Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Psyche by Taylor Sidney is a taut psychological drama that twists and turns, keeping readers engaged in the fascinating struggle and hunt for an unknown stalker who has killed before. Catherine Deaves is a sensitive, beautiful young woman trying to make her way in both the corporate and artistic worlds, where she is beginning to make her name as a poet of some renown. Just as Catherine’s fortunes seem to be on the rise, with a much-deserved promotion at work and the successful reception of her new poems, things begin to unravel. She begins to receive death threats, her apartment is burgled, and her best friend's work colleague is murdered. Terrified and realizing the police are struggling to even believe her, she turns to her artistic manager and romantic interest, Andre Matrin, for support and help. Even her colleagues at work, although generally supportive, are beginning to question whether Catherine is capable of handling her new position or if she is perhaps just too emotional for such a challenging role. She must decide whether to run and hide from this unknown threat or to confront it head-on.

Psyche is a compelling and well-constructed mystery that will have readers second-guessing the various possible miscreants in the story. Author Taylor Sidney has constructed a wonderful plot that sees Catherine questioning her own sanity at times. I particularly appreciated the author exposing and highlighting one of the biggest issues facing corporate society today, that of gender inequality and harassment. The attitudes of some of Catherine’s male colleagues to both her appointment to the position, as well as her supposed “excessive emotion”, were a perfect representation of the difficulties women face in modern corporate structures, where the predominance of males in executive positions still can lead to a “boys' club” atmosphere. What stood out for me about Catherine was her resilience in the face of antipathy to her problems, and often her outright dismissal as just another emotional woman. The seventeen poems, expertly woven into the narrative, just add to the enjoyment of the story. I particularly enjoyed the poem, “Mine Eyes Have Not Seen the Glory”, which, for me, perfectly encapsulated the journey of fear, mistrust, and unbelief that Catherine had undergone since first being stalked by this crazed killer. This is an enjoyable and interesting read that I highly recommend.