Trust No One by Caleb Crowe – A Twisty Obsession Thriller That Needed an Editor ✂️ (3⭐)
Okay, I went into this one completely blind… and honestly? That made it kind of fun. 😄
I had never even heard of Caleb Crowe before, but when he offered signed copies on Facebook, my curiosity was officially activated.
Zero expectations = sometimes the BEST reading experience.
And while Trust No One definitely kept me turning pages… it also tested my patience a bit. Let’s get into it 👇
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
Murder / violent death
Suicide
Mental illness (OCD, psychosis)
Emotional abuse
Stalking / obsession
Workplace harassment
Manipulation / gaslighting
🚨 Spoiler Warning – FULL Plot Breakdown Ahead
Like… FULL full. You’ve been warned. 👀
📚 Plot Summary (With Spoilers)
🩸 It Starts With a Death…
We open with a bang — literally.
A woman (later revealed to be Grace) pushes a man (Adam) through a window during an argument. He dies instantly. She panics and runs.
So right away, we’re like:
👉 okay… accidental?
👉 or are we dealing with something darker?
Hold that thought.
🏢 Meet Grace: Stressed, Struggling, and Spiraling
Grace Harper is an estate agent barely holding it together at work.
She accidentally injures a client (awkward 😬)
Said client turns out to be her new boss… who immediately puts her on thin ice
She’s forced into “executive coaching” with a guy named Oliver Smallwood
Already suspicious.
🧠 Meet Oliver: Walking Red Flag 🚩
Oliver is… not okay.
Obsessive rituals (locking doors repeatedly)
Deep guilt over a former client (Julia) who died by suicide
Socially isolated
Still emotionally stuck in childhood trauma
And here’s the kicker:
Grace realizes Oliver is “Sticky” Smallwood — a boy from her school who was bullied and humiliated.
You just know that’s going to matter later.
😬 Coaching… or Psychological Warfare?
Their sessions get intense FAST.
Grace:
Thinks he’s spying on her
Has zero support system
Is drowning in work and family stress
Oliver:
Becomes OBSESSED with “saving” her
Starts projecting Julia onto Grace
Decides Grace is his second chance
This is where things go from “hmm” to “uh oh.” 😅
🚗 First Murder: Problem… Removed
Grace’s boss (Justin) is making her life miserable.
So what does Oliver do?
He RUNS HIM OVER. 🚗💀
No hesitation. No remorse. Just:
“Obstacle removed.”
Sir?????
😳 Grace Benefits… Without Knowing Why
Justin dies in a hit-and-run → Grace gets promoted.
Coincidence?
Not even a little.
Oliver is now fully convinced:
👉 He is helping her
👉 He is fixing her life
👉 He is basically her guardian angel (if angels committed murder)
😵💫 Obsession Escalates
Grace tries to cut ties with Oliver… and that’s when things get scary.
He:
Bombards her with emails
Starts stalking her
Sabotages her life (fake calls, deliveries, financial issues)
Frames everything as “therapy”
He literally creates a “treatment plan” to destroy her life:
Destabilize
Isolate
Reveal
Rebuild
I mean… that’s not coaching, that’s a villain origin story.
🩸 Second Murder: Mentor Down
Oliver’s mentor, Maureen, realizes he’s losing it and tries to intervene.
So naturally…
He kills her too. 😬
And stages it as an accident.
Because of course he does.
💸 Grace Hits Rock Bottom
Meanwhile, Grace’s life is collapsing:
Coworkers sabotage her
She gets suspended
Her finances are mysteriously frozen
Her sister is trying to force a house sale
Her boyfriend Adam is… useless
Actually, scratch that.
😳 TWIST: Adam Is a Fraud
Adam isn’t injured.
He’s been faking it.
AND he stole company money.
Grace confronts him… and in a heated moment:
👉 She pushes him
👉 He falls through a window
👉 He dies
Yes… this is the SAME scene from the prologue.
So now we know:
Grace did kill Adam
But it wasn’t premeditated
Still messy though. VERY messy.
🧠 Oliver Completely Loses It
Oliver witnesses Adam’s death and concludes:
Grace is a dangerous, destructive force who must be stopped.
Which is rich… coming from a literal serial killer.
🔨 Final Showdown
Oliver:
Tries to frame Grace for his crimes
Calls in tips to police
Tracks her down
They end up at a beach, where he attempts to kill her with a hammer.
But…
👉 Police arrive
👉 Oliver is tackled and arrested
Cue dramatic music 🎶
⚖️ Ending: Justice… Mostly
Oliver is charged with multiple murders
Grace gets her job back and moves forward
BUT…
She’s haunted by one truth:
👉 She killed Adam
👉 And no one knows
🧠 Final Twist (One Year Later)
Oliver is in a psychiatric facility.
And here’s the chilling part:
He believes he is a DOCTOR… not a patient.
That reality break?
Honestly one of the strongest parts of the book.
🤔 My Thoughts
👍 What Worked
Super gripping premise — I needed to know how it ended
Obsession storyline was genuinely compelling
Ending delivered (I love when justice actually shows up 🙌)
Oliver is deeply unsettling in a way that works
😬 What Didn’t Work
Too long — easily could’ve cut 30–50 pages
Some slow, draggy sections
The flow felt off at times (pacing + transitions were weird)
Certain parts felt repetitive
Basically:
Great idea… just needed tighter execution.
⭐ Final Rating: 3 Stars
A solid, twisty thriller that kept me hooked… but not quite polished enough to fully love.
Would I read this author again?
Honestly… yeah. There’s potential here.
📖 If You Liked This, Try These:
The Perfect Therapist by Stewart Clyde
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
You by Caroline Kepnes
Never Lie by Freida McFadden
If you’ve read this one, I NEED to know—
👉 Did Oliver creep you out as much as he did me? 😅
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