Sebastian Fitzek

What if we could permanently erase our most terrifying experiences from memory? Psychological thrillers are meant to manipulate our perceptions and mess with our minds, and this book does just that!

This is my first book by this German author, and despite some readers finding his writing style confusing and all over the place, I just loved it! This fast-paced, roller-coaster of a book gave me the rush and excitement that comes with reading a good thriller novel.

Having short chapters that end show more with a cliffhanger is brilliant. At no point was I confused with the story, and I actually enjoyed Fitzek's writing style, which is effortlessly engaging while still keeping the plot complex enough to keep the ending a mystery until the final page!

He has a remarkable talent for making you think you’ve figured out the twists, only to reveal just how mistaken you were!

Speaking of twists, I wish the ending had been less dramatic and more believable. This is my only issue with the book. I'm having a hard time accepting the conclusion of the main character's journey. After everything, the ending felt over the top. I’m struggling to understand a certain character's motives and why they went to such extremes to influence everything that happens with the main. Did they REALLY have to go through ALL that?

Read this if you love fast-paced psychological thrillers with intricate plots that will have you thinking long after you’ve finished. If you enjoy themes like reality versus illusion and trust versus deception, this book is a must-read. show less

'Therapy' is a psychological thriller (or a thriller about psychology?) from Germany's Sebastian Fitzek, and it is a book that will challenge your understanding of what is real and what is unreal. And not 'til the end will you properly comprehend the story you have just read. For the ending will surprise, confound you even, for I can safely say that any thoughts you might have as you progress through the book as to how the story is going to end will almost certainly prove wide of the mark show more and you will be left thinking afresh about the story you just read.

It is the story of psychiatrist Dr. Viktor Larenz, whose 12-year-old daughter, Josy, disappears while on a visit to a doctor's surgery. Over the following years Viktor's mental health inevitably suffers as he struggles with his daughter's disappearance, his wife leaving him, and his heavy drinking. The story is largely as relayed by Viktor to a fellow psychiatrist and much of it takes place on an island Viktor has retreated to but where his privacy is intruded upon by the mysterious Anna Glass.

Given that schizophrenia and mental illness are very much central to the story, you the reader might well wonder as to the truth of what is supposedly taking place or being said, and whether in fact characters are real or imaginary. The one certainty is that not all is what it appears, and predictable the book is not.

The truth of course of all that has happened is finally revealed in a most surprising climax. The ending might not satisfy all readers, but it worked for me, and I can heartily recommend this, my first but not last Fitzek read. show less

Ein Unbekannter nimmt eine Besuchergruppe, den bekannten Moderator eines Berliner Radiosenders und den Sendungsproduzenten als Geiseln und droht, jede Stunde jemanden zu erschießen, wenn er wahllos Menschen anruft und die sich nicht mit der richtigen Parole am Telefon melden. Als Unterhändlerin zieht die Einsatzleitung die ehemalige Polizeipsychologin Ira Samin heran, doch die hat bereits mit ihren eigenen Problemen genug zu tun. Während der Verhandlungen stellt sich langsam heraus, dass show more nicht alles so ist, wie es am Anfang des Geiseldramas den Anschein hatte …

Es dauerte eine ganze Weile, bis ich mich in den Roman reingelesen hatte, und dann dachte ich, dass die Handlung nach vorhersehbarem Muster ablaufen würde. Weil das in gewisser Weise stimmt, hatte ich mich doch auch sehr in dem Autoren getäuscht, denn die Enthüllungen lassen den Handlungsverlauf wie ein kleines Flüsschen meandern und der Leser muss seine Meinung über die Charaktere, deren Motive und die Handlung mehrere Male rezivieren, während die Spannung so gut wie nicht nachlässt – um so bemerkenswerter, da der Großteil des Romans innerhalb von 24 Stunden stattfindet. Am Ende werden alle losen Fäden zusammengezogen, doch das bedeutet nicht, dass alles plausible oder wahrscheinlich ist – im Gegenteil: einiges, was man da serviert bekommt, ist wirklich schwer zu schlucken. show less

Lectura con el grupo 221 b Baker street

Un buen misterio siempre es atrapante y aunque muchas veces las historias en si pueden ser interesantes pero con una ejecución que deja con la sensación de que falta algo este libro no cae en esa bolsa, la historia es tremenda, si bien usa los tópicos comunes al género no se siente como la historia que has visto mil veces y eso es gracias a la manera en que esta contada: atrapa desde la primera página y el autor hace un manejo de los personajes que show more logra que el lector desee saber más de ellos, crear teorías conspirativas acerca de su pasado y de su futuro y entenderlos más allá del papel que juegan en esta historia.

Fitzek hace un trabajo buenísimo en crear el trasfondo de los personajes y en llevarno de un lado a otro en lo que va pasando, cuando terminas la narración una parte de ti quiere gritar(te) por no haberlo sospechado despde el princoipio, otra quiere golpear al autor por haberte engañado mientras que al mismo tiempo quieres darle un chocolate de felicitación...es decir deja con muchas sensaciones, vas de lo catatónico a lo frenético y pasar de uno a otro conlleva un subidon de adrenalina. El único detalle que podría decir es que la resolución del misterio no es tan explosiva como podríamos esperar pero las migajas que te llevan a él...:OOOO show less