I was disappointed in this standalone novel from a crime thriller writer whose Tom Thorne books I've devoured and loved.
Perhaps I just couldn't handle the story line about a woman, Alice Armitage, who is sectioned after suffering PTSD, overdoing it with drugs and drink, and just generally having a psychotic breakdown. Because she is an unreliable narrator, I had trouble believing anything that happened in the story and certainly wondered if she really was a police officer. The whole murder on the locked ward mystery thing really wasn't very thrilling or suspenseful, and I found that I couldn't care less about any of the characters or the investigation that Alice is carrying out on her own since the detectives who come don't seem to interested in what she has to say. It was a slog and slow and boring so I was relieved when I finally got the the end -- the only part of the book that was interesting: the Epilogue.
Also, another turnoff for me, sorry to say, is the British jargon and vocabulary. The pop culture references were unfamiliar, and -- have I already mentioned that none of the characters were in the least appealing or relatable? I don't like living in a world of PTSD, delusions and fragmented thoughts though I can see where this might be another reader's cup of tea. I get it, it's set on a mental health lockdown unit (I've worked there as an RN in places where there is some real behavior that would be called "crazy") but it is definitely not my preferred setting for a good suspense thriller.
So, be wary if you're looking for a typical Mark Billingham crime thriller cause this isn't it.
Thank you to Atlantic Monthly Press for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - psychological thriller, psych ward, murder, PTSD
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