The Case Study

The shocking new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of A Man Downstairs and An Unthinkable Thing a twisty, unsettling, and masterfully plotted game of magnetic push-and-pull between two women whose secrets threaten to collide.

When Mia was a young woman, she read a magazine article about a murderous teenage girl with a rare and disturbing psychiatric delusion. Fascinated by the details, she sought out the doctor who'd treated the girl, and eventually married him. Twenty years later, Mia's curiosity is piqued once again when her husband announces that his famous case study will be republished--and that he will be reconnecting with his former patient.

Lainey has never felt that her feet are fully on the ground--not since she was released from a psychiatric institution at the age of twenty-one. When her former doctor reaches out, she decides to tell him the truth about what happened all those years ago. Perhaps she can finally lighten the darkness that has defined her entire existence.

With mirroring software, Mia pores over every recorded therapy session with Lainey, almost as though she's watching a true crime drama unfold. On the opposite side, Lainey becomes intensely interested in her doctor's family. How far will she go to insert herself into his seemingly perfect life?

Author: Nicole Lundrigan
Publisher: Viking
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.74lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.52w x 1.11d
ISBN: 9781037801549

About the Author
NICOLE LUNDRIGAN is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including the bestselling A Man Downstairs, An Unthinkable Thing, Hideaway, which was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel, and The Substitute. Her work has appeared on "best of" selections from The Globe and Mail, Amazon, Chatelaine, NOW Magazine, and more. She grew up in Newfoundland, and now lives in Toronto.