A Breath After Drowning

by Alice Blanchard

The stunning new psychological thriller from the award-winning author of Darkness Peering and The Breathtaker.

Child psychiatrist Kate Wolfe's world comes crashing down when one of her young patients commits suicide, so when a troubled girl is left at the hospital ward, she doubts her ability to help. But the girl knows things about Kate's past, things she shouldn't know, forcing Kate to face the murky evidence surrounding her own sister's murder sixteen years before, bringing Kate face to face with her deepest fear.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Audiobook

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2018

About the author

Alice Blanchard is an award-winning author of psychological thrillers, mysteries, crime thrillers and dark fantasy.

Her bestselling thriller, “The Breathtaker,” was an official selection of NBC’s Today Show Book Club, and her debut mystery, “Darkness Peering,” was a New York Times’ Notable Book. "Trace of Evil” was selected as an Amazon Best Mystery and an Indie Next Pick.

Her story collection won the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Short Fiction, and she has received a PEN Fiction Award, a Centrum Artists award and a New Letters Literary Award, among other honors for her writing. Her books have been published in 16 countries.

Alice's Amazon Page: amazon.com/author/alice-blanchard
Website: www.aliceblanchard.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aliceblanchard.author/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alicebooks33...
Twitter: twitter.com/AliceBooks333

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth, welcomed or not, eventually makes its way to the surface.......

Dr. Kate Wolf, a psychiatrist at a Boston hospital, meets with her young female patient, Nikki. Nikki seems to steer the conversation into an interrogation of Dr. Wolf with questions about her personal life. Nikki has a tendency to ignore boundaries.

Later, Dr. Wolf receives a phone call as she and her boyfriend, James, are packing for a hiking trip to Arizona. James is a psychiatrist at the same hospital. The news stuns Kate. Nikki has committed suicide.

Guilt surrounds Kate like a heavy blanket. Guilt has taken up permanent residence within Kate since her younger sister, Samantha, was murdered sixteen years ago. It was Kate who was the last one to see Samantha alive. And it was Kate who dismissed her responsibility that night.

Alice Blanchard knows how to ratchet up the suspense and the intensity of her storyline here. Kate is going to be bouncing from one electrically charged incident to the next. A Breath After Drowning is much aligned to Pandora's Box as Kate digs deeper into her sister's murder and her mother's confinement in a mental facility. She's connecting the dots and someone is quite aware of her every move. It's this digging that makes Kate question if the man on death row is the real murderer of her sister Samantha.

This is certainly a hot button mystery/thriller with unusual characters that are well-developed with a lot of tread on the tire. Blanchard has done her research in regard to her settings in a mental hospital and facility. Kate does have a leaning towards her propensity for Nancy Drew at times at the expense of her psychiatry license. But then dogging after clues walks on both sides of those streets.

I received a copy of this book through Goodreads and have provided an honest review. My thanks to Penguin Random House (Titan Books) and Alice Blanchard for the opportunity.

[Joey R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars. After reading several good reviews of Alice Blanchard’s books and discovering she had won several book awards, I decided to give her most recent book a try. “A Breath After Drowning” is told from the perspective of Dr. Kate Wolfe who is a child psychiatrist whose sister was murdered when Kate was supposed to be babysitting her years earlier. Although the murderer was captured, tried and convicted immediately after the crime, Kate begins having doubts that he was the actual killer. So with the help of a retired police detective familiar with the case, she begins her own investigation into the matter. Blanchard writes in a very easy to read style and keeps the twists coming. However, I couldn’t enjoy the book because Kate says and does things that are so stupid it almost made the book unreadable. Everything from she and her lover’s conversations that are straight out of a middle school girl’s diary to walking into the home of a person she has met twice because the door was open in order to explore the house. How about walking into an isolated forrest in the middle of a blizzard — it has that too. The last 50 pages of the novel were the worst — with the most implausible fight scene since Rocky IV — I went back and re-read some parts because they were comical. It might be the worst ending I have ever read in what could have been a good book.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soy una fan declarada de este tipo de historias, llenas de oscuridad, detectives, misterios, asesinatos, pistas, senderos y recovecos que deben llevar a algún lado, para descubrir la verdad.
La protagonista Kate me gustó mucho.
Su pasado es sin duas algo muy desafiante y todos los sucesos que se desencadenan son una bola de nieve que aplasta todo a su paso.
Nos lleva a paso delirante, ansiando encontrar las piezas para darle sentido, el pasado nos marca, nos condena, y algunas veces puede que no haya sido como creíamos.
No podrás soltarlo hasta saberlo todo.
Las primeras tres cuartas partes son muy buenas, pero la última decae y se va en picada. Me decepcionó un poco que las cosas resultaran tal como lo pensé en el principio, y creo que elaboró con maestría todo, para terminarlo de esa forma tan simple.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s no secret that I love psychological thrillers, they’re one of my favorite sub genres and reading one that brings something new to the table is cause for celebration. This is told solely from Kate’s perspective and is laid out in a standard, linear manner with just one timeline to follow, although the past does play a huge role in the storyline. I know many of you are tired of books that jump from past to present with several narrators, so I wanted to make sure I shared that! Kate is a psychiatrist, with a special interest in children and I loved seeing things from such a fresh perspective.

Kate has a dark family history full of pain and tragedy, she’s a highly complex woman who fascinated me. This is a character driven story with an incredibly well thought out cast of characters, although as the book goes on the tension increases at a steady pace, drawing the reader in slowly. I kept thinking I had things all figured out ahead of time only to be proven wrong over and over again, I just love when a book keeps the surprises coming! This was very well constructed and really kept me on my toes, I never did actually guess anything correctly before it was revealed.

By the end of this book it took me a minute to realize that I had read the last twenty percent at a frantic pace, things were so intense and exciting I was racing to see what would happen next. Things ended in an ultimately satisfying conclusion and had me nodding my head in appreciation of the way Blanchard had fit all of the pieces of the puzzle together.

A Breath After Drowning in three words: Controlled, Fresh, and Intriguing.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly addictive, beautifully written psychological drama here from Alice Blanchard. Twisty as you like with some excellent characters and emotive themes. Full review on blog tour for publication but definitely Highly Recommended.

[Frank Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded down. Solid mystery/suspense read, with plenty of dark thrills, just didn't floor me. It could be this was better than my rating, but i'm a thriller/suspense junkie and after a certain amount it takes quite the read to impress me. I enjoyed the psychological insight this book provided oh, really makes you wonder how sociopaths and psychopaths really think differently than regular people. I also enjoyed the serial killer aspect that this provided, I am a bit addicted to reading/learning about the subject as much as possible these days, it's my crack, I suppose!! While I did see the ending coming to a certain extent, it wasn't a big letdown, and honestly that's pretty much the norm these days with my reads. I'd definitely still give this one a chance, it was fast paced and felt much shorter than over 400 pages! And there were actually likeable characters! I'll definitely keep reading Blanchard!

[Janel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - The blurb for this novel is intriguing, but let me tell you, this novel is so much better than the blurb would have you believe. A Breath After Drowning is a slow burner – the mystery doesn’t fully take centre stage until the second half of the novel, but there are elements of intrigue laced throughout the first half. Dr Kate Wolfe is a child psychiatrist, and we get this interesting opening of her working with one of her patients. Kate’s partner, James, is also a psychiatrist, and they made for a great fictional couple. Dealing with patients in various states of ill health, they had this great humour that they shared to release some of the pressures of the job.

A Breath After Drowning is a psychological thriller, but the plot is vey much mystery-orientated; you do get your thrills, but they come later in the novel, and probably the only time the pace really picks up. Blanchard managed to surprise me several times in this novel, spinning events that I never imagined. There was one small part of the mystery I was able to see way ahead of time and it bugged me that Kate couldn’t see it too, but overall, I couldn’t figure this mystery out – I changed my mind several times on who Kate should and shouldn’t trust. This mystery is cleverly put together, everything fits, and I found this to be an addictive read.

The tone and themes of this novel are dark, and get progressively darker as you turn the pages; and the plot is infused with several unsettling moments. As this novel doesn’t move at a fast-pace, you get the continuously slow-building suspense, that anticipation, that draws you in to all that’s going on.

I highly recommend A Breath After Drowning, particularly to fans of slow-burners and psychological dramas.

*My thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book*

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliantly written psychological thriller!!
I was sucked right into this book from page one! WOW! This book rattles you and hits you at your core. Just when you “think” you know what happened....guess again!!! A huge twist at the end I did NOT see coming!!! A Breath After Drowning is intense and very dark at times...but it definitely kept me guessing till the end and boy did it deliver!! I highly recommend! **4.5 stars rounded up**

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Breath After Drowning is one of those books that gets its hooks into you quite early on, but you don’t realize it until you try to put it down. I found myself thinking about the story and the characters when I wasn’t reading it, which is always a sign of a good book for me.

Character-driven for the first while, the author does a great job of getting the reader invested in Kate’s life and her work. We learn her routine, her issues arising from her sister’s death and how she deals with her job as a psychologist on a daily basis. This all builds a foundation for how dark the book gets.

This is a really gripping book, I loved how the author wove past and present events, and how it all played out between the pages. I won’t lie, I had some suspicions along the way, but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Guessing something isn’t the same as seeing how creatively the author will bring you towards the ultimate denouement, and Alice Blanchard does this beautifully.

Engaging, clever and more than a little dark in places, A Breath After Drowning is a most excellent psychological thriller.

Highly recommended!

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book had me from the first page and I could not put it down. 440 pages of action packed suspense. Definitely a psychological thriller till the bitter end. So much mental illness in 1 book!!! Lots of characters to keep track of and by the middle of the book I found myself getting confused. But the author did a great job explaining it all in the end. I did not know who the killer was despite so many others saying they had figured it out. But not me! Lol

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really superb and not at all what I was expecting from the blurb. There is much more to this than psychological thrills. There's real depth to the story and characterisation and it is beautifully written. It's extremely hard to put down. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to be honest and say that I hadn’t heard of Alice Blanchard before and I hadn’t read either of her previous books. If there’s one thing that I like it’s discovering a new author and discovering that they have other books for me to catch up on. The synopsis of this book appealed to me and it was with some excitement that I picked up ‘A Breath After Drowning’. I was not to be disappointed as I really enjoyed reading it but more about that in a bit.
I really felt for Kate Wolfe. She is a child psychiatrist who suffers a traumatic experience at work. A patient of hers sadly commits suicide and Kate is wracked with guilt. She feels as though she has failed her patient and that there was something that she could have done to save her. Kate has experienced tragedy in her own life as well because her younger sister, Savannah was brutally murdered some 16 years prior to the setting of the main story. Kate feels guilty that her selfish behaviour put her sister into harm’s way and her sister was subsequently murdered. Kate feels that she failed her sister and I guess that in a way she did. I think that Kate works as a child psychiatrist as her way of making up for the fact that she failed Savannah. Kate took a crumb of comfort from the fact that the man suspected of killing her sister was in jail. However there is some doubt about whether or not he really was the perpetrator. Kate meets a former detective who is convinced that Savannah was the victim of a serial killer and that the man currently in jail for her murder is innocent. Kate doesn’t know what to think and she decides to conduct her own investigation, which opens a hornet’s nest and secrets and lies come tumbling out. Kate believes that she has uncovered the identity of the person she thinks killed her sister Savannah. However whilst she is hunting a killer, a killer is hunting her. Has Kate identified the actual killer of her sister? Will Kate survive? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourself to find out as I am not going to tell you.
I have to be honest and say that it took me a little while to get into this book, but once I was ‘into’ the book, I became addicted to reading it. I found that overall it was a ‘CPID’ (can’t put it down) book. It wasn’t glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it came everywhere with me. The more I read, the more addicted to the book & the story I became and the more I had to read on. The synopsis appealed to me because the world of psychiatry fascinates me and I love reading anything to do with it. I also liked the idea of Kate being in a fight for survival and engaging in a game of cat and mouse. I must be a sadist. Reading ‘A Breath After Drowning’ was very much like riding on an unpredictable rollercoaster ride with lots of twists and turns. There were a couple of times where I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was going to happen next. There were a couple of times where I smugly thought that I had fathomed out what had really happened, only to realise that I was barking up the wrong tree.
In short I did enjoy reading ‘A Breath After Drowning’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I enjoyed it so much that I fully intend to read Alice Blanchard’s other books just as soon as I can. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 4* out of 5*.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love psychological thrillers so A BREATH AFTER DROWNING is right up my alley. Kate Wolf is a psychiatrist who specializes in children. When a girl Kate is treating commits suicide, Kate is drawn back to her own troubled youth. Kate's mother committed suicide, and Kate feels guilt over the murder of her sister. This novel begins slowly, but the tension builds. When I thought I had everything figured out, the ending blew me away! I definitely recommend this book to all!

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate works as a psychiatrist. She knows what the people she treats are going through. Kate's mother committed suicide and her sister Savannah was murdered. Kate feels guilty because she didn't protect Savannah when her sister needed her the most. A man was convicted for the murder and he's about to be sentenced to death. However, not everyone is convinced Savannah's real killer was put behind bars. Kate is being contacted by a retired detective who thinks Savannah was the victim of a serial killer. Is this true?

If Savannah's killer was never arrested he's still out there. That means Kate's safety is at risk. She has to find out who she can trust and which information is correct to make a decision about getting involved in the case or not. Savannah's murder happened sixteen years ago and knowing the killer might still be active makes Kate incredibly nervous, but also determined to uncover the truth. This leads her to a series of family secrets she never knew anything about. Will she be able to find out what really happened to her sister before it's too late?

A Breath After Drowning is a gripping story. Kate is a fascinating main character. She knows a lot about the human mind. She's compassionate, loving and kind and her patients trust her unconditionally. When her private life starts to influence her work Kate has no choice but to start looking for the truth. Her family had plenty to hide and finding out more about the past kept me on the edge of my seat. I was intrigued from beginning to end and couldn't turn the pages quickly enough.

Alice Blanchard knows how to divide tension. A Breath After Drowning is well written and filled with chilling suspense. It's a dark story with many awful deaths, but there's also hope. Kate is a ray of sunshine in a black world filled with abuse, hatred and jealousy. I was captivated by every single page of her creepy search and was anxious to find out if she'd survive. A Breath After Drowning is a great compelling, sinister and shocking story.

[Valleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book - some parts more than others, though. My rating is probably between 3 and 4 stars. I very much liked Kate's character in the first part of the book. She came across as an intelligent and empathetic psychiatrist. As I kept reading, though, Kate seemed to lose much of her common sense and started doing things that I felt didn't make sense for an intelligent woman to do. Also, there was a bit too much coincidence, as far as I was concerned. HOWEVER! I found myself suspecting EVERYONE as the 'bad guy' and I definitely enjoyed that part. I also loved How Kate would say "My boyfriend is hilarious" and he would reply "My girlfriend is gorgeous." Cute! (Says the woman who normally doesn't like cute, snort.)

I received this book as an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway from Titan, and I thank everyone involved with the giveaway. :)

[astarion's bhaal babe (wingspan matters) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once in a while, the earth tipped over, and the truth got really ugly. But it could also set you free. The world revealed its colors. And it was shining brightly on the other side.

Loved this one! It kept me wondering and on the edge until the end, and I absolutely adored Blanchard's writing & Kate Wolfe as a MC.
I'm definitely going to read more of this author.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy good psychological thrillers and if there's a bit of supernatural thrown in I won't mind. The synopsis had a line that a kid knows details she should not and that's what hooked me in.Let me befrank readers,there's no supernatural elements,when you read it you will come to realise it was the most natural thing that happened.Now even that was not what spoiled the book for me, it was the protagonist.
The premise:
Child psychiatrist Kate Wolfe's world comes crashing down when one of her young patients commits suicide, so when a troubled girl is left at the hospital ward, she doubts her ability to help. But the girl knows things about Kate's past, things she shouldn't know, forcing Kate to face the murky evidence surrounding her own sister's murder sixteen years before, bringing Kate face to face with her deepest fear.

So the first sentence tells us she is a child psychiatrist . I guess that would require some intelligence and smartness, right? I guess we are wrong because the number of stupid decisions Kate takes from the beginning is so high that I was frustrated throughout the reading time.Thats not even considering her relation with her patients, that is completely another point.Her patient dies, her sisters murderer gets sentenced to death and dies then her other patient's mother is murdered ( a patient she should not be handling at all) and even after repeatedly told by her supervisor and her boyfriend that she needs a vacation, she refuses to listen to reason. When it becomes intolerable and her supervisor tells her that it has become completely mandatory for her to take leave she actually tries to guilt him by saying something on the line don't you trust me?!
Apart from that she gets easily swayed by the next person, someone says 'this and this happened' ok. Next person says 'no this and this happened'. Convinced.Why is this happening ,is it right,what's the motivation, nah, she goes from pillar to post based on that.
In one scene she says " tell me I can deal with it, I had spent some time in this really volatile hospital and so I m experienced"
Not exactly word for word,but you get the gist .That part is funny because throughout the book, there's this one sentence that is repeated " Kate couldn't handle it" ," she couldn't handle it any longer", these were in places after every other crisis. Some of the part could have worked if she were anything other than a famous psychiatrist, I mean lady if you can't deal with it you should take some time apart for yourself, not take that baggage with you to work and allow it cloud everything.
There's another conversation where a retired detective talks with her and tells her how a person is criminal.You know what she asks? Why don't you arrest him!!! Really? Which part of the retired didn't you understand. I mean it would have been ok if she was just trying to get sense of the situation, but no she's bewildered throughout all of it.
I could go on and on but I think I should end my rant here.Anyone apart from Kate can guess who the culprit is going to be if you keep your eyes open.
Disappointing read.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Wolfe has a tragic past. Her mother committed suicide when Kate and her little sister Savannah, were still children. Six years later Savannah is horribly murdered. The Wolfe’s next-door neighbour Henry Blackwood is convicted of the crime and is placed on death row. Kate, now a prominent psychiatrist, starts to doubt Blackwood’s guilt after she uncovers some long-hidden family secrets. Kate delves deeper into the mystery and as alternative suspects come to light, danger is just around the corner.

Kate's connections with others highlight the novel. The loss of her mother affected her father greatly and he became emotionally detached from Kate and Savannah. The murder of her sister, combined with her father's neglect resulted in a deep-rooted fear of abandonment and self-destructive behaviour. It was only through the guidance of her friend and mentor Ira that Kate was better able to deal with her anxieties, eventually drawing her into the field of psychiatry.

Kate and her boyfriend James have a close, fun and loving relationship. Although they have their difficulties, they trust each other. He is supportive of her and although he doesn't completely understand what she's been through, he is concerned for her and wants to protect her.

All the characters are well rounded and established, but it's really Kate who shines through. She has a tragic past, and although she continues to have apprehensions, fears, and self doubt, she no longer allows them to debilitate her. Instead of being fragile she is strong, caring, compassionate and genuine. She still blames herself for Savannah's death and craves her sister's forgiveness above all else.

Blanchard provides intricate details in her storytelling without becoming overwhelming or excessively wordy. It is easy to visualise the Boston winter setting or hear the crunch of the snow when the characters are walking in the woods.

A Breath After Drowning is an exciting novel with surprising twists, lots of suspense and an intense, intriguing narrative. I couldn't read it fast enough as I wanted to get to the heart of the mystery as quickly as possible. It is a well written, addictive serial killer thriller featuring a strong, likeable female protagonist and a satisfying conclusion.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com

Tense, engaging and intriguing, A Breath After Drowning captured my interest from the very first page. It starts out very focused on the characters, who I really liked (allowing me to become more invested in Kate and her life). Though it jumps backwards in time a little, the storyline is mostly focused on the here and now, which makes a nice change from many other books in this genre which tend to constantly flit between timeframes.

I enjoyed reading about Kate's childhood, looking out for clues of what might have happened to her sister, but I preferred reading about Kate today, with her mental battles and her quest to find out what really happened all those years ago.

The mystery side of the story develops as the narrative continues, and I found myself completely absorbed - I really wanted to know what had happened; there's something about 'cold' cases which, although they took place so long ago, really grab my attention.

Some parts are more dramatic than others, but overall I felt Alice Blanchard did a great job of not straying into the 'too-ridiculous' category. Though the story starts out a lot slower, the pace and tension ramps up as the story continues, ending in a conclusion which left me feeling satisfied and wanting to read more by this author!

* Many thanks to Philippa at Titan Books for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review, and for inviting me onto the blog tour! *

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was brilliant! It kept me guessing right till the end. It made me suspicious throughout and when the ending was revealed, it was not anyone who I would have anticipated. I liked the ending. It could have been better but it was still a really happy ending. That is one thing I enjoy about books. A happy ending. If there is no happy ending then it makes me frustrated and sad.

Overall I really enjoyed it. It was great! :) It definitely kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the whole time. :) :)

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will not bother writing a full review. It was very promising but unfortunately it did not work for me. The first 30% was good and interesting, but then it became very repetitive. The main character is so weak, insecure and, frankly, stupid. The last 40% was ridiculous and unbelievable. I guess my expectations were too high.

[Barby chapterbychapter_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta es la historia de Kate Wolfe, una psiquiatra infantil que ha tenido una vida difícil luego de que su madre se suicidara y su hermana fuese víctima de un asesino serial. Superar ambos traumas le ha costado muchísimos años de terapia y cuando finalmente comienza a ordenar su vida aparece un detective retirado que asegura que el hombre que fue declarado culpable por el asesinato de su hermana es en realidad inocente y que hay un asesino suelto que ella puede ayudar a atrapar.

Mi opinión:

En principio el personaje de Kate me gustó mucho sobre todo porque a medida que van avanzando las páginas podemos ver como se vuelve más y más imprudente y empieza a “perder la cabeza” al punto de creer cualquier teoría que le digan. Las situaciones que ha vivido han sido muy difíciles y de pronto todo lo que creía parece ser mentira y hay tantos secretos que salen a la luz que es casi imposible no enloquecer un poco. Creo que la autora pudo reflejar muy bien ese estado tan confuso y que obviamente la lleva a tomar decisiones de esas que uno quiere gritarle al libro “NO TE METAS AHÍ!” como si en realidad pudiesen escucharnos jajaja.

El resto de los personajes no me han parecido tan bien desarrollados, pero creo que eso está pensado para que uno llegue al punto de sospechar de todos, pero igualmente había algo en los diálogos entre los protagonistas que me parecía super artificial y eso hacía que me costara mucho creerme algunas de sus vivencias.

El ritmo del libro está bastante dividido porque arranca lento e inconexo, pero más adelante todo comienza a tener sentido para la trama, solo hay que tenerle un poquito de paciencia, pero les aseguro que al final todas las piezas encajan en su lugar y sorprenden. En lo personal me daba un poco de impresión el tema de que todas las víctimas fuesen niñas, y si bien no hay nada que sea muy gráfico hago la aclaración por si esto fuese algo que prefieren evitar en una lectura.

Espero que traigan más libros de la autora porque la verdad que disfruté un montón de todas las dudas que me generó intentando adivinar quién había cometido todos esos crímenes.

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS - A Breath After Drowning is a psychological thriller that kept me guessing and made for an enjoyable weekend read. The first part of the book is character driven as Blanchard guides her readers through Kate's past, her current job as a psychiatrist and her personal life. As the book progresses, twists are thrown in and a fair number of subplots and themes are explored in varying degrees.

While I enjoyed the impressive number of culprits who kept me speculating about how it would end, I can't say I was equally enamoured with Kate. Her profession lends itself to interesting story lines, but her many insecurities often get the best of her and I couldn't believe that a highly educated woman would make so many rash and immature decisions. When you add in her super saccharine dialogue with her boyfriend (and fellow psychiatrist) James, Kate was the weakest part of the book for me.

But I did enjoy this book, really! I liked the premise and loved the twists. This was more of a mystery than a suspense read for me, so I'd recommend it to readers who like slow building tension that concludes with a nail-biting and action-packed ending.

Disclaimer: This Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Gatorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid thriller from Blanchard. It's been a while since I've read anything by her. Good story and execution, well-written. 3.5 stars.

[Girin 18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un thriller psicologico molto avvincente. Scrittura leggera e scorrevole. Kate, psicologa infantile affronterà i fantasmi del suo passato e arriverà alla verita. Nonostante sia un libro leggero, mi ha lasciato senza parole perché mi aspettavo un finale completamente diverso. Sono rimasta spiazzata e perciò tanto di cappello all'autrice che ha saputo mescolare bene le carte in tavola. Un buon libro da leggere quando si ha bisogno di qualcosa di leggero, ma allo stesso tempo avvincente.

[Linda Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Wolfe’s life is about to be turned upside down when everything she thought she knew about her family’s past is brought into question.

Before I begin my review proper, I’m going to get one small grouch out of the way. As with many American based books, there are several references to particular brands in A Breath After Drowning which I find distracting and alien to my British reader taste. I never feel I really need to know whether a character is wearing a particular make of watch or suit. As a result, it took me a little while to attune to the style, but once I did I was totally ensnared.

A Breath After Drowning is a fast paced and exciting thriller with an excellent added and compelling psychiatric dimension that comes roaring through the professions and patients in the narrative. I was so impressed by the level of detail that helped the reader understand various viewpoints and rationales without detracting from the fast-moving action. There is no doubting the level of research that has gone in to making A Breath After Drowning believable and, sometimes, quite a gloriously uncomfortable read. Initially I wondered if the focus on the psychiatric aspect was too great, but as the novel progressed I could see exactly how and why the first half of the novel had the balance it did. This is such clever writing.

Also, in terms of psychiatry and psychology, I felt Alice Blanchard manipulated me just as well as any of the characters manipulate one another. I found I suspected just about everyone of just about everything during the course of my reading so that I was desperate to reach the conclusion to A Breath After Drowning and find out the truth. I wasn’t disappointed either!

In all honesty, A Breath After Drowning is a difficult book to review. I don’t want to say too much about the exciting plot for fear of spoiling the story for other readers and similarly, to reveal much about character could also lead to spoilers. I’ll just say that I found each of the characters very distinct and realistic personalities so that I had a clear knowledge of them. I found the balance of the sexes very interesting and thought the way in which Kate’s relationship with James adds some much needed light relief was very well handled.

The themes underpinning the action illustrate faultlessly how fragile we are; how we are all affected both by nature and nurture and how easy it is to slip from so-called ‘normal’ behaviours into spiralling mental illness. Themes of self-deception, obsession and grief give gravitas so that A Breath After Drowning is actually quite disturbing beyond being a very entertaining book.

I began A Breath After Drowning wondering if I was going to appreciate it as it didn’t seem to appeal to my reading taste and ended up thinking it was skilled, riveting and exciting. It’s a super read.

[Luanne Ollivier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Breath After Drowning is the third book from author Alice Blanchard.

Kate Wolfe is a child psychiatrist. A teenager is dropped off by her mother at the hospital Kate works at. During her inteviews, the girl reveals that she knows unsettling details of Kate's personal life - notably the fact that Kate's younger sister was brutally murdered. The man who perpetrated the murder is on death row awaiting execution - and still proclaiming his innocence. Kate is then contacted by the police detective who solved the case - he too is now questioning the man's guilt.

Whew, lots going on. A Breath After Drowning has a busy plot. Blanchard moves her story along with many clues and developments being added. I did find some of those clues to be just a tad too fortuitous and convenient. I forgot, I just found, I remembered. For this reader, the story seemed to bog down in the middle and started feeling repetitive. Things do pick up closer to the end. Blanchard does provide numerous other suspects along the way, but the final whodunit wasn't overly surprising.

I really never engaged with the lead character. I found her insecurities at odds with the profession she has chosen. And I questioned the hospital and therapy sessions - they don't seem to be realistic or follow protocol. Kate's personal life with her fiancé seemed forced and didn't make her any more sympathetic or likeable for me. They both seemed like cardboard cut outs to me.

For this reader, A Breath After Drowning was just an okay, middle of the road read - I had hoped for more.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4.5 stars. Only bc the ending and towards the end it seemed like the author just threw whatever criminal or psychological she could think of into it bc she was tired of writing. A lot of things didn't make sense. The beginning and middle I had a hard time putting the book down. I would read it any little chance I got. But towards the end I was like What???

Kate is a psychologist and dating another psychologist, imagine that, named James. She is scared of commitment at least the married commitment part. She don't wear rings bc they itch blah blah. Her mom committed suicide when she was very young. Her sister Savannah was murder at the age of 16 and her dad was a Dr. and guess what? Yes a doc of psychology!! Lol.

She spends the half of the book tending to patients and one commits suicide very early on like the first chapter or 2. She ends up with a new patient named Maddie who turns out to be the daughter of the man Henry Blackwood who was convicted of murdering her sister. Kate soon learns that he was not the one who killed Savannah. And it just goes down hill from there. I was disappointed at the ending! I think it could have been a lot better and more could have happen or went differently. Over all it is a great book except the ending. 🙄

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 1 out of 5]

If a mystery takes 25% of the book to explain (not show) the who what when where why and how of the crime(s), it’s not much of a mystery that makes sense.

A BREATH AFTER DROWNING starts off bad, and gets progressively worse. Alice Blanchard has no idea how psychiatric hospitals operate and it shows. Kate Wolfe is a terrible psychiatrists who lacks skill and boundaries. If Blanchard had run Kate’s conversations with clients by a therapist and had A BREATH AFTER DROWNING vetted by someone with even the vaguest knowledge of psychology, the book would have been better. Psychiatric hospitals function through multidisciplinary teams who work together with patients providing round the clock care. Teams include doctors, nurses, rec therapists, psychiatrists and social workers. Nobody has the luxury of spending 12 consecutive hours with patients and that wouldn’t be in the patients’ best interests. I don’t know if Blanchard was trying to show Kate as dedicated or incompetent or inappropriate.

The mystery could have made sense if Blanchard didn’t need a quarter of rage boom to explain it. Maybe.

And the relationship between Kate and James felt creepily paternalistic.

Skip A BREATH AFTER DROWNING.

[A.M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is totally amazing , this book made mystery win over romance and became my favorite genre . the story is so complicated , many suspects , many victims , one serial killer , and a stubborn psychiatrist who is ready to do anything find the one who killed her sister .
Kate , that's the main character , a successful psychiatrist who lost everything , a loving sister who is ready to do everything so her sister will rest in peace but what if everything she believed was a lie , what if she is taking the wrong path ,what she gonna do when she find her self face to face with the ugly truth ????
this book is definitely recommended , everything about it is amazing the characters, the story , the style , and everything else.