Book Review: The Clinic by Cate Quinn

“We’re all trying to block out feelings. Doesn’t matter if we use heroin, prescription pills, food, work, whatever…”

Cate Quinn, The Clinic

Review:

I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve read a true thriller. This was a good book to reintroduce me to the genre. It ran long, but at least it was a page-turner. 

Upon hearing the news of her sister’s death, Meg doesn’t believe the verdict and checks into the same rehab center where Haley supposedly took her own life. She, like her sister, struggles with addiction. Addressing this leads her to uncover the things buried from her past, ultimately linking back to Haley. 

Although this is a pretty standard thriller, I appreciated the firsthand account of addiction struggles and the rehabilitation setting (as stated by the author). This added a sense of authenticity to the story. I also found the setting and atmosphere to be particularly well laid out. I do think it would have benefited from being shorter. The pacing dragged and scenes ran long.

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The insider perspective of struggling with addiction.
• Great atmosphere building.

What I didn’t like:

• Scenes often ran on much longer than needed.
• The POVs didn’t stand out from one another.

Afterthoughts:

Worth the read for the insights alone!

Where to buy the book: