.

[Bianca Stanciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️/5⭐️

[Helen Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly charged, deeply dark psychological tale which had me riveted to the very end.
Lots of very strong feelings of revenge and destruction, so negative that you really feel the drive and desperation of the main characters.
Lots of loyalties, particularly examining, under the microscope, the maternal urge to keep your child safe, no matter what the cost which gives great food for thought and moral dilemmas.
The action is a bit of a rollercoaster, slow st points but then racing off at dizzying exhilarating speeds. There are also plenty of twisty bits which make you question everything you previously believed.
Great storytelling and very addictive, would definitely recommend.

[Natasha Fitzsimons · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here’s the thing. Is it poorly written??? Yesssss. Is it incredibly predictable? Yessss. Are they the worst characters you’ve ever read!? 100% yes.

But underneath all that, it is a very toxic book. Teenagers will make up sexual assault to avoid getting into trouble. That’s the message?? Really?? That’s what we want to go with? It’s a very dangerous message to put out there, when a lot of young people won’t report an assault - because people won’t believe them.

The actions of the psychiatrist are beyond stupid, and j mean beyond.

Hateful little book. I would give it 0 if I could.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another thrilling read from Emma Curtis. Very twisty and really good pace.

When I read her books I'm always wondering how the characters all link together. I have to say I did see some of the twists ahead but I still was caught by surprise sometimes. I really enjoyed it coming together.

I like the dark theming of distrust amongst friends and how some people will do anything for family. It left me questioning how I felt about some of the situations and questioning who I was backing in the story.

[Sinéad Mervyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought The Psychiatrist by Emma Curtis expecting a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller, but I have to admit, it fell short for me. The dual storylines had potential, and I did enjoy the short, easy-to-get-through chapters, but the main characters felt distant and hard to connect with. The plot was at times unrealistic and far-fetched, and throughout the book, key details were left out — leaving me guessing instead of drawing me in with a little extra detail. It just didn’t have that tense, addictive pull I look for in a thriller. By the middle, I found myself skim-reading just to get to the end.

[Miranda Rijks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Psychiatrist is a cleverly plotted psychological thriller, featuring two timelines that come together with a bang mid book. It features Dr Geddes, a young psychiatrist, who seems to be led astray by a troubled patient, as well as Lorna, mother to teenage Amy. The book explores the extent to which a mother will go to protect her child, as well as how the relationship between two families can disintegrate with horrible consequences. There are plenty of dubious characters, big twists, layer upon layer of lies and exquisitely tense moments. Another great book by one of my favourite authors.

[Maias · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading a thriller but I wanted somthing new and I liked this book. I was very confused in the beginning between the dual storylines because I couldn’t seem to connect them. I honestly couldn’t connect with the characters at first and tried really hard to see the story from their perspective but it gets easier after a whole. I didn’t know a lot about the book, like almost nothing, when I started but it was enjoyable. There were some plot twists that i guessed before but others that I didn’t.
The book generally is good written. The chapters are very short, each like 3-4 pages, some longer and some shorter even. The language was easy and the structure was clear. I loved the short chapters because I usually read books with long chapters. The short chapters just made it easier to follow along in my opinion. I liked the way it wasn’t just one sided and we actually like four characters perspectives. I will be looking into Emma’s other books to see if I find anything interesting because her writing is good in my opinion 😝

[KathVBtn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a twisty turny tale with some proper gasp out loud moments when plot points fall into place! The unnamed psychiatrist has a client who is pushing boundaries; she thinks that he is developing an unhealthy obsession with her and she is glad when his sessions come to an end. But an awful encounter takes place which changes the Psychiatrist's outlook on life.
In a separate storyline, estate agent Lorna is obsessed with new neighbours Elise and Dexter and can't believe that their paths have crossed. Dexter is in a popband that Lorna used to love, Elise is a theatre star so they have brought some glamour to the street. Elise is giving Lorna's daughter singing lessons but something goes awry in one of her lessons which changes her approach.
The storylines start separately but come together in a delightful way that I had not predicted - and I was happily hooked to the page throughout.

[Sharon Valler: Live Love Read Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I certainly didn’t see that coming!

There are two stories running in this book; one about a psychiatrist and one about two families whose lives collide leaving a trail of devastation. I was intrigued as to how they would eventually connect and once they did, the twists just kept on coming!

The characters were well written and mostly unlikeable, making them fascinatingly engaging, wondering how many more lies would be told and how far each one would go to suit their own agenda. Full of jealousy and deceit, this one kept me guessing all the way through and the ending was a shocker!

A great read!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Emma Curtis and Atlantic for an ARC of this book.

[Chelsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 *Buddy Read*
Me and Hev like to start our buddy reads by doing 50 pages a day. 9 times out of 10 we end up reading way more and that's exactly what happened with this book. We read it in 3 days 😏

I bought us these books forever ago when browsing the book isle in one of my local supermarkets and instantly knew it was a bit of us and it very much was!

The start of this book had me gripped and intrigued with how these two families were connected. The story switching between multiple POVs which builds suspense and turns the story upside down making you question EVERYONE and the story becoming pretty dark near the end of the book.

As always we had theories being thrown left, right and centre throughout the read (I ultimately did guess a good chunk of the storyline 🙄😂)

This book was a 3.5 stars because we both agreed that how the story ultimately ended could have been a bit better and there were some loose ends that could have done with cleaning up but all in all an enjoyable read !

[Susan]

Not really what I expected from an Emma Curtis book, not for me unfortunately. D.N. F.

[Bookmarkthatuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good thriller with lots of short chapters which makes it a quick read. A good twist which I didn’t see coming! Wasn’t mind blowing hence 3-stars.

[Vivien Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fantastic book. Was completely immersed in it from start to finish. Can't praise it highly enough.. Wonderful read

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10

[mitchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book has a complicated topic that will open a broad conversation.

i felt like some of the POVs were there to serve as a paperweight :<

[Geantau Daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am.dat 5* pentru ca m a tinut in alerta, cu sufletul la gura.
2 familii, 2 povesti, o intriga ,adevaruri nespuse.
Un thriller reusit

[Taylor Ellis-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4*

[Anca Manole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi-a fost destul de greu să îi dau un punctaj acestei cărți. A fost o lectură lentă, în care nu se întâmplă foarte multe, iar pentru cineva care nu este obișnuit cu thrillerele psihologice cred că poate fi destul de greu de parcurs. Cu toate acestea, mie mi-a plăcut tocmai pentru că m-a făcut să mă gândesc mult la personaje și la alegerile lor. Cartea urmărește două planuri narative aparent fără legătură, iar pe tot parcursul lecturii am încercat să-mi dau seama cum se vor intersecta. Recunosc că nu am anticipat dezvăluirea și mi-a plăcut foarte mult modul în care, odată ce am aflat adevărul, am început să privesc diferit tot ce citisem până atunci. Nu a fost un thriller de 5⭐ pentru mine, în special din cauza ritmului, dar mi-a plăcut că m-a făcut să-mi pun întrebări despre vinovăție, responsabilitate și cât de departe pot ajunge consecințele unei singure decizii. Iar după ce am terminat-o, am realizat că mi-a dat mai mult de gândit decât mă așteptam.

[Kate Worthington ❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about this book just really freaked me out so didn’t enjoy it as much as I normally do Emma Curtis books and it took me so much longer s to finish it because of this

[Nessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Psychiatrist unfolds through three intertwined viewpoints: Dr. Geddes, a psychiatrist in her early thirties with a shadowy past; Lorna, a devoted mother to teenage Amy and little Jack; and Elise, Lorna’s sophisticated friend.

Dr. Geddes lives alone in a flat overlooking the exclusive Gladwell Grove—the very street where she once shared a home with her ex-husband. After a therapy session with a young patient named Ben, his shocking accusation against her sets off a chain of events that threatens to expose long-buried secrets.

Nearby, Lorna resides just outside the coveted Gladwell Grove community, longing for the lifestyle it represents. When her former childhood crush, washed-up pop star Dexter Coleridge, moves into the neighborhood with his elegant wife Elise, Lorna is thrilled to be welcomed into their circle. Her ambition to secure the “perfect” life—especially getting Jack into the best school—quickly raises questions. Is she acting out of love for her children, or is her desire for status clouding her judgment?

I think at its core, this is a story about mothers and the fierce, sometimes dangerous lengths they will go to in order to protect their children. The novel explores moral ambiguity with sharp precision, blurring the lines between right and wrong, selflessness and selfishness. It asks whether choices made in the name of love can ever truly be justified.

Darkly compelling and deliciously unsettling, this book had me hooked from the start, eager to discover how these seemingly separate narratives would collide. The tension builds beautifully, and while I didn’t predict the major revelations,however the final twist was slightly more expected but still delivered a satisfying conclusion.

This was my first read by Emma Curtis, and it certainly won’t be my last. A gripping, thought-provoking thriller that lingers long after the final page.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Tara Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't a fan of this book - I had serious issues with the character of The Psychiatrist who just didn't ring true at all for me, and the professional life she occupied seemed totally unrealistic. I know it's fiction, but I had no belief in her world. The parallel story of estate agent Lorna, her obsession with the rich family she's befriended and the man she once had a brief encounter with, I didn't find that particularly believable either but it was the more engaging narrative. I worked out the links between the two narratives fairly quickly and while there was a bit of a twist I didn't see, mostly it was a predictable story. I guess I prefer my psychological noir to have characters who seem less fictional and caricature as that's scarier.

On the plus side, it's pretty fast paced and there is plenty of drama. 2.5

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicole Keeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from there being a fat nanny called Nicole, this book was brilliant

[Ioana Mihale · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILERS AHEAD!
Okay…
Where do I even start?…

I’ll start by saying that I wanted to DNF this book about 42 times during the first half. Absolutely nothing interesting happened in those first chapters to make me want to keep reading. I got to the point where I literally asked ChatGPT whether it was worth continuing and if it actually gets better. And, honestly, any sane person would probably ask, “Why didn’t you just quit?” Fair question. Here’s the answer: BECAUSE I NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO BEN AND WHETHER HE’D GET WHAT HE DESERVED. Spoiler alert: we never find out, and by the time I finished the book, I wanted to throw my Kindle out the window.

The writing is poor—about as contemporary as it gets, because God forbid we use language that’s even slightly more sophisticated and risk making the reader think for a second. And the plot twist… anyone who’s read The Silent Patient or any of the countless popular thrillers like it knows you can never trust that the narrator is actually who they claim to be. That immediately put me on guard, so I wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

I got absolutely no satisfaction in the end, despite desperately wanting some since I bothered continuing this trash. The ending was incredibly underwhelming, and I wasn’t satisfied by any single thing. The story ended pretty much the same way the central conflict began. Sure, we got the exposition throughout the novel, but the conclusion was, at best, terrible.

At the very least, I wanted to know Detective Carter’s opinion on everything that happened. That alone would have made me about 10% more satisfied than I am now.

And don’t even get me started on the book’s message. Good Lord. The takeaway seems to be: don’t report sexual abuse, because the abuser might end up dead and you will feel guilty or because their family might decide to come after you and rape you, beat you to death or God knows what in the middle of the night in the name of revenge. Seriously? In a world where so many teenagers already lack the courage—or the support—to speak up about sexual abuse, this book gives the impression that, if you don’t want your life to turn out like the protagonist’s, you’re better off keeping your mouth shut.
That’s an incredibly irresponsible message to put into a story like this. Instead of reinforcing that victims deserve to be heard and protected, it almost frames silence as the safer, more rational choice. Which brings me back to my biggest issue with the book: justice is never actually served well. That only reinforces the message I was talking about.
Heaven forbid.

Ah! And forgot to mention: not even a single person in this book is a person to root for. I hated everyone. And also they where written poorly and had 2 character traits at best.

I don’t really have anything else to say. Honestly, I’d just be wasting even more time and words on a book that wasn’t worth the effort in the first place.

[janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a couple of the authors’ previous books, so I was really excited to receive her newest novel. Emma has a magical touch when it comes to creating interwoven plots and family dynamics but the most magic is created by the way she has managed, with every book I’ve read, to weave in these huge thought provoking questions that sit in your brain for days after.

Dr Amy Geddes is a recently qualified psychiatrist, trying to build her career in the field when she takes on a client that threatens to expose her biggest secret.

Alongside Dr. Geddes, local Estate Agent Lorna is over the moon to have befriended the famous Elise, the wife of her childhood crush, an ex pop star. Things soon change when, on leaving Elise’s home, Lorna’s daughter disappears.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading how these two characters and their separate lives were tangled together and how they came together at the end.

This was definitely a slow burn, and I will admit, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d actually stick with it to start with, but I am so glad I followed my gut and stuck with it because the pacing and tension soon picked up.

Whilst the characters were really interesting, I can’t say that I actually connected with any of them of felt they were relatable, but, that’s a personal perspective.

Told in dual timelines with multiple POVs. This is definitely a story you need to commit and focus on. It’s quite easy to lose track of who, what, why, and when!

I really enjoyed this book, but I can’t say it was my favourite. It was quite predictable, and I did pretty much guess the main plot twists very early into the book but in all honesty it didn’t take away the enjoyment of the read or the fact it was a really well written story.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Books, Corvus for the ARC.

[Mrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book by Emma Curtis that I have read and I really enjoyed it. The book is really in two parts. Dr Geddes is a psychiatrist divorced and in her 30s. It is also steps back to Lorna who is married with a young son but are also bringing up Amy who is Lorna’s child with another man. Things are all going really well for the family. They live in a comfortable home in Chadwell Grove which is a very posh area. Dr Geddes herself lives in a flat which she once shared with her ex husband. As the two stories unfold it is obvious they are interlinked and this proves interesting. Lorna and her husband are invited to a neighbour’s house for a party. Once she arrives she realises that the husband is an ex pop star who she had a crush on when she was a teenager and this starts a rapid issue in her life as she never really got over the crush especially when the secrets come out about something that happened to her as a teenager. Lorna befriends his wife, Elise, in a obsessive way and this leads to so much trouble. Fast forward to Amy, Dr Geddes. One of her patients is very difficult and she cannot get to grips with him. She feels he is a little obsessed with her and sometimes makes the wrong comments for her profession. Eventually their sessions end and that is the end of her having to deal with him or is it. As the book progresses between the two main characters and the time difference it is difficult to stop reading as you really what to know how this story will end, happy or sad, traumatic or not. Although the book is technically in two parts and time differences it is easy to keep up with and well worth a read

[Karen Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

 
The Psychiatrist Emma Curtis
3 stars

An interesting story about revenge and family
.
I have read three of this author's previous books so was really pleased to request this one but did not enjoy this one as much. The storyline was good and well-writtern with lots of twists but I really did not engage w9ith any of the main characters and felt they made too many wrong decisions.

Dr Geddes is a recently qualified psychiatrist and has been dealing with, Ben, a young man suffering from bipolar. Towards the end of her final session with him she feels uncomfortable with his demeanour and is relieved that she will not need to see him again. However shortly afterwards he turns up at her flat in the middle of the night.

Lorna is the other main character in the book who is trying to move up in society. She befriends, Elise, who is married to Dexter, an ex-boyband singer that Lorna had slept with after one of his gigs and still holds a candle for him. Her daughter, Amy, is taking singing lessons from E|lise but when she fails to return home , Lorna is sure that Dexter is involved in her disappearance.


Eventually we realise how all these lives are intertwined and how the past has influenced the present. However I just could not empathise with any of the main characters, they all seemed to want to deal with their own problems without thinking how their actions might affect others. I also found many of the decisions made to be not only ridiculous at times but also unbelievable.

I do like the style of writing of this author but this particular book just did not grab me like her previous ones had.

Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net Galley