Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

 

Chloe is not like other freshman students.  Sure, she takes classes and even takes them seriously as she intends to be a doctor.  She hangs out with her friends in the dorm, doing silly girl things.  She flirts with the cute guys around her, even hooking up with some.  But Chloe's main purpose is different.  She is there to kill another student.  

Chloe is a diagnosed psychopath and is in a secret program at the university.  There are seven students this year in the program where a doctor is studying them and giving them intensive therapy to see if their behavior can be modified while teaching them how to be successful in normal society.  Chloe was raped when she was younger and her attacker attends the university.  She plans to kill him and nothing is going to stop her.

But soon something might.  A student in her program in found killed in one of the testing cubicles.  Then another in the MRI room a week or so later.  Is someone targeting the psychopath students?  Is Chloe in danger?  She discovers several of the other students although they are all supposed to be anonymous and they meet to decide if they should do their own investigation.  Trouble is, who can trust a psychopath?

This was an interesting mystery that was a quick read.  The author is a psychologist and this is her debut novel.  It was an Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel.  Chloe is fascinating to read about and the interplay between her and the other students identified as psychopaths is an eye opener.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.