Cate Quinn follows up BLACK WIDOWS with THE CLINIC, a sinister thriller set on the damp, foggy Oregon coast where an exclusive rehab clinic is perched on a cliff at the edge of the woods. It caters to the rich and famous. Discretion is their most valuable attribute. At least that’s what its pampered patients believe. But something else goes on behind the triple-locked doors. That secret something could be the reason the facility needs to draw a certain kind of addict --- the type with enough money to fund the questionable research to which Dr. Lutz, the clinic’s owner, has fanatically devoted his life, and enough influence to ensure his methods remain undiscovered.

"The twists are endless, both in the corridors of the creepy old building and in the plot.... By the end, your head will be spinning after the number of curve balls and derailments Cate Quinn throws at you."

One night, there’s a report of a suicide at the clinic. Haley Banks, a wildly popular celebrity, has died. Just before her death, Haley had contacted her sister Meg, but the call was not picked up. Meg, an undercover cop working at an LA casino --- and something of an addict herself --- has had an on-again/off-again relationship with Haley. When she hears that Haley died by suicide while in treatment, Meg doesn’t believe it for a second. Haley just wouldn’t do that; she valued her reputation far too much to kill herself. And after listening to her sister’s final voicemail, Meg suspects a far darker scenario.

Having hit something of a low point in her job anyway, Meg takes leave and pulls some strings to get admitted to the clinic in order to covertly investigate. She has no intention of going sober; that’s just her cover. Smuggling Jack Daniels inside turns out to be impossible, but Meg still manages to hide some oxy. It has been so long since she faced the world daily without alcohol and/or drugs that she doesn’t realize the haze in which she’s been operating. So only half-sober, poking around the clinic while a killer is loose, proves more treacherous than she had imagined. Once she hits withdrawal, separating reality from mind warp becomes more than a mere challenge.

While the clinic uses many unconventional treatment methods, the current patients don’t seem to find them suspicious. They go about each day as if it were the norm. Meg, of course, has serious doubts. Much of what goes on inside appears fishy at best. What has she gotten herself into? This is a woman who knows how to operate incognito. After all, she did it regularly at the casino. But can she stay in character as the doctors probe and pry, especially if they ply her with medication? Well, she’s already committed to this, so let’s see how it plays out. She’s been in situations before that nearly killed her. Will this be the one that succeeds?

Meg does have backup in the form of her friend, Harry. He’s far away, though, off in another state. Local police have been involved as well. But Dr. Lutz has thwarted their efforts at every turn. And now he’s electrified the fence surrounding the grounds. It appears that he always stays one step ahead. Locked in with a suspected killer may not have been Meg’s best move.

The twists are endless, both in the corridors of the creepy old building and in the plot. As soon as one revelation comes along, a giant bite is taken out of it, leaving it dangling. Then another one emerges. But it, too, is shot down. By the end, your head will be spinning after the number of curve balls and derailments Cate Quinn throws at you. THE CLINIC is made even more intriguing by the authenticity with which it’s written. A rehab alum, Quinn writes from experience. As she says in her Author’s Note, this is the first book she has written sober. Wow.