The Secret Room

Block’s convoluted third Zoe Goldman novel (after 2015’s The Girl Without a Name) finds forensic psychiatrist Zoe working at the Buffalo Correctional Facility in Buffalo, N.Y. Zoe’s boss, Dr. “Nowhere” Novaire, has instituted an ill-thought-out new program that puts Zoe in direct contact with her psychopathic sister, Sofia. A new case of a delusional teenager imprisoned for attacking his father has Zoe investigating the family to find the truth behind the boy’s hallucinations. And Zoe can’t seem to shake a persistent flu. To make matters worse, a number of patients under Zoe’s care commit suicide. Could Sofia be behind the deaths? As the body count rises, a persistent reporter keeps showing up to interview Zoe for a series of articles about the prison’s psychiatric program. Meanwhile, her live-in boyfriend, Mike, is receiving flirtatious texts from Serena, a pretty coworker. Fans can only hope for a return to form next time. [em]Agent: Rachel Eckstrom, Irene Goodman Literary Agency (Apr.) [/em]