THROUGH a gripping plot and vivid descriptions told from a number of perspectives, Psychological Thriller, LEECH, takes readers through time and across countries in a story that stays with readers long after they close the book. It is a story that methodically delves into the psyche and forces readers to confront the subtle ways in which control, dependency, and identity can intertwine. In LEECH, Guyanese author Jasmaine Payne creates a psychological thriller that blends drama with a slowly unravelling plot. The result is a novel that tackles unsettling themes which, backed by the plot’s building tension and vibrant characters, keep readers drawn in, captivated, and motivated to finish the piece.
Published in September 2025 in the USA by JAM Services, LEECH is one of the few, more recent psychological thrillers by a Caribbean author. The book tells a story through various points of view, with each character adding not just a new perspective but a new layer of depth to the overall plot. The story largely follows the book’s protagonist, Arianne Smith, an ambitious young, Guyanese writer seeking fame, and in her pursuit, her confrontation with the book’s titular supernatural character, John Leech. More than a story of seeking and finding the unexpected, Payne explores the human condition, looking at how we define fame, how that fame can impact us, and what price we are willing to pay for it.
Payne’s debut novel explores a number of themes, some bolder, some tucked into the undertones. Central to the story is the presence of the supernatural. While not entirely new in psychological thrillers, what sets LEECH apart is how direct and intrusive that force feels; it does not sit in the background, it actively shapes the story and the characters. John Thomas Reginald Leech is, in fact, the first character we meet, the son of a renowned doctor in the Victorian age. The book follows his slow descent into a murderous, “Jack the Ripper”-like figure, driven by a need for recognition under the guise of medical advancement.
Haunting the streets of 1800s London, Leech begins wanting to be like his father, but his fascination with the unsettling rather than the science of medicine makes him an outcast. The weight of this is reinforced when, despite his best efforts, the fame he seeks remains out of reach, earning him mockery from the medical community and the name “Half-penny Leech” up until his death. But Leech’s story does not end there.
His story continues through Arianne Smith, a character who is also seeking fame and success. Their stories collide when Leech wakes up in modern-day New York as a powerful supernatural force, and here, the story takes on a new life. As Arianne meets Leech, she is drawn in by his presence but quickly becomes more than just an observer as the two partner to write a book. Through his abilities, he forces her into his world, giving her first-hand access to his crimes, an experience she describes as, “He (Leech) must have dragged me into my mind – pushed me into some other dimension in my head.” This is where the story becomes more than just thrilling; it becomes uncomfortable. The line between witnessing and experiencing begins to blur.
This connection brings Arianne the fame she is searching for, but it also ties her to Leech in a way that is difficult to escape. Both characters are chasing recognition, but Payne shows how that pursuit can take different forms, and how easily it can become something consuming. The way fame is handled in LEECH stands out. It is not just something to achieve, but something that lingers and demands more. Arianne’s breaking point shows this clearly, as success does not free her, but instead traps her further in Leech’s influence.
This continues when Arianne is admitted to a psychiatric institution named Homer’s Home For Health And Wellness, where Dr Oscar Pressum is introduced. His role starts simply but quickly becomes more significant. Pressum is tasked with treating Arianne, who tells him the story of Leech—not the version that brought her fame, but what she believes is the real one. From here, the story follows the three characters in a tense power struggle. Pressum is forced to question his own beliefs, Arianne struggles to maintain control of her mind, and Leech continues to push into both their realities. As Pressum is pulled further into this world, “What unnerved him most was the pull of this unnamed thing beyond his comprehension,” Payne writes. The shifting between these perspectives helps to build tension, and for the most part, the transitions feel controlled and intentional.
At its core, the novel becomes a struggle to hold onto identity in the face of outside forces. Control is constantly shifting between Leech, Arianne, and even Pressum, and that loss of control is where much of the tension sits. Payne also plays with the idea of ownership: whose story is really being told, and who is in control of it?
LEECH is strong in its pacing and suspense. It takes its time, but that works in its favour, allowing tension to build rather than rush. The movement between Victorian England and modern-day New York adds to the story’s scale without making it feel disjointed. At the same time, there are moments where Arianne’s character could feel more developed beyond her ambition. While her role is clear, her internal depth does not always feel as strong as Leech’s, who remains the more fully realised character.
There are also small touches of Caribbean identity through Arianne, though not heavily explored. Still, its presence matters, especially in a story that moves across so many spaces. LEECH stands on its own as a psychological thriller that does more than just tell a story. It pulls at ideas of control, identity, and the cost of wanting more, and it does so in a way that keeps the reader involved from beginning to end. As Leech himself puts it, “But pain is love, Dear Heart. We must accept it, bear it, and understand it all the same time.” It is unsettling, at times uncomfortable, but that is exactly where it works best and keeps readers utterly and continuously captivated.
