Rumspringa

In this sequel to Closer Than You Think, we find psychologist Bryce Davison trying to self-heal from past trauma while also helping his patients. His practice is growing and he is enjoying his newfound fame. Flawed but caring and compassionate, he works hard to rebuild his life with the support of family and friends and of course, his Basset Hound, Maxine.

A young Amish man, Josef, whom he has crossed paths with, develops an unhealthy obsession with him that escalates into violent behavior. He decides to take a Rumspringa, a rite of passage in some Amish communities where adolescents get to experience life outside of their community. Even though this is frowned upon in his community and he is much too old, he decides to do it anyway. We follow his journey to CA and back and his descent into madness and murder.

I would recommend reading the first book in this series before this one. Although the author did a good job catching the reader up on past events, I still felt like I was missing something. This is a nail-biting psychological thriller with intense scenes. There were points in the story where I gasped out loud. Not a dull moment to be had in this one. The short chapters made the story seem a bit choppy, but it also kept the pace moving and made it an easy read. The simultaneous storylines were well written and kept you guessing. I enjoyed seeing both the point of view of our villain and hero. Dr. Davison is a well-rounded and endearing character; I was completely invested in his story from the beginning. In contrast, Josef is a bomb waiting to go off. He has an inflated sense of self-importance and believes he is God’s gift to everyone. Then the suspense builds until the two storylines finally intersect. This book is full of great psychological insights and offers a unique perspective from a clinical standpoint rather than most books that give us a profiler’s point of view. Though mostly a thriller, there are uplifting points in this story—not all the minds Dr. Davison works with are broken. Dr. Davison also has a great sense of humor, so there is much-needed levity throughout. Of course, the real star of the story is Max; I enjoyed her antics. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves thrillers.