The thing about My Book Box, a subscription book service, is that whoever chooses books has a tendency to chose books I would bypass in a book store but actually love once I read them. It’s true that this has been more the rule for the non-fiction selections. The mystery selection is a bit more hit and miss. Not that the books are bad – they are more I could easily be just as happy as not reading them. But every so often the mystery book is something like Block’s work.

Honesty, this is something that if I saw in a bookstore, I might have picked it up, read the back, and walked off without it buying it. I would have written it off as a Lifetime movie, you know the one, where the woman discovers that her bestest girlfriend set her up to be raped. I hate Lifetime movies, so why would I want to read one?

But this book is not a Lifetime movie. To be fair, it does play with the idea of that trope, but it does something a bit different with it. 

Dahlia was gang raped during college, she dropped out and now works as a paralegal. She has cut herself off from many things. The really good part of this book, and what Block does extremely well, is show us how Dahlia realizes that she is not as cut off as she thinks she is, how she has friends that she didn’t quite realize she had. This book has more than one positive woman/woman friendship and that is absolutely wonderful.

The book is also told from the perspective of James, a co-worker and romantic interest for Dahlia. He has his own set of issues, and to be honest, one of his reveals isn’t quite as hidden as the questions at the end of the book imply. But it to is an important and timely reason.

The book is about rape as well as the toxic masculinity that in some situations drives it. Block also deals with the question of mental illness, in particular depression, and she does it extremely well. The mental changes that both James and Dahlia go thorough are powerful, and I cannot describe the pleasure in reading a book that doesn’t treat the idea of going to therapy as something to be ashamed of or to be laughed at. She also illustrates how the process of determining to go to therapy works for some people.

In dealing with rape, Block also confronts the reaction of those to rape in a public setting, in particular with the use of social media accounts. It actually is a real examination of a variety of things that occur because of toxic masculinity. It’s a really good book.

Sandra Block wrote a book that grabbed me from the very first time I looked at the gorgeous cover and held me until I read the very last word.    When I first saw the book I knew that this was a story that I had to read.   I knew that the suspense would keep me on the edge of my seat, the characters would make me want to be part of their friend circle, and that there would be so many twists and turns that I wouldn’t know which way I should go next.    

The storyline was not an easy one to read.   There were subjects, especially the rapes, that had to be tough to write about but Sandra Block did an amazing job.   She gave enough detail for the reader to have no doubt what was happening but not too much.   I had no doubt how much pain and fear Dahlia felt while being raped and the intense feelings that she was trying to figure out how to deal with.   I love that Dahlia was strong enough to continue her life, she fought to find a way out of the black hole, and she found a way to move on.   I was concerned when Dahlia met James, was he leading her down the right path or would he hurt her more than she already was hurting.  By the end of the story, I enjoyed seeing the friendship grow and loved that Dahlia had someone she could trust.

The setup of the book with short chapters and multiple points of views had me flying through the story.  I was anxious and excited to get to the end to find out what happens.    The ending… oh, the ending… PERFECT.   I didn’t see it coming, I didn’t even dream it but it was amazing.

Wow!!

A woman was drugged and gets raped on campus and doesn't remember a thing, except birds chirping, men in line, laughing, and, of course, the pain. Now, she suffers from PTSD, imagine that.

The last part of this book was killing me. I feared for Dahlia. She was crazy with her revenge. I wanted to holler "you go girl!" so many times but I just couldn't. My fear was so strong for her. That kept me going for like over half of this book.

I'm not going to spoil it for you and tell you what happened. Just know if you have a heart problem, you may want to use caution before picking this book. Because mine was beating like crazy and it kept on until the very end. However, if you like really good suspenseful books, pick this one!

A really good book that would not let me put it down or go to sleep for a while after I finished.

Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

By:  Sandra Block 

Zoe Goldman #3

ISBN: 9781455570201

Publisher: Grand Central 

Publication Date: 4/18/2017 

Format:  Paperback

My Rating:  4 Stars

Sandra Block returns following: The Girl Without a Name and Little Black Lies, with her latest Zoe Goldman installment THE SECRET ROOM — Psychologically rich full of intrigue, suspense, chills, twists, and action.

From strong imaginations, darkness, metaphors, comics, dual personalities, magic pills, obsessions, a secret room, to depersonalization. When a patient thinks they are not real, somehow like fake humans in this world.

In Little Black Lies, we met Dr. Zoe Goldman, a Yale graduate, and a psychiatry resident at a Buffalo, N.Y., hospital, where she suffers from ADHD, with a number of personal issues. She likes repairing her patients, while on probation, and continuing to struggle with the control, of her own thoughts.

Zoe was haunted by her past and discovered dark secrets and lies behind her biological mother’s death, while her adoptive mother suffered from dementia. Her last patient was connected with her past and she is still struggling with the aftermath.

In The Girl Without A Name a Jane Doe shows up at the hospital. An African American girl approximately thirteen years of age; no past, no name, no history—landing at the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, NY. Zoe becomes immersed in this patient and her life. A world of fear, identity, and facades.

Presently with THE SECRET ROOM, this is Zoe’s first year as a psychiatrist in a prison facility. Forensic psychiatry fellowship. A local correctional facility where Zoe is still learning the ropes while watching her back to avoid some dangerous prisoners.

Of course, as usual, there are plenty of mentally disturbing and dangerous prisoners. From narcissistic and sociopathic behaviors, delusions, hallucinations, schizophrenia, cutting, personality disorders – fighting their devils and demons. (Plus more)

The Secret Room

“Wake up. Eat breakfast. Kill time. Eat Lunch. Kill time. Eat dinner. Kill time. Lights out. Repeat. That was my life. That would be my life, for years, too many years to come. Until I met you, Professor, and everything changed. And I knew that I could never go back to my life before you, that half a life, that living death. Never. And I would do anything it took to keep you. Anything. Even kill for you.”

Zoe’s patients are dying. While some are suicides and others possible accidents. Someone is texting and tormenting her. Is Dr. Zoe Goldman an angel of death-intentionally helping hopeless cases go to a "better place" or she is -being set up while targeting her patients?

Who is manipulating her patients? When it does not take much to push these mentally disturbed patients over the edge.

The mysterious woman in the secret room. Sprinkled throughout we hear weird X-rated thoughts and happenings about a Professor. An unhealthy obsession with her teacher.

Then there is the teenage patient, Andre who thinks his father is the devil. However, was his diagnosis correct? Why was he a different person before?

In the middle of everything, Zoe has been requested to start a research project on a new behavior technique and the Doctor wants her first patient to be her biological sister, Sofia.

Zoe’s birth mother died. She was adopted when she was three years old and Sofia was fourteen (killed their mother). Zoe had completely blocked it out from her memory. The adoptive mother tried to hide the truth from her.

Her sister was an ex-patient who also stabbed her in the neck. (Zoe is surrounded by dysfunction and drama). Has her sister really changed? Can a psychopath really ever change? Can she possibly help Zoe this time around?

Jack, their brother lost his eye when she stabbed him, who was left to fend for himself in a slew of foster homes until he found heroin and religion. (more about him here as well).

Clever plotting and extensive medical knowledge allow the author to control the story, full of suspense and enough edge to keep you glued to the pages. (with a nice balance of personal life from Zoe).

As in Block’s past books, THE SECRET ROOM is full of metaphors in relation to the concept of “rooms.” Both physical, also within our minds.

“Freud might say we have hidden rooms inside our minds that emerge in dreams or unconscious actions.”

In addition, references to dual identities throughout the book with both Zoe and her patients. Before and after. "In truth, none of us are who we seem to be. Many of us wear masks at times for one reason or another. To protect or hide behind."

I always enjoy reading the author’s work, which is thought-provoking, compelling, and leaves the reader with a strong takeaway message or question to ponder. Who am I?

Highly recommend starting with the first book to really understand the character of Zoe (she always seems to be on leave, at the end of each book) recuperating from a trauma. However, the author provides insight to get you up to speed and rest assured she will be back in full force for the next battle.

Fans of medical thrillers and authors: Tess Gerritsen, Kelly Parsons, and Michael (Daniel) Palmer will enjoy. The author is a practicing neurologist and her medical knowledge is reflective throughout. Hope to hear more from Zoe!

A special thank you to Grand Central and NetGalley for providing an early reading copy.

4 stars  #GirlWithoutAName  @Grand Central Pub  @Block_Sandra

I sort of thought this was going to be creepier than it was. However, while it wasn't creepy throughout. There came a point at the end where my jaw dropped and I felt myself spinning through some type of time warp tunnel or whatever those things are on those shows where the person is just spinning and spinning. It was like I just couldn't believe it. I can't really say much more without this becoming a spoiler, but I can say that this was one heck of a good book.

It wasn't like I was reading and waiting for the creepy part, saying what the heck? The story was interesting enough as the author kept giving me all these puzzle pieces that really didn't seem to quite fit, but of course, as a reader, I knew somehow, someway they did. I found it interesting that all these psych docs were a little cray cray themselves. Or at least as one of the characters said "everyone has a little crack somewhere".

This was a very well written book, maybe a little slow in some spots, but still a very decent read well worth the time and $$$.

Huge thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review. It was definitely a great read for a lazy Sunday afternoon.