A Familiar Sight
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- Create Date：2021-07-02 08:30:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Brianna Labuskes
- ISBN：B089GSVYJW
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Summary
A shocking murder carries echoes of the past for a psychologist in a startling novel of suspense by a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author。
Psychologist and criminologist Dr。 Gretchen White is a specialist in antisocial personality disorders and violent crimes。 She’s helped solve enough prominent cases for detective Patrick Shaughnessy that her own history is often overlooked: Gretchen is an admitted sociopath once suspected of killing her aunt。 Shaughnessy still thinks Gretchen got away with murder。 It’s not going to happen again。
When a high-profile new case lands on Shaughnessy’s desk， it seems open and shut。 Remorseless teenager Viola Kent is accused of killing her mother。 Amid stories of childhood horrors and Viola’s cruel manipulations， the bad seed has already been found guilty by a rapt public。 But Gretchen might be seeing something in Viola no one else does: herself。
If Viola is a scapegoat， then who really did it？ And what are they hiding？ To find the truth， Gretchen must enter a void that is not only dark and cold-blooded， but also frighteningly familiar。
Psychologist and criminologist Dr。 Gretchen White is a specialist in antisocial personality disorders and violent crimes。 She’s helped solve enough prominent cases for detective Patrick Shaughnessy that her own history is often overlooked: Gretchen is an admitted sociopath once suspected of killing her aunt。 Shaughnessy still thinks Gretchen got away with murder。 It’s not going to happen again。
When a high-profile new case lands on Shaughnessy’s desk， it seems open and shut。 Remorseless teenager Viola Kent is accused of killing her mother。 Amid stories of childhood horrors and Viola’s cruel manipulations， the bad seed has already been found guilty by a rapt public。 But Gretchen might be seeing something in Viola no one else does: herself。
If Viola is a scapegoat， then who really did it？ And what are they hiding？ To find the truth， Gretchen must enter a void that is not only dark and cold-blooded， but also frighteningly familiar。
Reviews
Diane Merritt
，
I love dark。books。 unfortunately this one lacked something for me。 The characters didn't draw me in。 Kept at it as saw such good reviews。 But for me just wasn't a winner。 Back and forth story lines usually I like but didn't work。 Thanks to the author， the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book。 I love dark。books。 unfortunately this one lacked something for me。 The characters didn't draw me in。 Kept at it as saw such good reviews。 But for me just wasn't a winner。 Back and forth story lines usually I like but didn't work。 Thanks to the author， the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book。 。。。more
Lauren
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Note: I received this book from Goodreads giveaways。
Mehva
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This was a very good book， interesting， different than most books of this genre。 Complicated characters and relationships that span decades。 we follow Gretchen a non violent sociopath， who works with the police to determine the guilt of a young girl accused of killing her mother。 The plot involves a missing woman from many years ago and the lawyer， hired to defend the girl， who is both a friend of Gretchen's and a friend of the husband and the missing woman。 Very well written and compelling This was a very good book， interesting， different than most books of this genre。 Complicated characters and relationships that span decades。 we follow Gretchen a non violent sociopath， who works with the police to determine the guilt of a young girl accused of killing her mother。 The plot involves a missing woman from many years ago and the lawyer， hired to defend the girl， who is both a friend of Gretchen's and a friend of the husband and the missing woman。 Very well written and compelling 。。。more
Avid Reader
，
A Familiar Sight （Gretchen White #1） by Brianna Labuskes4 starsM/F psychological thrillerTriggers: Abuse or animals， abuse of peopleI was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads。Gretchen is no stranger to the closed off and non-empathetic。 She thrives on it。 But， when she is faced with her friend's death， a case that intrigues her and a few detectives who， begrudgingly know she's worth it， Gretchen dives in to a teenage mind as twisted as her own。This is a case of who did it， who de A Familiar Sight （Gretchen White #1） by Brianna Labuskes4 starsM/F psychological thrillerTriggers: Abuse or animals， abuse of peopleI was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads。Gretchen is no stranger to the closed off and non-empathetic。 She thrives on it。 But， when she is faced with her friend's death， a case that intrigues her and a few detectives who， begrudgingly know she's worth it， Gretchen dives in to a teenage mind as twisted as her own。This is a case of who did it， who deserves what and will there be justice。 You'll be pulled into the lives of each character and see how they ended up where they are within the current story。 The format of this book isn't my favorite。 It jumps back and forth between the then and now。 And， while it does give great context， I just have a more difficult time with this format。You'll want to see justice， but also see that nobody else can get hurt。 Gretchen will struggle with her own impulses and need to tease out the truth from everyone who has something to gain by lying。In this game of cat and mouse， the mouse ends up with the power and the cat is just along for the ride。 I'm intrigued to see what comes next。 。。。more
ML
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I must be definitely somewhat of an outlier on this one， given the glowing reviews that this book is getting。 Although it has a very interesting storyline and Gretchen White is a unique character （a functional sociopath）， I had a really difficult time getting into both the story and Gretchen’s character — both of which were well developed。 And， even though I generally love novels that are told from different points of view and/or in different time lines， I found this novel’s moving back and fort I must be definitely somewhat of an outlier on this one， given the glowing reviews that this book is getting。 Although it has a very interesting storyline and Gretchen White is a unique character （a functional sociopath）， I had a really difficult time getting into both the story and Gretchen’s character — both of which were well developed。 And， even though I generally love novels that are told from different points of view and/or in different time lines， I found this novel’s moving back and forth in time and POV sort of disjointed and thus bothersome。 However， the writing was excellent， and I loved the ending — which I found to be a complete surprise。 I had not read anything by this author before， but I will definitely give another of her books a try。 This one just basically missed the mark for me。Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC。 。。。more
Anne
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I loved Girls of Glass so I was excited to read this one。 Dr。 Gretchen White is a non-violent sociopath which makes her work with detectives valuable as she can spot others。 So when young Viola is arrested for killing her mother Claire， Gretchen knows something is a little "off。" There are buried secrets and relationships that come to light as the book moves from present to past and we discover what really happened the night Claire was killed。 It's a creepy kind of good if you like your books a I loved Girls of Glass so I was excited to read this one。 Dr。 Gretchen White is a non-violent sociopath which makes her work with detectives valuable as she can spot others。 So when young Viola is arrested for killing her mother Claire， Gretchen knows something is a little "off。" There are buried secrets and relationships that come to light as the book moves from present to past and we discover what really happened the night Claire was killed。 It's a creepy kind of good if you like your books a little on the dark side！Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC！ 。。。more
RK_reads
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OMG。。。what did I just stumble upon？？！！ In the world of psychological thrillers， 'A Familiar Sight' is pure gold。。！！！ When 13-year-old Viola Kent is charged with the murder of her mother Claire， despite all evidences of Viola's violent sociopathic nature， Dr。 Gretchen White is convinced of her innocence。 Psychologist， criminologist and consultant for the Boston P。D， Gretchen is a sociopath herself （albeit， a non-violent one）。 Even as she walks a tightrope to keep her more wild impulses in check， OMG。。。what did I just stumble upon？？！！ In the world of psychological thrillers， 'A Familiar Sight' is pure gold。。！！！ When 13-year-old Viola Kent is charged with the murder of her mother Claire， despite all evidences of Viola's violent sociopathic nature， Dr。 Gretchen White is convinced of her innocence。 Psychologist， criminologist and consultant for the Boston P。D， Gretchen is a sociopath herself （albeit， a non-violent one）。 Even as she walks a tightrope to keep her more wild impulses in check， she joins hands with Detectives Shaughnessy and Marconi to help solve the extremely intriguing and gruesome case。 Gretchen， far from your usual book heroine， is simply badass， for lack of a better word。 Though Detectives Shaughnessy and Marconi take a backseat to Gretchen in the story， the relation she carves with them is noteworthy， considering they are wary of her twisted moral compass。 The world of Gretchen is cleanly divided into that of sociopaths and empaths， and the author repeatedly highlights this difference throughout the book， I believe， to underscore the fact that some people are simply wired differently。 In my opinion， without this emphasis， it would be extremely difficult to comprehend Gretchen's thought process or Viola's actions。 While I am grossly unfamiliar on the topic， the story offers glimpses into violent anti-social personality disorders and may require trigger warnings。 I am simply in awe of this author's writing because she didn't let up on the suspense right until the very end。 Everytime I thought I had it all figured out， a few pages later， I would end up changing my mind again。 And the climax was more dramatic than what my thriller-loving mind could imagine。 Overall， a fantastic psychological thriller， that is， without doubt， a must-read。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jessica-Ann
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One heck of a whodunit！Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an ARC。A mother is killed; a daughter is a sociopath; and everyone has secrets。 With twists and turns I didn’t see coming， this book was one I couldn’t put down。
Davina
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What happens when a self proclaimed sociopath becomes a police consultant？ You get this explosive thriller！ Dr Gretchen White gets a call from her friend Lena saying “ I screwed up”’ leading her to find her friend has died by her own hand sending Gretchen to find out answers。 This book has past and present intertwined with 13 year old Viola in jail for killing her mother， which is the case Lena was working， turns out her and Violas father grew up together and he needed her help。 This book is hea What happens when a self proclaimed sociopath becomes a police consultant？ You get this explosive thriller！ Dr Gretchen White gets a call from her friend Lena saying “ I screwed up”’ leading her to find her friend has died by her own hand sending Gretchen to find out answers。 This book has past and present intertwined with 13 year old Viola in jail for killing her mother， which is the case Lena was working， turns out her and Violas father grew up together and he needed her help。 This book is heavy with characters that you question why and how and do I really even like them？ The one question throughout this book is are you an empath or a sociopath。 With an ending you don’t see coming， buckle up for this stand out thriller。 Thank you NetGalley 。。。more
Leighton
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Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！A Familiar Sight by Brianna Labuskes is an exciting psychological thriller that will appeal to fans of bestselling books like The Silent Patient and An Anonymous Girl。 The story revolves around Gretchen， a consultant for the police on cases involving anti-social personality disorders， and Shaughnessy， a police detective。 One of Gretchen's "secrets" is that she was labeled a sociopath herself and was once sus Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！A Familiar Sight by Brianna Labuskes is an exciting psychological thriller that will appeal to fans of bestselling books like The Silent Patient and An Anonymous Girl。 The story revolves around Gretchen， a consultant for the police on cases involving anti-social personality disorders， and Shaughnessy， a police detective。 One of Gretchen's "secrets" is that she was labeled a sociopath herself and was once suspected of murder。 Here is an excerpt from an opening chapter that reveals more about Gretchen and Shaughnessy's relationship:"Why am I not surprised to see you standing over a dead body？" came a Boston-drenched rumble from behind Gretchen。"Because you think I'm a killer you just can't seem to catch，" Gretchen answered， dry and honest， as she turned to find Detective Patrick Shaughnessy lurking just over her shoulder。 Next to him stood a petite but curvy woman with inky-black hair and the big hazel eyes of a baby deer。。。。"A killer I can't catch，" Shaughnessy repeated。。。 "Isn't that the truth。"Gretchen gets involved when her best friend Lena， a lawyer， is found dead。 Lena's latest case involves a teenager named Viola who has been accused of stabbing her mother to death。 Viola has a long history of violence and the media has already labeled her a "bad seed" and "child murderer。" But did Viola really kill her mother？ Or is something else at play here？ It will be up to Gretchen to find the clues and solve the case。 Overall， A Familiar Sight is an action-packed thriller that will keep you guessing。 It was unputdownable。 I had to keep reading and ended up finishing the book in a few hours。 One highlight of this book is Gretchen's character。 I enjoy complicated detectives when I'm reading mysteries， especially when they have a ton of personal problems， and being labeled a "sociopath" definitely makes Gretchen an interesting character。 If you're intrigued by the excerpt above or if you're a fan of the thriller genre， I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in August！ 。。。more
Gizem
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I loved this book！ It was so unique， fascinating and fast-paced it blew me away。 I want to read more thrillers about Dr。 Gretchen White so I hope the author continues this series。 If you like Ethan Cross you should check out Brianna Labuskes。 Thank you NetGalley / Thomas & Mercer for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review。
Alison Oliver
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A brilliant thriller that will keep you enthralled until the end！ Dr Gretchen White is a police consultant and an admitted sociopath， who when young was suspected of murdering her aunt。 Detective Shaughnessy brings her in to help with a case where Viola Kent， a troubled teenager， is accused of killing her mother。 Set with different timelines the story unfolds with many twists and turns along the way。 The cleverly written interwoven plot will definitely keep you guessing。 I particularly liked the A brilliant thriller that will keep you enthralled until the end！ Dr Gretchen White is a police consultant and an admitted sociopath， who when young was suspected of murdering her aunt。 Detective Shaughnessy brings her in to help with a case where Viola Kent， a troubled teenager， is accused of killing her mother。 Set with different timelines the story unfolds with many twists and turns along the way。 The cleverly written interwoven plot will definitely keep you guessing。 I particularly liked the main protagonist Gretchen and hope to hear more about her in the future！ 。。。more
Coffee_Booze_and_Books
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Thank you Netgalley and Ms Labuskes for the opportunity to read and review this book。Dr。 Gretchen White is a diagnosed sociopath that consults with the police on murders， particularly those involving any kind of abnormal mental pathology。 A woman has been killed and her 13 year old undiagnosed psychopathic daughter has been arrested for her murder。 But did the daughter commit the crime， that she isn't denying， or is she a convenient patsy？First！ Oh。 My。 Gosh！！！ If Ms Labuskes' other books are as Thank you Netgalley and Ms Labuskes for the opportunity to read and review this book。Dr。 Gretchen White is a diagnosed sociopath that consults with the police on murders， particularly those involving any kind of abnormal mental pathology。 A woman has been killed and her 13 year old undiagnosed psychopathic daughter has been arrested for her murder。 But did the daughter commit the crime， that she isn't denying， or is she a convenient patsy？First！ Oh。 My。 Gosh！！！ If Ms Labuskes' other books are as good as this one， I have a new top favorite author。 This story was unpredictable。 Each chapter had me thinking I knew who the killer was， and each chapter that person was different。 It wasn't until the last few pages I even had a hint to the correct person。 Another thing I liked was the evil wasn't cut and dry， until the end， and even then， there was a lot of gray areas。 My absolute favorite part of the book was the dynamic between Dr。 Gretchen White and Detective Marconi。 I so hope that the author continues more books with this relationship。 I'd love to see it develop more and what direction it takes。 And if Gretchen ever actually stabs Marconi with a fork！ LolThank you again for the opportunity to read this fabulous story。 I can't wait for the next installment！ 🤞 。。。more
Wayward Readers Book Blog
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An interesting storyline with a unique main character that definitely stands out in a crowded genre。 Labuskes does an excellent job at developing Gretchen White’s character and drawing reader’s into her dynamic of being a functional sociopath。 However， with the bouncing time line and the excess number of characters， it was difficult to stay engaged。 Chapters felt incomplete and in many instances clinical terminology was often overused。 3 stars。Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #AFamiliarSig An interesting storyline with a unique main character that definitely stands out in a crowded genre。 Labuskes does an excellent job at developing Gretchen White’s character and drawing reader’s into her dynamic of being a functional sociopath。 However， with the bouncing time line and the excess number of characters， it was difficult to stay engaged。 Chapters felt incomplete and in many instances clinical terminology was often overused。 3 stars。Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #AFamiliarSight which was read and reviewed voluntarily。 。。。more
Cindy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A familiar Sight is the second book in the series of Gretchen White。 This story is about friendships from younger years and how they transform into adulthood with secrets， lies and murder。It’s also about child abuse and after suffering for so long what it can make a child do to make it stop。 For most of this story you think the murderer is one person or another but when you realize who it actually is you are rooting for them even though they committed a crime。 Gretchen will bend the rules as usu A familiar Sight is the second book in the series of Gretchen White。 This story is about friendships from younger years and how they transform into adulthood with secrets， lies and murder。It’s also about child abuse and after suffering for so long what it can make a child do to make it stop。 For most of this story you think the murderer is one person or another but when you realize who it actually is you are rooting for them even though they committed a crime。 Gretchen will bend the rules as usual to make sure the end results are as she wants them to be。 。。。more
Amber Boos
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I liked this one eventually 。I like this author and have read and enjoyed several others， but this one just didn't quite do it at first。 I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters， and there were a LOT， I kept going though。 Glad I did， as I totally got into the Gretchen/Marconi back and forth！ I could not wait to see what would be next with them！ As a result， I totally got into the story and ended up really enjoying it。 It was really interesting being in Gretchen's head。 All in all， I liked this one eventually 。I like this author and have read and enjoyed several others， but this one just didn't quite do it at first。 I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters， and there were a LOT， I kept going though。 Glad I did， as I totally got into the Gretchen/Marconi back and forth！ I could not wait to see what would be next with them！ As a result， I totally got into the story and ended up really enjoying it。 It was really interesting being in Gretchen's head。 All in all， a nice mystery and good story。 。。。more
Claire | blondebookreview
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I loved this from start to finish。 This was a true psychological thriller - and the concept totally had me hooked: a non-violent psychopath， Dr。 Gretchen White， consults for the police as a Psychologist and Criminologist as she literally knows what's going on in killer's heads。 When her friend Lena， a lawyer for a seemingly open and shut case against a 13-year old violent psychopath who killed her mother， is found dead Gretchen finds herself being drawn into the case。 Especially， with Lena's cry I loved this from start to finish。 This was a true psychological thriller - and the concept totally had me hooked: a non-violent psychopath， Dr。 Gretchen White， consults for the police as a Psychologist and Criminologist as she literally knows what's going on in killer's heads。 When her friend Lena， a lawyer for a seemingly open and shut case against a 13-year old violent psychopath who killed her mother， is found dead Gretchen finds herself being drawn into the case。 Especially， with Lena's cryptic voicemail from the night before。But the case she was working on hits a little too close to home for Gretchen and we soon find out that Lena was connected to family in more ways than one。 There are so many twist and turns in this book， most of which I never saw coming， kept me hooked the whole way through。There were times when Gretchen's own thoughts and psychopathic tendencies seemed redundantly focused on， but there were also times throughout where I did forget she was actually a psychopath， so the author did well to remind us。Overall， I would highly recommend this myself and will be picking up a physical copy for myself once it's available。 。。。more
Jennifer
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Great story！ A psychiatrist who is also a sociopath consulting on police cases - how unique！ I certainly hope more books are written with Gretchen as the main character， because she is fantastic and I loved seeing how she thought about things。 ***SPOILER ALERT***The words "sociopath" and "psychopath" are used way too much （especially in Chapter 5！）， and I found it a bit of work to keep track of all the relationships between the characters。 I wasn't sure if I liked how Reed's chapters were going Great story！ A psychiatrist who is also a sociopath consulting on police cases - how unique！ I certainly hope more books are written with Gretchen as the main character， because she is fantastic and I loved seeing how she thought about things。 ***SPOILER ALERT***The words "sociopath" and "psychopath" are used way too much （especially in Chapter 5！）， and I found it a bit of work to keep track of all the relationships between the characters。 I wasn't sure if I liked how Reed's chapters were going backwards in time （usually I like a chronological storyline）， but I can see why it was done and it worked nicely。 The crime was a little complex and hard to wrap my head around， and also left me with a few questions regarding the deaths of Lena and Tess。I feel like the fact that Gretchen was a psychiatrist could have been flushed out more， and she could have made more clinical diagnosis of other characters。Overall， a great read， and I hope to read more of Gretchen & Marconi in the future！ 。。。more
Val
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A Familiar Sight is one of the most unusual books I've encountered！ Dr。 Gretchen White is a police consultant。 She's also a sociopath who may or may not have murdered her aunt when she was young。 Although Gretchen was never proven guilty， the detective she now works with， Patrick Shaughnessy， still suspects Gretchen was guilty。 However， her unusual expertise has helped close many cases。 When he comes across a case where it appears a young teenager is guilty of stabbing her mother to death， Gretc A Familiar Sight is one of the most unusual books I've encountered！ Dr。 Gretchen White is a police consultant。 She's also a sociopath who may or may not have murdered her aunt when she was young。 Although Gretchen was never proven guilty， the detective she now works with， Patrick Shaughnessy， still suspects Gretchen was guilty。 However， her unusual expertise has helped close many cases。 When he comes across a case where it appears a young teenager is guilty of stabbing her mother to death， Gretchen is called in。 There， she meets Shaughnessy's new partner， Marconi， and therein lay my favorite part of the book。 Marconi was the perfect foil for Gretchen！ They started out suspicious of each other and as time went on， they started respecting each other - and I loved their banter！ I also liked how Gretchen had to go to great lengths to avoid killing anyone。 Any little thing could set her off， and being inside her head was rather scary at times。So why only 3 stars？ I have to confess I didn't finish the book。 The author switches between the present and the past， with two different points of view: Gretchen's and the husband of the victim。 The chapters are not at all chronological， so there would be a chapter taking place three months prior to the victim's murder， then a chapter taking place a week prior， and then a chapter taking place five months prior。 You get the idea。 I think it prevented my having a real connection to the characters。 For me， it felt as though the author would give me just enough information to draw me in， and then she'd shift back to a time in the past。 Or to a more recent time。 There are so many fabulous reviews for A Familiar Sight that this is probably a case of "It's not you！ It's me！" Just too much flipping around in time for me。My thanks to the author， the publisher， and NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Alison （AlisonInLibraryLand）
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*I received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review！*A Familiar Sight is the kind of thriller that’s impossible to put down。 I needed to know what had truly happened after spending the entire book certain I had it figured out， even though I was changing my mind every couple chapters。While the narrative switches between past and present， as well as POV’s， the main focus is Gretchen White。 Gretchen is a sociopath which makes for a fascinating and refreshingly diffe *I received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review！*A Familiar Sight is the kind of thriller that’s impossible to put down。 I needed to know what had truly happened after spending the entire book certain I had it figured out， even though I was changing my mind every couple chapters。While the narrative switches between past and present， as well as POV’s， the main focus is Gretchen White。 Gretchen is a sociopath which makes for a fascinating and refreshingly different narrator。 She now consults for the police after being accused of murder when she was a child。 When a new case involves both her best friend （or as close as you can get for a sociopath） and a young teenage girl， Viola Kent， who is a sociopath accused of murdering her mom， of course Gretchen is getting involved。 The world and character building in A Familiar Sight is unbelievably good。 I was completely enthralled in all the time jumps as they built a story so deep and compelling it felt like I was part of trying to unravel all the threads to figure out what had happened。 It was also impressive how fleshed out all the characters involved were。 When there are multiple people heavily involved in the story some of them can slip through the cracks but that wasn’t the case at all。 I genuinely wanted to know more about all of their lives that had led up to this boiling point。 The accounts of what it was like for the Kent family raising a sociopath daughter was chilling。 Every account of what went on in that house was devastating and you can feel the desperation with every reveal。Having a main POV from a sociopath created such an interesting take on a murder investigation。 It felt different from so many mysteries in a very intriguing way。 Gretchen was a character I desperately want more of。I highly recommend this book for any mystery/thriller lover！ Brianna Labuskes has quickly become a must-read author。 。。。more
Sasha
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Ok when do we ever get to hear from a different point of view？ This book gives you one。 I throughly enjoyed the fact that the main character did not fit into societies expectations。 The point of view from a sociopath， that is something new and it was not disappointing。 I was expecting the killer to be someone other than who it was I had to keep reading just to learn how one who thinks so differently than usual without causing chaos and malice thought。
Jen
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I greatly enjoyed this book and thought it was extremely unique in a crowded genre。 The protagonist is a psychologist named Gretchen who is a diagnosed sociopath- she has been brought in to assist with Boston PD investigations over the years and forged a friendship with one of the detectives。 In this case， a woman is murdered and the prime suspect is her teenage daughter who displays sociopathic tendencies- it's up to Gretchen to dig in and see if there is more to the story。The plot for this boo I greatly enjoyed this book and thought it was extremely unique in a crowded genre。 The protagonist is a psychologist named Gretchen who is a diagnosed sociopath- she has been brought in to assist with Boston PD investigations over the years and forged a friendship with one of the detectives。 In this case， a woman is murdered and the prime suspect is her teenage daughter who displays sociopathic tendencies- it's up to Gretchen to dig in and see if there is more to the story。The plot for this book was great， and I enjoyed that it went back and forth between previous events and current times to build up a picture of the various players and their experiences。 The ending completely threw me; it was literally something hadn't even thought about at any point throughout the book， which is extremely rare for me。 I liked Gretchen and thought it was fascinating to see how her mind worked and how she related to others。 I am no expert， but have done some research in this field and her thoughts and actions felt authentic。 If I had one nit， it would be that the world 'sociopath' was used SO MANY TIMES throughout the book- I was like 'we get it， already！'。 Overall， I really enjoyed the book and I hope the author writes more books about Gretchen。 It's fast paced and cleverly written with a unique storyline， not to mention a true twist。 I'd recommend it for those who like mysteries and psychological thrillers。 Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Stacey Herrera
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Dr。 Gretchen White is a criminologist。 And she's also a sociopath who was the lone suspect in the muder of her aunt when she was a child。 Now she spends her days consulting for the police at the behest of Detective Patrick Shaughnessy， who happened to be the lead detective on her aunt's case back in the day。 He's also convinced that Gretchen got away with murder all those years ago。 When Gretchen finds herself consulting on a case where a teenage girl stands accused of murdering her mother in co Dr。 Gretchen White is a criminologist。 And she's also a sociopath who was the lone suspect in the muder of her aunt when she was a child。 Now she spends her days consulting for the police at the behest of Detective Patrick Shaughnessy， who happened to be the lead detective on her aunt's case back in the day。 He's also convinced that Gretchen got away with murder all those years ago。 When Gretchen finds herself consulting on a case where a teenage girl stands accused of murdering her mother in cold blood —she is determined to solve the case —by any means necessary。The author did an amazing job of humanizing sociopathy and psychopathy。 Granting the reader exclusive access to the inner machinations of Gretchen's cold and unfeeling mind。 All the while peeling back the layers of what drives her to do the things she does or does not do。 Gretchen is by far one of the best characters that I have read in a really long time。 The story rangled my attention from the very first sentence and held it until the last period。 It's the kind of whodunnit that makes one thing clear —things are almost never as they appear from the outside looking in。 Definitely a must-read！ 。。。more
Bojana
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I was not sure what to expect from this book when I read the synopsis， since I'm not really into reading this genre。 This doesn't mean I've never read any thrillers and mysteries， but it really has to be good plot， for me not to figure it out right from the start and actually enjoy it。 A Familiar Sight has such a good story and characters， and I was hooked because I was sure things are not that simple as they looked at the beginning。 And surprise， surprise they were not！ This was really nice rea I was not sure what to expect from this book when I read the synopsis， since I'm not really into reading this genre。 This doesn't mean I've never read any thrillers and mysteries， but it really has to be good plot， for me not to figure it out right from the start and actually enjoy it。 A Familiar Sight has such a good story and characters， and I was hooked because I was sure things are not that simple as they looked at the beginning。 And surprise， surprise they were not！ This was really nice read， recommendation for sure！ 。。。more
Eli Sab
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First， the thing with constantly reading thrillers and mysteries is you automatically think you've read them all。 You think to yourself， what ever could they possibly write about that others haven't written before！Then some books just come along， to wipe that arrogant smirk off of your face and prove you wrong。This book is one of those books。I wasn't fascinated by the whodunnit aspect， rather I admired the way that this story was crafted。 Psychological thrillers are generally easy to follow， 40% First， the thing with constantly reading thrillers and mysteries is you automatically think you've read them all。 You think to yourself， what ever could they possibly write about that others haven't written before！Then some books just come along， to wipe that arrogant smirk off of your face and prove you wrong。This book is one of those books。I wasn't fascinated by the whodunnit aspect， rather I admired the way that this story was crafted。 Psychological thrillers are generally easy to follow， 40% into the book and you've already solved the puzzle。This book？ Nope。It literally started with the beginning of the end and then went back to what happened 3 days earlier。 It's clever and crafty in that the author just gives enough information for you to wonder and then she'll shift back to an older time。 She leaves clues but not in such a way that would ruin the mystique。 Honestly， I can't put together the recollections， it just uses way too much brain energy that I just long resigned myself to just read and stop guessing。However， I did have an inkling of what had happened and I was right。 BUT。 If the truth is this whole book， then I only got two sentences right。 Haha！ I truly thought it was going to be typical and dramatic。 I didn't expect it to be that brutal， dark， angry and tragic。I also find it worthy to note that while I expected it to be dramatic， oddly enough I can't seem to connect with the characters。 Is it because of how it's written or because of Gretchen's thoughts and her detached personality？ Possibly both？The circumstances in the story made me think about my own moral compass， my relationship with humanity and life in general。 See， the case was "solved" but precious lives have been wasted， relationships broken and yet for me， justice was never served。 Death was way too easy an escape for that person who started all this brutal nonsense。 Funnier， still， is that person ensured that even in death they not be forgotten。 Funny yet it left me angry and wronged。A bunch of thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this free ARC。 This review is of my own accord， with no monetary compensation whatsoever from those mentioned above and/or the rightful owners of this ARC。 。。。more
Anna
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Rating: 5/5。Genre: Thriller， Psychological FictionHOLY。 CRAP。 This book blew me away。 If I am being completely honest， I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first read the synopsis of it， but I figured…why not give it a chance？！ It sounded interesting， and different than most of the thrillers I’ve read before。 And I am extremely glad that I did。 I absolutely LOVED Dr。 Gretchen White， and her unique character and overall development。 She is a literal sociopath， as well as a psychologist and crimino Rating: 5/5。Genre: Thriller， Psychological FictionHOLY。 CRAP。 This book blew me away。 If I am being completely honest， I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first read the synopsis of it， but I figured…why not give it a chance？！ It sounded interesting， and different than most of the thrillers I’ve read before。 And I am extremely glad that I did。 I absolutely LOVED Dr。 Gretchen White， and her unique character and overall development。 She is a literal sociopath， as well as a psychologist and criminologist， who consults the local police department on various cases， even though her main contact， Patrick Shaughnessy， is the one who once believed she was the main suspect of a murder many years ago。 Yes…she may have urges， but Gretchen has enough self-control to stop herself from acting out on her sociopathic nature （or does she。。？）。 I loved how this book alternates between two POVs—one being Gretchen’s， the other being a man named Reed Kent。 Reed is the father of Viola Kent， the teenage girl who is accused of murdering her mother， and the case which Shaughnessy is in charge of。 This is an extremely fascinating novel， and I couldn’t wait to find out how everything came together， and finally get the answers to all the questions piling up in my head！！ It was such a quick read and if you like anything remotely thrilling or mysterious， then THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU！ It’s five stars from me！！ 。。。more
Laurie Tell
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Super good book！ Confession time: I have a weakness for books about assassins， or sociopaths or serial killers。 Wow that sounds twisted。。 This book was really interesting because it told the story from the point of view of a police consultant/psychologist who is also a sociopath。 I was fascinated by her thought processes。 And it was so well written， that I sympathized with her！ She could kill someone without guilt， and yet I really liked her - thats good writing。。 There were multiple stories in Super good book！ Confession time: I have a weakness for books about assassins， or sociopaths or serial killers。 Wow that sounds twisted。。 This book was really interesting because it told the story from the point of view of a police consultant/psychologist who is also a sociopath。 I was fascinated by her thought processes。 And it was so well written， that I sympathized with her！ She could kill someone without guilt， and yet I really liked her - thats good writing。。 There were multiple stories in one - who was the real killer - was it the child？ There was the story about the sociopathy of the main character and then finally the story of the BFF and what happened to her。 I kept the pages turning all night！Thank you to the author， the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review。 。。。more
Claire Storey
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Gretchen works as a police consultant， she's an expert in crime and she's also a sociopath that her fellow police believe killed her aunt years ago which they couldn't prove。 Now another young girl is believed to be a psychopath and has been accused of killing her mother and Gretchen feels a personal pull to the case。I was so happy that I had a chance to review this book for Netgalley， over the last few months I've discovered this author and read all of her books and she is definitely up the top Gretchen works as a police consultant， she's an expert in crime and she's also a sociopath that her fellow police believe killed her aunt years ago which they couldn't prove。 Now another young girl is believed to be a psychopath and has been accused of killing her mother and Gretchen feels a personal pull to the case。I was so happy that I had a chance to review this book for Netgalley， over the last few months I've discovered this author and read all of her books and she is definitely up the top of my favourite authors now。 I love the characters that she writes， there's always a grey side to them and Gretchen is no exception。 She makes no bones about the fact that shes a sociopath and this book is a fascinating insight into how a nonviolent sociopath might interact with the world。 Besides the great characters there's always a brilliant story that keeps you hooked， I definitely didn't see how this book was going to end up and I liked the way that she did the flashbacks， rather than starting from the past and moving up to the present， she started from more recent times and going back farther and farther which gave a different view of how the story presented。 All in all an absolutely brilliant book and I'm really hoping that Gretchen features in a sequel！ 。。。more
Phuong
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A Familiar Sight is the best thriller I've read in quite some time。The plot of this book is what got me interested。 It's a unique perspective where the main character is a doctor who specializes in antisocial behavior， but also is a sociopath。 When I started this book， I didn't particularly like Gretchen， but as the story went on， I grew quite fond of her character。 I really enjoyed how the relationship between Gretchen and the new detective she works with （Marconi）。 This book kept me guessing a A Familiar Sight is the best thriller I've read in quite some time。The plot of this book is what got me interested。 It's a unique perspective where the main character is a doctor who specializes in antisocial behavior， but also is a sociopath。 When I started this book， I didn't particularly like Gretchen， but as the story went on， I grew quite fond of her character。 I really enjoyed how the relationship between Gretchen and the new detective she works with （Marconi）。 This book kept me guessing and was a page turner。 I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves the crime and psychological thriller genre。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Familiar Sight
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Familiar Sight&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Familiar Sight&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0