Patient 7
Updated: Aug 18
By: Sabrina Wade
Narrators: Luke Persiani, Patricia Santomasso
ISBN: 9798349173264
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: 08/18/26
Format: Audio
My Rating: 5 Stars (ALC)
A psychiatric patient who predicts murders—down to the details.
Dr. Rachel Hadley has barely absorbed the shock of her ex-husband, psychiatrist Dr. Colton Hadley, vanishing when County Detective Lane Archer uncovers something Colton left behind: a set of taped interviews no one was supposed to find.
On the tapes, Patient 7, a man Colton was never supposed to treat, calmly predicts four murders before they happen, including the victims, locations, and timing. Even more chilling, Patient 7 has had no contact with the outside world in over six months.
As Rachel and Detective Archer race to uncover who Patient 7 really is, the first predicted murder comes true. Then the next, and the next.
Now, with each clue dragging them deeper into a deadly pattern, Detective Archer must identify the next victim before the killer strikes again, while Rachel begins to fear that Colton's disappearance was never the beginning of this nightmare.
It was part of the plan. Because if Patient 7 knows how this ends, the final murder may not just explain why Colton vanished.
It may be the one no one sees coming.
My Review
Four predicted murders. Zero contact with the outside world.
"PATIENT 7 by Sabrina Wade is an absolute mind-bender of a psychological thriller!"
When the audio tapes of a missing psychiatrist reveal predictions of future gruesome crimes... you don't stop listening.
The Hook
A set of forbidden audio tapes left behind by a missing psychiatrist reveals a completely isolated asylum patient predicting exact details of upcoming local murders.
Elevator Pitch
The "Silence of the Lambs" merges with a fast-paced police procedural. After her psychiatrist ex-husband Colton vanishes unexpectedly, Dr. Rachel Hadley teams up with County Detective Lane Archer. Deep within the investigation, they discover taped sessions hidden away from the world.
The voice on the tapes belongs to Patient 7—an institutionalized man with zero external contact for over six months. Calmly and precisely, he predicts four horrific murders down to the location, timing, and specific victims. As the countdown begins and the predictions start coming true in real life, Rachel and Lane are forced into a race against an impossible clock.
Setting
A sterile, highly secure psychiatric ward contrasting against the gritty backdrop of a county police precinct.
Vibe
Clinical, ominous, high-stakes, and intensely analytical.
Genre
Medical Psychological Suspense / Police Procedural Thriller.
Themes
~The illusion of absolute isolation.
~Predestination versus premeditation.
~The fine line between psychological trauma and weaponized insight.
~Toxic professional and personal legacies.
Standout Characters
~Dr. Rachel Hadley: A sharp, resilient therapist trying to separate her past trauma from a very present, winding nightmare.
~Patient 7: Deceptively calm, intensely unnerving, and possessing an impossible cache of forbidden knowledge.
Author Writing Standout
Sabrina Wade exhibits incredible control over dual-mystery subplots. She manages to build a classic, methodical police procedural while simultaneously maintaining a deeply unsettling, cerebral atmosphere centered on psychiatric anomalies.
Takeaway
True isolation is a myth; the human mind can act as a transceiver for the darkest elements of reality.
Title Significance
"Patient 7" strips the central antagonist of an identity. It turns a nameless clinical designation into a chilling symbol of hidden, systemic, and calculated malice.
Metaphor
The cassette tape tapes act as a physical manifestation of a spiderweb—unwinding a pre-recorded fate that traps everyone who listens.
"The ultimate procedural-meets-psych-thriller. Patient 7 is out and the full audio production is deeply chilling! 🎧🩺"
Why You Should Read / Listen
As someone who has devoured about every thriller in this niche, this stands out for avoiding cheap shock value. The clues are placed expertly, challenging sophisticated mystery readers to actively solve the puzzle alongside the characters.
My Thoughts
This book is a masterfully executed, 5-star adrenaline rush. Using the therapist-procedural dynamic kept the narrative anchored in logic even when the plot elements flirted with the impossible. The pacing is completely relentless, and the final reveal of how the timeline connects to Colton's disappearance is entirely earned.
Verdict: 5/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — "An incredibly smart, chillingly dark addition to the psychological thriller landscape that is impossible to put down."
Audio 🎧 Standout
The Dreamscape Media audio production of PATIENT 7 elevates the story's inherent tension to an entirely new level. Luke Persiani brings a calculating, low-frequency gravitas to the narration that makes the taped session segments feel terrifyingly real. Paired with Patricia Santomasso, who flawlessly balances Rachel's professional composure with her mounting underlying dread, the voice cast transforms the dialogue-heavy psychological interrogation scenes into an immersive audio drama. Getting an ALC of this production was a treat, as the sharp voice work makes the technical, procedural aspects move at a rapid, gripping clip.
Recs / Read Alikes:
~The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
~The Alienist by Caleb Carr
~The Inmate or Brain Damage by Freida McFadden
Special thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for sharing an advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Aug 18, 2026
August 2026 Msut-Read Books
About the Author
Sabrina is a retail pharmacist from the Midwest who has always loved mystery and suspense movies and books. She's been writing poetry and short stories since grade school and is really excited to start this publishing journey! She hopes to one day meet her favorite screenwriter/producer, M. Knight Shyamalan.
She loves National Parks, hot tubs in cold weather, searching for seashells on the beach, unsweet tea, and chocolate mixed with peanut butter. She lives in Missouri with her husband, three kids, rescue pit bull mix, and tuxedo cat.
She writes clean, captivating stories with short, binge-worthy chapters—because who has time for slow books? WEBSITE
