Before you pick up this book you need to know that it contains animal cruelty, teen sexuality, suicide and murder. If you are sensitive to any of these, maybe give it a miss. However, if you are open-minded you are in for a treat. Despite the warning making it sound like a harsh read – it is not that bad. This is a brilliant story that will keep you up at night.

Arthur Herbert tells his story not skipping any details, allowing the reader the opportunity to clearly visualise every setting in full detail. This is the first time I have read anything by this author, and I loved how beautifully he created each scene. I felt like I could see every picture he painted.

Dr Alex Brantley is a successful surgeon, he is good at what he does, but he does not like his job. Faced with an unhappy career and student loans of more than $300 000 he realises that he cannot continue down the same path. When an attempt at suicide fails, Alex decides to leave medicine and starts a teaching job at a high school in Three Rivers, a small town in Texas.

Teaching does not pay much and while he is hoping for legal help the pressure of his debt does not abate. Focussing on teaching he meets a troubled sixteen-year-old, Henry Wallis, who faces a much bigger problem than Alex’s finances. As Henry struggles to deals with his problems, things turn upside down in his world.

At his lowest point imaginable, Alex is made an offer that can solve all his problems and give him a chance at a new beginning – an illegal solution that goes against everything he believes in, but an opportunity to finally live the life he wants to.

This book is graphic and filled with loads of unpleasant details, but it’s never gross or crude. The author managed to take the ugly in this story and tell it acceptably. While there are a lot of ugly details here, The Cuts That Cure is a creative, well-told story that draws you deep into an unthinkable world and makes it impossible for the reader to skip any of the gory details. I could not put this book down and read much later into the night than I normally would.

The characters are brilliant. Dr Alex Brantley is struggling with a career that is not good for him. Every day is a battle for him to find his way to a life where he can be happy. You see him crawl from a dark place to something much better only to be knocked straight back down again. As you experience his struggles you feel sorry for him and end up liking him.

Henry Wallis is trouble. This sixteen-year-old boy is evil. The more time the author allows you to spend in this young mind the more amazed you are at how his mind works. However, I could not help but be angry with his mother. She saw the early signs of trouble and instead of acting, she chose to turn a blind eye. She was more concerned with what the neighbours would think. She could probably not have done anything to change Henry, but early action could have prevented some of the bad in the future. Mrs Rebecca Sullivan was my least favourite character. As a mother, I wanted to understand her choices, but I hated how she did nothing. Her pretending the problem did not exist gave Henry the chance to become a better liar and getting away with terrible behaviour.

Stu was the mystery character. When he befriends Alex, you are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Stu is just too good to be true. Only right at the end of the book is his motives revealed. He plays a big role in keeping the reader intrigued, eager to see how he fits into the bigger picture.

The Cuts That Cure covers harsh subject matter but WOW, if you are not a sensitive reader this book is brilliant. The ugly is not as ugly as it could be as the author dressed every disgusting scene just enough to make it acceptable. This book is dark, digging deep into the darker side, but I loved it.

The Cuts That Cure will appeal to readers who are open-minded and not sensitive. If you approach this book being aware of the trigger warnings psychological thriller fans will find everything they enjoy between these covers. It is not as harsh as it sounds at all. If you are open-minded, I will gladly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of this one, it is a gripping, descriptive read that will keep you intrigued from start to finish.