I really enjoyed reading This is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs, a crime-thriller set in a Psychology Department of a US university and most of the story’s characters are either researchers or participants in a study into the effects of stress and deception. During the university break, one of the researchers is found dead in the supervisor’s office and a few days later, the supervisor is also found dead. As a snow storm shuts the town down, the town’s detective and the campus cop interview all of the suspects (knowing they are all experts in deception/lying) and eventually chase down the killer in a dramatic end scene.

The story is well-paced, the characters are credible and likeable, the setting is most-intriguing and adds an interesting dimension to the detective’s investigation and witness interviews. The ending caught me by surprise. I wholly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a crime thriller, interesting characters and well-crafted character relationships/interplay.