The Curing Room

by Michael Winn

“…a superb thriller.” -IndieReader Nothing is what is seems. A horrific accident. A dead girl. A long-held secret. All the lies and deceit lead to the same mysterious room. This psychologically astute, character-driven thriller unfolds within a sleepy New England college town where Ava Marie Stassi is a young, adjunct professor struggling to advance her career while coping with a recent break-up. After tragedy unexpectedly strikes, Ava is forced by circumstance to match wits against a volatile student, Jared, who brings pent-up hostility fueled by a dark past into her quiet, mundane life...and into The Curing Room. “…a psychological thriller with an unforgettable twist.” -Foreword Clarion THE CURING ROOM by Michael Winn is smartly written and expertly crafted novel written in the tradition of Megan Abbott, Ian McEwan, Kate Atkinson, Sarah Waters, and, of course, Gillian Flynn. Fans of the great, modern thriller authors will be enthralled by Michael Winn’s foray into the dark recesses of the human psyche. "The blend of horror and thriller is another exceptional approach that makes The Curing Room a winner, along with Michael Winn's attention to detail in character development, plot progression, and atmosphere. " -Midwest Book Review “THE CURING ROOM is an intelligent psychological thriller expertly crafted and brilliantly told.” -IndieReader

Genres: Ebooks

344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 16, 2018

About the author

Michael Winn also writes as M.J. Winn

Reviews

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. It did take me a while to get into the flow and it felt overly long but the more I read, the more I liked it. It certainly is a very different type of psychological thriller. There are twists and turns that I didn't see coming and that made a refreshing change. The pace wasn't as fast as I'd have liked it to be, too slow in places, but towards the end it really was a page turner. Interesting characters, interesting set up and some shocking moments! I'd have loved it had it been a bit shorter!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Curing Room by Michael Winn is a nail biting, heart racing contemporary psychological murder suspense that will certainly keep you on your toes.
Michael Winn cleverly constructs a unique plotline that manipulates the reader’s thoughts and emotional responses. I congratulated myself on the fact that I had solved the questions raised – how wrong was I? I read The Curing Room in just one sitting, pausing only to eat! I just could not put it down.
The action is told from two alternating points of view and in the first person. As such, the reader has two characters warring in your head. Sympathies arise, sides are chosen – can you pick the correct side?
Michael Winn is clearly a talented author with a vivid imagination. He grabs the reader’s attention, cranks up the action and gives a roller coaster of a read to the very end. It was absolutely thrilling.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
A word of caution: there were scenes and language some readers may not like. If you are of a sensitive nature and read to escape, this book is not for you.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly good read!

I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this book. I read the synopsis and it was recommended to me as something I may like due to other books I have liked.
The uniqueness of having two narrators and thus, two viewpoints of the same story lent itself to my not wanting to put this book down.

[Caity · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not know what I was getting myself into with this book! What a wild ride. If you are triggered by mental illness this isn’t for you. However if you are looking for some good plot twists dive in!!

[Bella Coriale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first 60% of the book was mostly story building and a bit boring at times, but the remaining 40% was thrilling and unexpected. There is some exquisite writing in this book, I was throughly impressed.

[Kym T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Occasionally I like a good thriller and one of my favorites is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Fleshed out characters, some plot twists that were unpredictable and an ending that stays with you long after the books done. Unfortunately I find a lot of thrillers today written with undeveloped characters and mostly just plot driven..they read like bad Hollywood movies. The Curing Room is the exception. I’m not comparing it to Ms Flynn’s book but it gave me the same feeling when I read that book that this is not your typical thriller. I loved the two main characters and how I was constantly guessing on what was going to happen. When I got to the final chapter I was in awe of how it threw me off..another ending that will stay long with me..

[Nichol Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last 20% of this book is somewhat interested. But the first 80% is just not. I'm not sure how I made it through to be honest. It's repetitive. There's too much backstory and yet somehow I didn't feel like I got to know any of the characters at all. There's a lot of emphasis on things that seem very unimportant and little to no emphasis on things that should be major points. None of the characters are likable. I gave it an extra star because it does get decent toward the end for a bit. But the ending is very unsatisfying. Overall I wasn't impressed.

[Tabby Kritner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I literally feel like this book just dragged and dragged and dragged on..I took me FOREVER to get through it to where it felt like a chore. I was going to DNF it but I kept telling myself it would get better. Around pg 150 it started to pull my interest back but I quickly lost it again by the last 30 pages. Also the ending wasn’t anything special. But I got the book free on stuff your kindle day so I guess I can’t complain too bad.

[Jamie Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was free on stuff your kindle day and all I can say is...WoW! I did not expect this type of story at all! I am pretty intuitive but I honestly couldn't decide if each character was good/bad/both!!! What was even better is once it is revealed you dont bore of the story...it just got better and better.... Definitely recommend!!

[Wendy Del Toro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Standard fare with a predicable plot but the author's use of language to set scenes, create atmosphere and present the characters as more than one-dimensional stereotypes elevates this psychological suspense novel. Which main character is the "villain"? that's for you to decide as bits and pieces of their character and motivations are revealed. I appreciated that throughout the story, and in particular the end, the 'villain' is portrayed as someone suffering mental illness rather than having them be "just" an evil psychopath.

[Robin Ofsonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story

This story seem long and drawn out. At first when I started reading I had almost put it aside. I did continue and where it only takes me a day to read, this took me a couple of days.
The characters were to some degree believable.

[Cynthia Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't see it coming.

I thought this was going to be another tale that wouldn't pique my interests. I was wrong. I didn't see the twist in the plot that was coming. That's what makes this book a must read.

[Fiona BookDragon4Life · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. The twist wasn’t really that much of a twist and it seemed to drag on

[Lori Weissman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story line

Liked the story, though at times thought to much details of her thoughts. How is it she wasn't caught for policeman s murder?

[Amber McGregor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a long time to really enjoy this book. Extremely slow in some places and I was probably 80% through before I couldn't put it down.

[Amber McGregor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a long time to really enjoy this book. Extremely slow in some places and I was probably 80% through before I couldn't put it down.