Natalie King has been hired to do a psychiatric evaluation for the children’s court. A custody dispute. Not her usual territory. A distraught mother Jenna needs help maintaining custody of her children, claiming her former partner Malik has been abusing one of the children. He claims she’s crazy and compulsive.
But what if all the claims are true, or none? And how does she work out where her concerns for the child slide into her growing obsession with her own lost father? With all the public interest, social media trolling and intense media speculation, Natalie finds herself struggling to view the case impartially.
More urgently: with both parents saying they’re desperate to keep their daughter safe—what if one of them is desperate enough to kill?
Against the backdrop of the Royal Commission into Child Abuse, Anne Buist brings us the third instalment in the Natalie King series. Buist takes a routine psychiatric evaluation and develops it into an insightful look into the intricacies and agendas within custody battles. Dealing with the continuing themes of mental illness and family dynamics, this crime thriller is not one to miss.
What did I think?
This I Would Kill For is a relatively quick read as the story runs along at a surprisingly fast pace and I found myself jumping to my own conclusions. I was actually surprised to find that this is number 3 in a series, as it most definitely reads very well as a standalone; I certainly didn't experience any detrimental effect from not having read the earlier two books. In fact I felt intrigued enough by the main character of Natalie King to want to read the previous books, so that's always a good sign when a reader jumps in mid-series.
Dr Natalie King is called in as an expert witness in a custody case. Jenna and Malik are fighting over custody of their children but that isn't the whole story: 3 year old Chris is Malik's son with Jenna but 8 year old Chelsea is not his biological daughter and Jenna is accusing Malik of abusing Chelsea. Natalie must find out whether there is any truth to the accusation and then decide where the children will be safe. As Natalie spends time with the family, she uncovers one secret after another and her decision on the children's safety is not one to be made lightly. Is Malik guilty of abusing Chelsea? Why would Jenna lie about such a terrible thing? Natalie King will find out!
You can tell that Anne Buist knows the field of psychiatry inside out as we are given a glimpse behind the closed door of the consulting room. I loved reading about the way that Dr King manages to coax information out of her patient and I found the thought processes behind her observations fascinating. As much as the science is based on fact, there is a very good story playing out; one which is very true to life and unfortunately happens all too often in real life.
I really enjoyed This I Would Kill For and, as much as I guessed some of the plot, I found my virtual visit to the psychiatrist's chair absolutely fascinating. I have already decided that I want to read the earlier books to find out more about Natalie King's character as Natalie is struggling with her own psychological demons. I think Natalie is a really strong, fresh and funky character and I look forward to reading more about her.
Anne Buist shows us a contemporary and modern side to psychiatry in this page turner of a psychological thriller. Anne Buist's excellent writing vividly paints the scenes and her vast knowledge explains all the reader needs to know in order to follow the case, making this both an interesting and a thrilling read.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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