Release Date: February 10/2015
Acquired: Print copy sent by publisher
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Indigo/Book Depository
A female psychiatrist at a state mental hospital finds herself at the center of a shadowy conspiracy in this dark and twisting tale of psychological suspense from the author of The Absence of Mercy.
Menaker State Hospital is a curse, a refuge, a prison, a necessity, a nightmare, a salvation.
When Dr. Lise Shields arrived at the correctional psychiatric facility five years ago, she was warned that many of its patients-committed by Maryland’s judicial system for perpetrating heinous crimes-would never leave.
But what happens when a place like Menaker is corrupted, when it becomes a tool to silence the innocent, conceal an injustice, contain a secret? Why is it that the newest patient does not seem to belong there, that the hospital administrator has fallen silent, and that Lise is being watched by two men with seemingly lethal intent? The answers are closer than she realizes and could cost her everything she holds dear.
In this chilling follow-up to The Absence of Mercy, author John Burley—a master at medical and psychological detail—showcases the many ways in which the dangers of the outside world pale in comparison to the horrors of the human mind.
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I'm more than a little disappointed that this book is being sold as a 'psychological thriller'. My whole heart belongs to that genre, and it saddened me to read what I did in The Forgetting Place. There's no doubting that John Burley has some SERIOUS writing talent-I couldn't stop quoting lines and passages-but the whole story just pulsed a dull beat, and I was very unsatisfied by the end.The Forgetting Place is a follow-up to The Absence of Mercy, so I feel as though it would be unfair to point out the lack of character development in this book, but it was felt in a huge way. Dr. Lise Shields was one-dimensional, robotic, and extremely unlikable, so much so, that by the predictable conclusion, it was if I didn't even meet her at all. The tone of this novel was spot-on, and contributed well to the sinister synopsis, but what was delivered, narrative-wise, fell short in so many ways. The only twist occurred at the very end. The characters were introduced and cast aside, and I kept hoping that things would go in a completely different direction from where they actually went.
In all, The Forgetting Place was not a winner for me, especially not in terms of what it was trying to sell itself as. This book did not mess with my head, not in the least. Although, I seriously hope that this author tries his hand at some literary fiction in the future, I see only good things in that direction.
Recommended for Fans of: Suspense, Mystery, Mild Thrillers, mental illness in fiction, Dennis Lehane.
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CLICK HERE to find out more about John Burley on his author page.
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Thank-you to Trish from TLC Book Tours for hosting this tour, and to William Morrow for sending me a print copy to review! CLICK HERE to follow the rest of the tour.
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