Finally found a new mystery author I enjoy. ( )

Great story! A psychiatrist who is also a sociopath consulting on police cases - how unique! I certainly hope more books are written with Gretchen as the main character, because she is fantastic and I loved seeing how she thought about things.

***SPOILER ALERT***

The words "sociopath" and "psychopath" are used way too much (especially in Chapter 5!), and I found it a bit of work to keep track of all the relationships between the characters. I wasn't sure if I liked how Reed's chapters were going backwards in time (usually I like a chronological storyline), but I can see why it was done and it worked nicely. The crime was a little complex and hard to wrap my head around, and also left me with a few questions regarding the deaths of Lena and Tess.

I feel like the fact that Gretchen was a psychiatrist could have been flushed out more, and she could have made more clinical diagnosis of other characters.

Overall, a great read, and I hope to read more of Gretchen & Marconi in the future! ( )

This was weird. It features Gretchen, a sociopath who consults for the police. Here she has questions about whether Reed's psychopathic daughter Viola killed her mother Clare. I have no expertise in psychology, but Gretchen mainly seemed to me to be very angry all the time. The present day chapters were engrossing, and I liked the banter between Gretchen and Marconi. The chapters from Reed's point of view went backwards in time and were confusing.

I found the resolution to what happened to Tess puzzling and a bit underwhelming. The ending was depressing and I began to wonder if there were any characters in the book with 'normal' human emotions. ( )

I was surprised to find Dr. Gretchen White, a police consultant, was a diagnosed sociopath suspected of killing her mother! Since seriously flawed and abused protagonists have become the norm, this gave this book a refreshing new angle. That said, that theme became somewhat overdone because of all the psychopathic tendencies of the characters. However, scary, unpredictable characters are needed for an excellent psychological thriller. The author told the story by skipping back and forth within a twenty-year timespan, which made sense in the end, but I think I suffered a minor whiplash along the way. But there were enough plot twists, some very unique, that I want to see what Dr. White is up to and will look forward to the next book in the series. ( )

None of the characters in Labuskes' A Familiar Sight really reached out and grabbed me. It was the puzzle of the plot that kept me hooked. Filthy rich Dr. Gretchen White who refuses to lock the doors of her Porsche and loves toying with people always remained a bit gimmicky to me instead of feeling human. Marconi, the sergeant assigned to follow White around, was the only character that piqued my interest. She had the smarts to adapt to White's idiosyncrasies, and both White and I appreciated her skills.

A lot of your reactions to this book will hinge on how you feel about Gretchen White. May you get along with her better than I did. Even though the story is compelling, the characters aren't calling me back for more. ( )