This was an interesting read and although I guessed the twist half way through, I still enjoyed it. We are introduced to psychiatrist Dr. Lise Shields as she is treating a patient, Jason Edwards, in Menaker asylum. Jason is being treated for insanity after protecting his sister by falsely admitting to killing his partner, Amir. Jason's life comes under threat and Lise is approached by two FBI agents trying to protect him, but then Jason gets abducted and the abductors come after Lise. While trying to elude capture, Lise falls and breaks her arm - while she is under anaesthetic we get a glimpse into her earlier life. We read about her close relationship as a child with her schizophrenic Uncle Jim and his incarceration in an asylum - it was really quite sad reading about his struggle with his mental health and the effect it had on his family.

While Lise is on the run, the chase was very gripping and I couldn't put the book down at this stage. She is picked up on the side of the road and helped by an ex-military guy called Haden. At the time I found it a bit odd that she trusted a complete stranger, so I felt like the end of the story lacked a bit of an explanation about Haden. I can't say too much without ruining the story!

When she makes it back to Menaker, we find that Jason has also returned. Their ultimate reconnection and brief moment of sanity was very moving.

This was a quick read due to the gripping chase scenes and short chapters, and I thought that the difficult topic of mental health was portrayed with sensitivity and compassion.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

From Amazon:

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.

My Thoughts:

I wanted to love The Forgetting Place as much as I dd Burley's previous book, The Absence of Mercy. However, in spite of this being a well written, suspense and tension building work, I just didn't have that "this is great" feeling. I think it was because I just knew the ending before the book was half done...not so with The Absence of Mercy where the twist kept changing from chapter to chapter. That being said...I did enjoy the book and it is indeed one that will certainly appeal to fans of psychological suspense. They can't all be 5 star reads so I am eagerly awaiting John Burley's next offering. ( )

The Forgetting Place by John Burley is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Psychiatrist Dr. Lise Shields works at Maryland's Menaker State Hospital, a psychiatric correctional facility. She joined the team five years ago, knowing from the beginning that: "There are individuals here who will never leave—who will never reside outside of these grounds. Their pathology runs too deep. They will never be restored to sanity, will never return to their former lives. And the danger, I am afraid—and the great tragedy for those who love them—is to cling to the hope that they will."

Lise is frustrated when a new patient, Jason Edwards, arrives without any paperwork detailing his medical history and the court orders for his commitment. When she asks her supervisor, Dr. Wagner, he provides her with no details other than stating that it will be fine and she needs to talk to him to find out the information. Eventually he tells her that his presence is related to the murder of his partner/lover, Amir Massoud. Soon it becomes clear to Lise after several long discussions with Jason that his presence at Menaker must be the result of a much larger conspiracy. Then she starts to notice she's being followed. When two FBI agents make contact with her, she begins to understand just how complicated and widespread the conspiracy is and she doesn't know who she can trust. Along the way we learn about Jason's story and some of Lise's background too.

The Forgetting Place is well written and Burley provides plenty of clues along the way for readers to figure out the conspiracy. I'm going to have to admit that I guess almost immediately what the big twist was in this novel. And while it closely resembles another novel (which I won't name to keep the secret) with the same kind of twist (which was done a little better), it does do a great job holding your attention. I kept reading to see if I had guessed correctly, and there were even a few times I doubted myself, which says enough. The ending made the rest of the novel worth my time and bumped up my rating to highly recommended.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of HarperCollins for review purposes ( )

The Hiding Place – A Lovely and Twisted Thriller

John Burley returns with The Hiding Place and once again he has written an excellent psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns it would give a tornado a run for its money. Even though the clues are dotted throughout the book when it comes to a conclusion the twists and turns will give you a surprise. It is all those twists and turns, the keeping you guessing that keeps you turning the pages as you get sucked deeper in to the book and the plot.

Dr Lise Shields is a psychiatrist working with some of America’s most dangerous prisoners at the most secure mental health facility, Menaker State Hospital, where all the patients have been found guilty with very little chance of ever leaving. She has worked at the hospital for five years straight after her residency completed her medical training.

Lise has a patient, Jason Edwards, who appears at the facility with no transfer documentation or any information about the crime he was found guilty of. Even though she complains to the director she carries on working with Jason as she tries to uncover his story and find out if this facility is where he should be. Lise has been advised by FBI agents that people will be looking for Jason that is why there is no paperwork as not to alert his hunters.

When Lise gets to work one morning all hell has been let loose as Jason has been disappeared and the authorities are seeking her too for possibly knowing too much. Lise has to escape from the Mental Health Facility while being sought for what she may or may not know. Lise recognises that to survive and help Jason she needs to keep running and get help where ever she can.

As the reader is taken on the journey through Lise’s eyes we feel every bump and every scrape the fear the envelopes her as the story goes on. What this does not do is prepare you for the twists and turns in the book as you really are taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and fears. Burley really gets under the skin of the reader and then at the end you feel drained as you are dumped on your backside. You are left to work out if you really did pick up the clues throughout the book as they are there; you just have to find them. ( )

The Hiding Place (also published as The Forgetting Place) is John Burley's second stand alone novel of suspense.

Dr Lise Shields has always accepted that Menaker Psychiatric Hospital houses some of America's most dangerous criminally insane offenders, until Jason Edwards becomes her patient. There is something not quite right about his presence at the institution, and when her supervisor refuses to produce his file, Lise is driven to investigate. Her suspicions are seemingly confirmed when she is approached by two FBI agents who explain Jason is in hiding, and both she and her patient are now in danger.

With several twists in the tale, The Hiding Place is gripping novel. Whilst the story may require some suspension of belief during its reading, most nagging elements of discord are eventually resolved as the startling conclusion is reached. It may be a little slow to begin with, as Burley establishes the foundation for his story, the pace of The Hiding Place picks up considerably as the novel unfolds, building suspense that will keep you turning the pages.

"This, I realise, so often leads to our downfall. We press forward not because we want to know, but because we must know. It doesn't matter how terrible that knowledge is, or what price must be paid for it. And it is not until the moment of revelation that we scurry back in horror and dismay..."

Dr Lise Shields is an interesting character, we are told she has been a psychiatrist at Menaker for five years, and leads a rather solitary life. Her choice of profession was inspired by an uncle that suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and Lise is desperate to protect Jason from his pursuers in a way that she was unable to protect her uncle from his.

"We belong to our past, each of us serving it in our own way, and to break the tether between that time and the present is to risk shattering ourselves in the process."

If you can avoid spoilers, The Hiding Place offers an impressive final twist, perhaps one I should have seen coming...but was neatly distracted from. This is a taut, page turning thriller.

"The past is what imprisons us. There are some things in this world that can never be undone. But they can be faced. They can be forgiven. And if we hold onto that, then there is a chance for us. A chance that someday...we will be free." ( )