Author: John Burley
Publisher: Willam Morrow
Date of publication: February 2015
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 injustice, contain
secrets? 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 of 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.
Last year I read The Absence of Mercy and enjoyed the mystery. So, I was looking forward to reading The Forgetting Place. For the most part, I enjoyed the book. It definitely drew me into the story right away. Lise Shields is a doctor at Menaker State Hospital and receives a new patient who has no back up information about him. His story is intriguing and ends up with her on the run trying to save his life.
This is a kind of hard book to review because I don't want to give away the major twist. It would ruin it. I did figure out what was going on about halfway through the book and if you pay attention you will too. But that didn't take away from my enjoyment of watching Lise figure things out. I just got there ahead of her. That being said, I was a little disappointed in the ultimate result because I feel like I have read this plot and seen the movie before. I'm not saying it was bad, I just was hoping for something a little more original.
I would recommend giving this one a shot. If you like psychological thrillers, you will like this one. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.
This is a kind of hard book to review because I don't want to give away the major twist. It would ruin it. I did figure out what was going on about halfway through the book and if you pay attention you will too. But that didn't take away from my enjoyment of watching Lise figure things out. I just got there ahead of her. That being said, I was a little disappointed in the ultimate result because I feel like I have read this plot and seen the movie before. I'm not saying it was bad, I just was hoping for something a little more original.
I would recommend giving this one a shot. If you like psychological thrillers, you will like this one. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.
About John Burley
John Burley is the award-winning author of The
Absence of Mercy, which won the National Black Ribbon Award recognizing a
new voice in suspense writing. He attended medical school in Chicago and
completed his emergency medicine residency at University of Maryland Medical
Center and R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He continues to
serve as an emergency medicine physician in Northern California, where he lives
with his wife, daughter, and Great Dane.
Purchase Links
John’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, February 10th: A
Bookworm’s World
Wednesday, February 11th: Ms.
Nose in a Book
Thursday, February 12th: Sara’s
Organized Chaos
Friday, February 13th: The
Reader’s Hollow
Tuesday, February 17th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, February 18th: Booksie’s Blog
Thursday, February 19th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, February 23rd: Kritters Ramblings
Tuesday, February 24th: BoundbyWords
Wednesday, February 25th: A Book Geek
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book for the tour!
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