In her latest novel The Clinic, Cate Quinn invites you to escape to a luxury rehab facility for the rich and famous. Fans of Liane Moriarty will devour the glamorous setting and hooky murder-mystery investigation.
Hidden in the fog-laden American North-West, The Clinic is the world’s most exclusive and secluded rehab centre. When country superstar Haley Banks is found dead at the facility and has her death ruled as suicide, her sister Meg decides something doesn’t add up and decides to check herself in to investigate.
A professional poker-player who works undercover to catch loan sharks at casinos, Meg is no stranger to a sleight of hand. But she soon realises that to find out what happened to Haley, she needs to confront her own addictions – as a friend on the outside tells Meg, “to solve your sister’s murder, you might need to solve yourself.”
An atmospheric locked-room mystery, everyone at the clinic is an immediate suspect. With a small roster of characters, it’s easy to keep tabs on the other inpatients. While many fall into ‘rich and entitled’ tropes, Quinn gives each patient a sinister edge by frequently reminding us that these are addicts who are willing to lie, cheat and betray one another for their addiction. Each face deep consequences if they relapse, and each have a motive for killing Haley. Moments of cliché dialogue aside, these are well-crafted characters that are enjoyable to get to know.
The story unfolds through the dual perspectives of Meg and the clinic’s uptight manager Cara. While Cara reads rather flat and primarily serves as a means for exposition on the inner workings of the clinic and its eccentric owner Dr Lutz, Meg’s storylines are much more action-packed.
In the book’s foreword, Quinn tells readers that this is the first book she’s written sober – a feat she thought impossible to do. Quinn’s experiences of rehab and sobriety imbibe the story with realism, particularly through Meg’s journey in the clinic. As readers we intimately experience Meg’s wrestle with withdrawal from oxycodone and alcohol, which helps to humanise her hardened, emotionally detached characterisation. As Meg engages with therapy, she’s forced to process childhood traumas and unpack her complicated relationship with Haley.
The short, punchy chapters make for an engaging read, and the frequent rotation between Meg and Cara’s perspectives allows clues and information to be carefully divulged. Like all good mysteries there’s red herrings aplenty, and the isolated setting reinforces the dangerous reality that someone at the clinic is a killer.
Alongside the unfolding mystery, Quinn explores the perversive nature of addiction and the many forms it can take. Patients battle drug, alcohol, and sex addictions as coping mechanisms from their complicated traumas. While using everyday characters rather than celebrities may have resulted in a more relatable story, Quinn’s vulnerability with her own struggles lets The Clinic examine the cyclical nature of addiction with authenticity and compassion.
At times the story is undermined by outlandish plot twists that require a heavy suspension of disbelief. It’s perhaps for the best that the therapists in the clinic are fictitious, as they have little regard for doctor-patient confidentiality. Yet The Clinic is nonetheless a gripping page-turner, one that will keep you guessing till the end.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Clinic by Cate Quinn is available now from Hachette. Grab yourself a copy from Booktopia HERE.
