The Therapy Room

In Baron’s debut, FBI agent Susan Parker is on leave from work to care for her daughter while still grieving her husband’s recent death. When she’s called to an abandoned farmhouse, she finds that Doctor Magnusson, the serial killer she has been tracking, has been murdered. In the basement, she finds his victims locked in individual rooms, having undergone torturous acts of “therapy.” Parker becomes obsessed with the case, as she suspects that her husband’s death is connected and fears for her family’s safety. The story has great potential, but listeners may be disappointed in the numerous plot holes and unbelievable facts—such as when the first officer at the scene becomes Parker’s partner by default. Flash-forwards are often delivered without explanation, and in the end, only one major mystery is solved; unfortunately, the reveal is fairly obvious early on. Finally, while narrator Lauryn Allman provides a solid performance, the audio would have benefited from a larger cast to distinguish the characters and better portray their range of accents.