VBT# The Woman in Room 9 - Tim Adler

VBT# The Woman in Room 9- Tim Adler - August 2025

I'm absolutely loving my journey with Zooloos Book Tours - psychological thrillers are completely in my wheelhouse, and The Woman in Room 9 delivered exactly the kind of twisty, mind-bending narrative I crave. Tim Adler has crafted a story that immediately reminded me of Matthew Blake's Anna O, sharing that compelling blend of medical mystery and psychological suspense that keeps you questioning everything.

The premise hooks you from page one: Susan Gummer awakens from a decade-long coma, only to discover she's the prime suspect in her former fiancé Jamie Mawdsley's murder. Her memories are fragments - finding Jamie's blood-soaked body, fleeing in terror, then darkness after being struck by a taxi. It's a setup that perfectly exploits our fascination with unreliable narrators and buried truths.

What I particularly appreciated was Tim Adler's handling of the amnesia trope. Rather than using memory loss as a cheap plot device, he weaves it into the very fabric of the thriller. Susan's fractured recollections become both her greatest vulnerability and her only weapon against a killer who's had ten years to perfect their frame job. The tension builds beautifully as we realize that Susan's awakening threatens to unravel a carefully constructed lie.

The pacing struck that sweet spot between slow-burn psychological development and pulse-pounding thriller beats. Tim Adler doesn't rush to reveal his hand, instead allowing the paranoia to seep in gradually. Someone desperately wants Susan silenced, and their desperation becomes increasingly palpable as the truth threatens to surface.

While the comparison to Anna O is inevitable, The Woman in Room 9 carves out its own identity through its focus on corporate corruption and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets. The medical setting provides an appropriately claustrophobic backdrop for Susan's fight for both truth and survival.

If you're drawn to amnesia mysteries, medical thrillers, or stories where the protagonist must literally fight for their right to remember, Tim Adler delivers on all fronts. It's a solid entry in the psychological thriller genre that will satisfy fans of complex, character-driven suspense.

Perfect for readers who enjoy: Medical mysteries, amnesia plotlines, corporate conspiracy thrillers, and protagonists who refuse to stay buried.

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7835930372