Time to break down The Perfect Psychopath, unpack all the twists, and try to make sense of that weird, unfinished ending.
This time I’m switching things up a bit. Instead of a traditional review, I thought it would be easier (and way more fun) to walk through the plot in bullet points and short explanations. It’s one of those books where everything gets a little tangled, so I figured keeping things clear and simple would help. Bullet points to the rescue!
Character List: Who’s Who in The Perfect Psychopath by Alice Hunter?
Grab a cup of tea, we’ve got a crowd! Geez, there are a whole lot of characters in this book, and honestly, it gets a little tricky trying to keep track of everyone.
So to make things easier, I’ve broken them down into main characters and supporting characters. Hopefully, this helps you keep track of who’s who as we go through the story.
Main Characters
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Dr. Eleanor “Ellie” Spencer |
Forensic psychologist at HMP Westgate, a Category B prison. Protagonist navigating her sessions with Lucas Hayne and personal connections to a homicide investigation. |
|---|---|
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DS Sarah Knight |
Detective Sergeant with the Homicide and Major Crime unit. Leads the investigation into a series of murders, with personal stakes tied to her daughter, Rachel. A key figure in the dual narrative. |
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Lucas Hayne |
A serial killer serving a whole-life sentence at HMP Westgate. Diagnosed with psychopathy, he’s Ellie’s most complex case. His manipulative interactions drive much of the psychological tension. |
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Rachel Knight |
Sarah’s daughter, an artist with a significant connection to Ellie’s past. Her involvement in the plot escalates the stakes for Sarah’s investigation. |
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James “Jimmy” Vale (aka Jason Norris) |
A prison officer at HMP Westgate, known as Jimmy. His past ties to Ellie and his actions are pivotal to the narrative’s twists. |
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Grace |
Ellie’s younger sister, who disappeared five years ago. Her absence haunts Ellie and is a focal point of the investigation, with her necklace and ID surfacing in the case. |
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Paula |
Mother of Ellie and Grace. Emotionally affected by Grace’s disappearance and involved in the aftermath. |
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Ivan |
Ellie’s and Grace’s father, suffering from a deteriorating condition requiring care, which sparks conflict. |
Supporting Characters
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Michael Spencer |
Ellie’s husband. He seems supportive at first, but things get more complicated as Ellie starts digging into her past. |
|---|---|
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Morgana Jayne Power |
A friend of Ellie and Grace, named after a competition winner. Her involvement in the investigation and her condition are significant to the plot. |
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DC Conran |
Detective Constable working under Sarah Knight. Assists in the homicide investigation, often providing support and banter. |
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Tammy |
A new prison officer at HMP Westgate. |
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Karl |
A wing officer at HMP Westgate, Lucas’s personal officer. Known for his complaints and suspicious behavior, which Ellie notes. |
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Fi Noble |
Trainee psychologist at HMP Westgate. Works closely with Ellie, often debriefing sessions and offering emotional support. |
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Danielle |
Head of the psychology department at HMP Westgate. Oversees Ellie’s work and makes key decisions, like Lucas’s risk assessment. |
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Tariq |
A psychologist at HMP Westgate, known for his positive demeanour. Car-shares with Claire. |
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Claire |
A trainee psychologist at HMP Westgate, previously with probation services. Works alongside Ellie and Tariq. |
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DCI Jenkins |
Sarah’s superior in the Homicide and Major Crime unit. Oversees the investigation and manages Sarah’s involvement. |
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DC Sam Oren |
Detective Constable assisting Sarah’s team, tasked with researching records. |
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Deepa |
A member of Sarah’s investigative team, responsible for locating crucial CCTV footage. |
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Harold Forrester (Mr. Forrester) |
Sarah’s grumpy neighbour, who complains about noise and has a tense exchange with her. |
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Bobby Wright |
A local boy caught by Sarah for vandalising her car with orange paint. Accompanied by an unnamed friend. |
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Becker |
A retired officer managing police pool cars. Interacts with Sarah over her vandalised vehicle. |
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Sophie |
A detective referenced by Sarah, involved in an arrest where a suspect vomited in the stake-out car. |
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Brianna O’Neil |
A victim in the homicide investigation, linked to the Regent’s Canal crime scene. |
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Abigail Macey |
Lucas Hayne’s youngest victim, aged nineteen, mentioned in Ellie’s sessions with him. |
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Eva Hall |
Lucas Hayne’s first murder victim, referenced in his discussions with Ellie. |
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Norman |
Alice Hunter’s grandson, mentioned in the acknowledgments, not a character in the story but noted for context. |
What’s The Perfect Psychopath about? Let’s break it down.
If you finished it and your head is spinning with all the twists and unanswered questions, you’re not alone. Here’s a quick, clear recap of what happens, and how it all ends.
Quick Background
- Our main character is Ellie, a prison psychologist.
- She’s been dealing with the unsolved disappearance of her sister Grace, who went missing five years ago.
- Ellie works with Lucas Haynes as part of a prison research program. He’s a manipulative serial killer, and their therapy sessions are tense, uncomfortable, and full of mind games.
Things Start to Unravel
- On what should’ve been Grace’s 30th birthday, DS Sarah Knight gets in touch with Ellie about a newly discovered body, and Grace’s missing necklace is found at the crime scene.
- Ellie is devastated. It’s the first solid lead she’s had in years, and for the first time, she starts to believe that Grace might actually be dead.
The Signature Clue
- The body has a wooden cross taped over the mouth, which matches the way Lucas Haynes’s victims were found.
- DS Sarah Knight asks Ellie to help with the investigation, hoping she can get useful information from Lucas during their therapy sessions. Since the new murder matches his old methods, they believe he might know something, or someone could be copying him.
- Ellie agrees to help, even though it makes her uncomfortable. As the sessions with Lucas begin, he starts to get under her skin. The pressure builds, and she starts to spiral, lying to her husband, hiding things, and growing more suspicious of everyone around her.
Who is Morgana Power?
- Morgana is introduced as an old friend of Ellie’s, though they haven’t been in touch for a while.
- Ellie feels betrayed, especially after finding out that Morgana has been spending time with her mum. Morgana is now living with her own mother, who happens to live just down the road from Paula, Ellie’s mum. Out of guilt over Grace’s death, Morgana starts growing closer to Paula, and that doesn’t sit well with Ellie.
- Ellie spots Morgana in a photo related to Grace’s case, which immediately raises red flags.
- At first, Morgana claims to be a freelance writer, but Ellie later discovers she actually works for a tabloid.
- It’s later revealed that Morgana was secretly investigating Jason Norris (aka Jimmy), the man linked to all the murders.
- Morgana becomes a victim herself. She’s brutally attacked and ends up in the hospital in critical condition after getting too close to the truth.
- The first twist is that Morgana is actually Grace’s half-sister on their dad’s side, and also Ellie’s half-sister on their mom’s side — something Ellie’s mum had been hiding from her all along.
Why Is Grace on Lucas’s Wall?
- During one of her visits to Lucas Haynes’s cell, Ellie notices a drawing on the wall.
- It’s a sketch of Grace, and it’s signed with the name “Norris,” a name Ellie hasn’t heard in years.
- This moment completely shakes her. Why would Lucas have a picture of Grace? And who is Norris?
- Lucas himself admits the drawing was given to him by someone else, someone who was proud of the piece. That someone is revealed to be Jimmy, a prison officer whose real name is Jason Norris.
Who is Rachel?
- Rachel is Detective Sarah Knight’s daughter. She’s described as a troubled girl with mental health struggles.
- At some point in the story Rachel goes missing.
- The second plot twist is that Ellie finds out from Detective Sarah that Rachel was actually dating Grace before her disappearance.
- Sarah’s team tracks down Jimmy’s and finds her daughter Rachel tied up in a shed, just in time to save her.
Ellie’s Memories and the Boy from Her Past
- Throughout the book, Ellie struggles with memory gaps, especially when it comes to her childhood and teenage years.
- Ellie’s memory isn’t just patchy when it comes to Grace, it’s also filled with missing pieces about her own past.
- With help of her mom, dad and Morgana’s mom, she starts remembering a boy from her teenage years who used to hang around her and Grace. At first, she doesn’t think much of it.
- But then, flashes of something darker come through, memories of the boy trying to assault her when she was young.
- These memories come up slowly, and for a long time, Ellie doesn’t fully connect them to the bigger story.
- The third plot twist is that this boy is Jason Norris (who later changes his name to James Vale), the real killer, someone who has been in Ellie’s life for years without her recognising the danger. Jason Norris holds a grudge against Ellie because of a sexual misconduct accusation made when they were teenagers. Jason was removed from his foster care home after the incident, even though the charge didn’t lead to a conviction due to lack of evidence. So, the school was informed about Jason’s behaviour most likely because Ellie reported it, either directly or by confiding in her father, who then took action. This moment is the root of Jason’s deep resentment toward her, as he believes she ruined his life.
Who is Jason Norris (Jimmy)?
- We first meet him as Jimmy Vale, a prison officer at HMP Westgate who seems like just another colleague in Ellie’s work environment.
- As mentioned earlier, Jason was removed from his foster home after being accused of misconduct as a teen, and he’s held a grudge ever since. He believes Ellie ruined his life, and that moment is at the root of his deep resentment toward her.
- Jimmy is actually the serial killer, responsible for the recent murders, including the one that reignites the case into Grace’s disappearance.
- He works with Lucas Haynes, giving him Grace’s drawing (which he sketched himself), letting Lucas display it in his cell to mess with Ellie psychologically.
- He abducts Rachel, DS Sarah Knight’s daughter, and keeps her locked in a shed in a setup that mirrors his previous crimes.
- He confesses to several murders and an attempted murder, but not to Grace’s, leaving Ellie with more questions than answers.
- He becomes the key link that ties together Grace’s case, the recent murders, and Ellie’s buried memories and guilt.
- In the end, Jimmy is arrested and Rachel is rescued, but his twisted legacy leaves a lasting impact on Ellie and Sarah.
Michael and Ellie’s Private Journals
- Michael is Ellie’s husband. At first, he seems supportive and caring, but as the story goes on, Ellie starts to doubt him. He gets upset when she pulls away and shows concern about her getting too involved in the murder case. Things get more complicated when Ellie starts to suspect him, and the hints dropped by Lucas only add to her worries. All of this makes Ellie question whether Michael is really as trustworthy as he seems.
- Ellie keeps personal journals where she writes about her sessions, her thoughts, and private memories, including a lot about Grace. She even admits there are parts she hasn’t had the courage to read herself, which says a lot about how deeply some memories still affect her. Later in the story, someone breaks in and steals those journals, adding to her sense of paranoia and making her question who she can really trust.
- Later, Michael makes a comment that proves he knows about a conversation between Ellie and Grace, something she never told him.
- This moment makes Ellie start to suspect that Michael is the one who took her journals, and that he’s read them too. The idea of him going through her most private thoughts feels like a deep betrayal.
- When she confronts him, Michael initially deflects, but eventually admits he took them. He says he did it to “protect” her, specifically, to stop Detective Sarah Knight from getting her hands on them. Then we get a flashback from Ellie.
So What Really Happened to Grace?
- The biggest plot twist is that Ellie remembers a fight by the canal where Grace called her out for being cruel as kids.
- Ellie blacked out. When she came to, she had Grace’s broken necklace in her hand.
- Did she hurt Grace? She honestly doesn’t remember.
- The mysterious “Don’t. Tell.” text? That was Jimmy watching from the shadows, he witnessed Ellie’s fight with Grace and used it to blackmail her.
- In the end, Jimmy goes to prison, but Ellie is still haunted by what really happened, since he doesn’t confess Grace’s murder.
- There’s no closure for Grace’s death, and that’s kind of the point.
The Ending
- Sarah gets her daughter back and starts to heal.
- Ellie is left with more questions than answers.
- Lucas is transferred to another prison, ending his creepy influence over Ellie.
- Ellie decides to keep searching for the truth, even if it means facing her own dark side.
End’s Conclusion: Did Ellie Kill Grace?
The whole thing with Grace’s fate is honestly so frustrating.
The book strongly hints that Ellie might have had something to do with her sister’s death, especially in that final scene by the canal. But since there’s no solid proof, and Jimmy never actually confesses, it all ends up feeling unresolved. I get that some stories leave things open on purpose, but here it felt more like a missing puzzle piece than a clever twist. If you’re someone who likes clear answers, this part might leave you feeling a little let down.
To make things more complicated, the epilogue gives us an unnamed narrator, most likely Jimmy, watching Ellie alone by the canal after hearing a splash. It suggests that Grace may have fallen, or been pushed, into the water. Right after that, he sends Ellie the chilling blackmail text, “Don’t. Tell.” It’s clear he saw something, but he never reveals what. So in the end, we’re left wondering… did Ellie do something in a moment of rage? Was it an accident? Or is there still more to this story that we don’t know yet?
The Perfect Psychopath by Alice Hunter – Book Synopsis
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Title |
The Perfect Psychopath |
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Author |
Alice Hunter |
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Genre |
Thriller, Crime, Psychological Thriller |
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Format |
352 pages, Paperback |
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Pubished |
May 22, 2025 by Avon |
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ISBN |
9780008662844 (ISBN10: 0008662843) |
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ASIN |
0008662843 |
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Language |
English |
Let’s Chat!
Were you surprised by the twists? Did you find the ending as confusing as I did? And how many stars would you give The Perfect Psychopath by Alice Hunter?
Let me know in the comments — I’d love to hear your thoughts!
