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The Case Study: a novel
Not yet published
Expected 26 May 26The shocking new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of A Man Downstairs and An Unthinkable Thing: a twisty, unsettling, and masterfully plotted game of magnetic push-and-pull between two women whose secrets threaten to collide.
When Mia was a young woman, she read a magazine article about a murderous teenage girl with a rare and disturbing psychiatric delusion. Fascinated by the details, she sought out the doctor who’d treated the girl, and eventually married him. Twenty years later, Mia’s curiosity is piqued once again when her husband announces that his famous case study will be republished—and that he will be reconnecting with his former patient.
Lainey has never felt that her feet are fully on the ground—not since she was released from a psychiatric institution at the age of twenty-one. When her former doctor reaches out, she decides to tell him the truth about what happened all those years ago. Perhaps she can finally lighten the darkness that has defined her entire existence.
With mirroring software, Mia pores over every recorded therapy session with Lainey, almost as though she’s watching a true crime drama unfold. On the opposite side, Lainey becomes intensely interested in her doctor’s family. How far will she go to insert herself into his seemingly perfect life?
When Mia was a young woman, she read a magazine article about a murderous teenage girl with a rare and disturbing psychiatric delusion. Fascinated by the details, she sought out the doctor who’d treated the girl, and eventually married him. Twenty years later, Mia’s curiosity is piqued once again when her husband announces that his famous case study will be republished—and that he will be reconnecting with his former patient.
Lainey has never felt that her feet are fully on the ground—not since she was released from a psychiatric institution at the age of twenty-one. When her former doctor reaches out, she decides to tell him the truth about what happened all those years ago. Perhaps she can finally lighten the darkness that has defined her entire existence.
With mirroring software, Mia pores over every recorded therapy session with Lainey, almost as though she’s watching a true crime drama unfold. On the opposite side, Lainey becomes intensely interested in her doctor’s family. How far will she go to insert herself into his seemingly perfect life?
336 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 26, 2026
10 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Lundrigan
11 books442 followers“Lundrigan’s skillfully balanced blend of psychological thriller and haunting coming-of-age story is infused with creepy, small-town atmospheric suspense. . . . [Her] writing is both elegant and darkly humorous, delivering bareknuckle social commentary that will appeal to fans of Gillian Flynn, Karin Fossum, and Laura Lippman.”
Booklist, Starred review
Nicole is the author of eight novels including THE SUBSTITUTE, HIDEAWAY, and AN UNTHINKABLE THING. Her work has been selected as a Top 10 pick by Canada’s national newspaper the Globe & Mail, a top 100 on amazon.ca, a top 10 by Now Magazine, and was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award (best crime novel).
If you'd like to connect with Nicole, you can do so through her website.
Booklist, Starred review
Nicole is the author of eight novels including THE SUBSTITUTE, HIDEAWAY, and AN UNTHINKABLE THING. Her work has been selected as a Top 10 pick by Canada’s national newspaper the Globe & Mail, a top 100 on amazon.ca, a top 10 by Now Magazine, and was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award (best crime novel).
If you'd like to connect with Nicole, you can do so through her website.
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