I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway, and, having enjoyed the original book and movie so much, I was really looking forward to reading it.

Until I started reading it. I gave up forty-odd pages in, because it was just mind-numbingly boring.

I had a couple of glimpses of Norman through internal monologue arguments with his mother while his physical body was in a catatonic state.

Other than that, I was treated to a completely unnecessary bit of recapping, given glimpses into Norman's reading material as a child, excessive character descriptions of stock/cardboard cutout characters that inhabit the sanitarium. Like Myron, who's the violent employee who likes punishing the patients and has the devil inside him. Really? Yawn. Or, hey, what about the pretty nurse who's helping the kind-hearted psychiatrist. She's really too good and too pretty for the place, but she's doing it out of penance for not being able to help her own dad. Seriously?

Yeah, it was awful. I couldn't go on. DNF. ( )

An absolute perfect sequel to Robert Bloch's Classic Psycho.
If you've ever wondered what happened to Norman Bates after he was committed to an institution for the criminally insane, here is the fascinating answer.
A terrific insight into the killer's mind and also "Mother's" mind.
Surprisingly during the action of the novel, I felt sympathy for Norman.
The Author really works hard to make Norman a likable man who was also a victim of mental illness.
Atmospheric, creepy and a great addition to the Psycho legacy with a killer twist that even I didn't see coming.
I have to applaud the Author Chet Williamson for this wonderful novel.
It reads almost as if Bloch was standing behind him.
A tour de force!
Highly recommended ( )

Wow. Writing a sequel to the classic horror novel Psycho by Robert Bloch, whose author already wrote two sequels in Psycho II and Psycho House, isn't something I expected would turn out so well. This a really great novel about what happened to Norman Bates while he was incarcerated in a hospital for the criminally insane. In a lot of ways, the plotting reminds me of a slasher movie (in fact I think it would make a good slasher movie). The plot revolves around Norman finding out that he has a long lost brother, who may be responsible for the mysterious disappearances of several people who threatened Norman. I was very pleasantly surprised that I didn't figure out what the surprise twist was going to be until right before it was revealed. This is definitely a book worth reading. ( )

Norman Bates has been institutionalized, the deaths of four people on his hands, four murders that we know about.

If you've never read Robert Bloch's 1959 novel Psycho, not to worry, Chet Williamson provides an excellent synopsis to get the reader up to speed on the events which precede Psycho: Sanitarium. Personally, I went back and read the original work so it was fresh in my mind as I read this new volume. I'm glad I did as this gave me a feel for the writing in both books. If I didn't know better, I could easily see how the two could have been written by the same author.

Psycho Sanitarium takes place at a time when Fuller Brush men still fooled around with other men's wives. It tells the chilling tale of Norman Bates' struggle to keep his mother from taking over his mind and just when it looks like she's gone, a shocker, a game changer. From here, the tale goes in delightfully new directions. To say anything more would reveal too much and I certainly don't want to spoil any of the multiple surprises.

Psycho: Sanitarium succeeds on many levels. The depiction of life in the asylum rings true with patients running the gamut from calm to violent and a professional staff of both caring individuals and a few that should be committed themselves. The tone and pacing of the story matches up well with Robert Bloch's original work. All of the characters are well developed, and the story features a number of delicious twists, all within the realm of possibility.

Published by St. Martin's press, Robert Bloch's Psycho: Sanitarium is available in hardcover, e-book, and audible formats.

I give this new book my highest recommendation.

Chet Williamson has been writing horror, science fiction, and suspense since 1981. His novels include Second Chance, Hunters, Defenders of the Faith, Ash Wednesday, Reign, Dreamthorp, and now Robert Bloch's Psycho Sanitarium. He is the recipient of the International Horror Guild Award and has been nominated six times for the HWA's Stoker Award. Chet is also a stage and film actor who has recorded over 40 unabridged audiobooks. ( )

Few will forget the last image in that great Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho when Norman Bates is seen isolated in a protected cell with the immortal words from his mother incarcerated in his mind..."She wouldn't even harm a fly"

In many ways Sanitarium by Chet Williamson tries to encapsulate both the mood of the movie and the somewhat concerning "mother" thoughts that still dwell within the mind of Norman. Added to this is the deep feeling of uneasiness that exist not only in the hospital itself but also amongst fellow residents who have similar murderous afflictions to Norman. This creates a constant tension, the reader can never feel complacent as the volatile residents are liable to explode into violence at any time.

One such resident is a man called Miller who, as a great admirer of Norman Bates, is hoping to learn from him. Miller is a convicted rapist and he feels that by introducing murder into his rapist illusions he can create the ultimate sexual high. Episodes such as this are an everyday occurrence and the staff and doctors must remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness. This story is really a glimpse inside the walls of a building where the patients have no hope of release and must live a day to day existence in the human equivalent of a fish bowl where their every move is observed, their every action noted, and where violence and the unexpected are the accepted norm (no pun intended)

This is an enjoyable but unsettling tale and shows a world where all hope is gone. It was a help to me as I had seen the original movie and the images created by that classic fitted perfectly into the story. I received an advance copy of Sanitarium for an honest review and that is what I have written. ( )