The Patient: The brilliantly twisty mystery with the unforgettable detective in 2025
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By Tim Sullivan
avg rating
4 reviews
‘A perfect detective for our time’ Stephen Fry
No fingerprints. No weapon. No witnesses. Can DS Cross prove it was murder?
THE DETECTIVE
DS George Cross doesn’t rely on guesswork and he has no time for false assumptions. He is a detective who goes off the evidence in front of him, not ‘hunches’ or ‘gut feelings’. He does not know what these are.
THE CLOSED CASE
When a young woman is found dead, the Bristol Crime Unit is quick to rule it a suicide as the woman had a long history of drug abuse. But her mother is convinced it was murder, saying that her daughter had been clean for years and had been making strides in a new therapy programme.
THE ANSWER
As an outsider himself, DS Cross is drawn to cases involving the voiceless and dispossessed and, here, the evidence states that this woman was murdered – Cross just has to prove it. But under pressure from his boss to shut down the case, and with numerous potential suspects, time is rapidly running out to get the answers that this grieving family deserve.
Perfect for fans of M.W. Craven, Peter James and Joy Ellis, The Patient is part of the DS George Cross thriller series, which can be read in any order.
Why readers love George Cross . . .
‘A British detective for the 21st century who will be hard to forget’ Daily Mail
‘A compelling, suspenseful police procedural with an intimate, positive insight into living on the autistic spectrum’ Woman
‘Truly wonderful . . . well-developed characters and an absolute star in George Cross!’ Reader Review
‘An entirely different type of detective in DS Cross’ Reader Review
Reviews
I ‘warmed’ to this book during the course of reading it. Initially I was a bit sceptical of the author’s idea of choosing a character on the autistic spectrum to be the key police officer involved in the case, but actually it worked out well, in my opinion. I really grew to like the character of DS Cross and enjoyed his interactions with all the other characters. I don’t really know enough about Asperger’s/Autism to comment, in depth, about the accuracy of Tim Sullivan’s portrayal of it but it felt like it was done well and respectfully. I really enjoyed the insights into George’s character - his interest in the shirt-pressing machine, his interest in organ playing, the correctness of his paid agreement with the young friends of McKenzie who helped to clear out George’s dad’s flat.
The actual crime story was perhaps not the most ‘dynamic’ or gripping but it did keep me interested. I enjoyed the succession of reveals at the end, when the culprit was discovered.
I did think the characters were well written, especially George’s colleagues and his dad, and I enjoyed all their contributions. The author seemed to have done his homework re the police procedural stuff too.
I’d definitely consider reading more in this series.
I read this with Methley book club. Thanks to Zeus publishers.
I found this book an easy read, a page turner, with short chapters. It was refreshing to have the main character, George, described and portrayed as being "on the spectrum" - George operated well as a detective he was supported by two colleagues who accepted his social shortcomings in exchange for his ability to be totally focused and solve the crime. I did feel that there was a formulaic element as far as the other characters were concerned.
I enjoyed this police detective story. I liked that the lead detective DS Cross was developed as a character who was both more effective at his job but also set apart by being autistic. The team of detectives who worked with him were also interesting. The plot was satisfyingly convoluted and the plot twist handled well. I thought it was all plausible.
The author writes well and the novel is an easy read but along the way addresses some weighty issues such as drug addiction, rehabilitation, assisted dying as well as autism.
I did feel that George's aspergers was maybe over worked, especially at the beginning of the novel. Could have done with more 'show not tell' but this did add an extra dimension to the story. The author had clearly researched all these areas well.
Generally an entertaining detective novel, the 3rd in a series.
I read this with Methley book club. Thanks to Zeus publishers.
Methley Book Club February Review 2023 The Patient by Tim Sullivan
This was book three in the DS Cross series. Whilst a standalone story, I found that I needed to know how DS Cross had developed as a police officer. It seemed to me that his whole persona was too unfeeling and impersonal to be successful in an environment the required to relate with the public. I intend to read the two previous books to better understand him and his methodology in crime solving.
The patient took the reader into the world of recovering drug abusers and the medical support or in some cases the lack of. Apart from DS Cross the two other members of his team, Ottley and McKenzie did not have their personality explored and it left the reader to conjure up their backgrounds.
After a slow start I found it a decent book to read with the odd page turner. Could DS Cross exist in today’s policing environment? He had a very difficult relationship his father with little bonding at all. His father’s excessive hoarding could have been curtailed had there been a positive bond between father and son. Cross also had a deep need to find where his estranged mother was residing. With this deep need why was he hesitant in following up his search.
The plot itself wound slowly with several dead ends woven into the narrative. I was unable to reconcile the total control depicted by Dianne over Dr Sutton’s medical practice. Far from practice I believe.
Flick was the main thread throughout the story and yet no real background was explained as to how and why she was dependent upon opiates. Her mother Sandra was left to pick up the pieces and it was only her insistence that her daughter had been killed that led to DS Cross investigating Flick’s death. An investigation carried out in a very singular way which I linked to the 70’s TV Detective series Columbo whose dogged methods of investigation searching for the true facts of the case.
Thanks to the head of Zeus who supplied Methley Book Club with this book.
Peter Methley Book Club
