Book Review: Lost Graces

Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

An introspective thriller that unearths the insidious nature of profiting from the ill

Dr. Nancy Thomas is an accomplished psychiatrist who has begun seeing two worrying patients, Alan and Grace. Both patients have a history of substantial abuse and tend to withdraw whenever she makes progress. She’s having a difficult time even getting care for Alan, as his insurance, MARASM, denies her request to continue seeing him. Then her worries balloon even more when she finds out that her colleagues are being murdered with no clear motive or suspect. 

The issues  seem circumstantial with no connection whatsoever, but as Nancy investigates further, she comes to realize that there is something nefarious webbing all of this together and she’s currently ensnared. 

Lost Graces has a striking ambiance, especially in the opening pages. We are transported to a foggy highway with a ghostlike presence haunting Nancy, but the description focuses largely on weather and sound rather than outright creeping us out. What an intriguing atmospheric way to start this story! For Nancy, this sets up real feelings of paranoia and the need to second-guess things regularly throughout the book—a helpful attribute in a mystery like this one. Along with fearing for her life, Nancy’s journey is highlighted by the interpersonal adversities that come with her job. 

As a reader, I suspected everyone, and Nancy does the same. The more subtle moments of the thriller, like the pouring rain and shadowy figures, are set up so well that they linger long in the mind. 

This story is written as a recollection from present day Nancy, often explaining things about the 90s when the incidents take place. Nancy adds quips to remind the reader how things have progressed in her field: some of it for the worse with the introduction of digitized data, and some for the better as her colleagues are Black pioneers in the field. This thought-provoking mystery is ultimately about progress and the many forms that it can take. 

In most of the book, Nancy’s thoughts are shared and integral, but some bigger moments—like deaths—are left out and end up leaving behind some of the emotional punch. Her thoughts and opinions add a lot of value, even if they may cover similar topics regularly.

Pick up this book, and fall under the spell of those stellar opening pages. I promise you’ll want to read more. Those interested in thrillers with a sympathetic message are going to love Lost Graces.

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