Without knowing anything about the author or his previous work, my main impression throughout this novel was that it was little more than a fleshed-out script for a Made-For-Netflix thriller in the vein of the countless Harlen Coben series there.
When I took creative writing back in my university days, I was taught to think in scenes. Limit each scene to the necessary dialogue and exposition to move the plot and character development, and move on. This novel takes that advice and turns it up to 11: it contains 67 chapters in just over 340 pages, with some fewer than two pages in length. Deliberately cinematographic, the only thing missing is the slug lines for the camera operator, you know, "CUT TO:" or "CLOSE UP:"
Everything about this novel strains credibility, from the inciting crime to the funhouse psychiatric institute to the cutout characters to the deliberately murky overlapping plotlines to the secret diary that, as these things do, eventually exposes the truth in what is supposed to be a "stunning" reveal (CUT TO: THEO SHOCKED).
The psychiatric-patient-murder-mystery genre is crowded. Countless tv shows, movies, stories and books have sought to find new and clever ways of exploiting mental illness and using it as the cause of antisocial behaviour while the white knight doctor/therapist seeks to "cure" the malefactor with stubborn, uncompromising (if unconventional) treatment, even as the haters and doubters say "you're wasting your time, it's a lost cause". And, usually, guess what?
I'm not a spoiler so I won't get into too much detail about the tangled plot. I will say that it telegraphs its punches. I will also say that it relies on highly improbable events, coincidences, stock characters (EXIT: UNSYMPATHETIC HOSTILE COLLEAGUE; ENTER: GRIM-FACED DETECTIVE) and a ridiculously overwritten diary.
As I mentioned, I knew nothing about the author prior to reading this novel. After finishing, I see that he is a screenwriter, having at least two movies to his credit that are - surprise - suspense thrillers. He also has a string of follow-up novels that I didn't bother to examine but I imagine are also mystery thrillers.
If you like paint by numbers stories that eschew meaningful character development or examination of moral decision making in favour of plot complications and story hooks, by all means this is for you. If you want something thoughtful, respectful, reflective and even somewhat connected to the way things truly are in this world, move on.
Without knowing anything about the author or his previous work, my main impression throughout this novel was that it was little more than a fleshed-out script for a Made-For-Netflix thriller in the vein of the countless Harlen Coben series there.
When I took creative writing back in my university days, I was taught to think in scenes. Limit each scene to the necessary dialogue and exposition to move the plot and character development, and move on. This novel takes that advice and turns it up to 11: it contains 67 chapters in just over 340 pages, with some fewer than two pages in length. Deliberately cinematographic, the only thing missing is the slug lines for the camera operator, you know, "CUT TO:" or "CLOSE UP:"
Everything about this novel strains credibility, from the inciting crime to the funhouse psychiatric institute to the cutout characters to the deliberately murky overlapping plotlines to the secret diary that, as these things do, eventually exposes the truth in what is supposed to be a "stunning" reveal (CUT TO: THEO SHOCKED).
The psychiatric-patient-murder-mystery genre is crowded. Countless tv shows, movies, stories and books have sought to find new and clever ways of exploiting mental illness and using it as the cause of antisocial behaviour while the white knight doctor/therapist seeks to "cure" the malefactor with stubborn, uncompromising (if unconventional) treatment, even as the haters and doubters say "you're wasting your time, it's a lost cause". And, usually, guess what?
I'm not a spoiler so I won't get into too much detail about the tangled plot. I will say that it telegraphs its punches. I will also say that it relies on highly improbable events, coincidences, stock characters (EXIT: UNSYMPATHETIC HOSTILE COLLEAGUE; ENTER: GRIM-FACED DETECTIVE) and a ridiculously overwritten diary.
As I mentioned, I knew nothing about the author prior to reading this novel. After finishing, I see that he is a screenwriter, having at least two movies to his credit that are - surprise - suspense thrillers. He also has a string of follow-up novels that I didn't bother to examine but I imagine are also mystery thrillers.
If you like paint by numbers stories that eschew meaningful character development or examination of moral decision making in favour of plot complications and story hooks, by all means this is for you. If you want something thoughtful, respectful, reflective and even somewhat connected to the way things truly are in this world, move on.