John BurleyBesprekingen

Told in alternating time periods - present day and roughly twenty years prior during which several residents of the town mysteriously disappeared, one of whom was Erin's mother. Erin returns home because her father is ill. While he's in the hospital, a body is found buried on his property. Erin doesn't believe he is responsible and hopes it's not her mother.

The book started out fine, but then it got a bit slower. This is a true slow-burn mystery. Towards the end, it was a bit more interesting again but the very end involved some crazy action with one character suffering such severe injuries, I was surprised she could walk.

Surrender the Dead by John Burley can be added to the towering stack of contemporary thrillers that feature an unreliable female narrator who is dragged back to her childhood home. Erin Reese, Burley’s protagonist, returns to Wolf Point after learning her father has been hospitalized. Like those other damaged women in such novels, she had sworn she would never return. For Erin, the town is where her mother and others disappeared under suspicious circumstances. To her dismay, her father’s farm has recently become a crime scene since a body has been found on the property. The bereaved families of those victims from 20 years ago rise up to demand answers and obtain closure. Having borne the losses so long, they are quick to accuse Erin’s father who has a criminal record. While in town, Erin reconnects with Robbie, a childhood friend. She enlists his help to investigate and clear her father’s name. Just when his health begins to improve, another body is found on his land-thereby solidifying the case against him. Erin needs to rely on blocked memories from her past which are revealed slowly to the reader. Surrender the Dead is not particularly innovative, but its twisty ending will appeal to fans of the genre. There is a large selection of novels with similar plotlines available, and this one might be found in the lower part of the list.

Three young adults have been killed in a town south of Pittsburgh. Ben Stevenson is a pathologist that works for the Allegheny County Coroner's Office. He has the gruesome job of examining the bodies and then to report the findings. He notes: "People never look carefully at what's directly in front of them." Readers can probably guess who the killer is early on or half way through as the author gives hints along the way. While it flows well and is easy to read, the plot was on the slow side for me.

Really enjoyed this book.But if you do not like some gory murders do not read this one.

Surrender the Dead was a terrifying tale of a small town haunted by its very citizens disappearing without a trace. Since the cases remained unsolved, the people of Wolf Point, Montana were never able to find closure with the town’s painful past. Then a body is uncovered. The raw wounds of the past ripped open once more.

I grew up in a small town, it was exceedingly easy to imagine the damage and the weight of the disappearances held over the people of Wolf Point. Surrender the Dead was dead on with the single-minded want of retribution, however biased it may be, what it might cost to achieve it, and how damaging assumptions can be.

Erin was such a strong and resilient character. I loved that Erin was a veterinarian – that she graduated from Colorado State and built her practice in Fort Collins (which is near me). She constructed a life for herself in an attempt to leave Wolf Point and the painful disappearances – including her mother. Her relationship with her father is one that shared similarities with my own – even pulling calves. Robbie and Matta were also outstanding characters. I loved the journey through Robbie and Erin’s childhood and then her heartwarming relationship with Robbie’s father when she returns to Wolf Point.

A body may have unearthed, yet the bigger question remains – is Wolf Point and its townspeople prepared for the repercussions of it? Not everyone will escape the ghosts of the past unscathed and in a small town – people know more than you think they do. I would highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy thrillers, small towns, rural settings, mysteries, and suspense. A huge thank you to William Morrow, John Burley, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this fantastic thriller – all opinions are my own.

Review of eBook

The McCray family calls Cottonwood, California home. Ten-year-old Sean watches over six-year-old Danny who never speaks. High school science teacher Michael takes care of his wife, Kate, who suffers from a lethal debilitating illness, and the two boys.

The McCray’s neighbors . . . most of the town, actually . . . believe that silent Danny causes all sorts of bad things to happen, including illness and death. Then a man steals Michael’s car . . . and kidnaps the two boys . . . .

The superstitions and fears of the townspeople are rather reminiscent of the behavior of Peaksville’s adults who live in fear of six-year-old Anthony Fremont in the “It’s a Good Life” episode of “The Twilight Zone.” The only difference is that Anthony actually did terrorize the townspeople while Danny does nothing except remain silent.

Set in the early 1950s, there’s a sharp contrast between police investigations of the time and today’s technology-laden probes for evidence and truth. A search through phone logs to locate calls from the kidnapper reveals the monumental disparity in obtaining evidence between then and now.

The story, with its well-drawn characters, fills the reader with dread. Short chapters help to keep the suspense palpable and, as heart-rending reveals bring new aspects into the telling of the tale, the tension mounts. Anchored by a strong sense of place, this tale of family is complex, heart-breaking, and unfathomable. Readers are sure to find its telling both captivating and haunting.

Recommended.

Wow! What a page-turner! This book had my crying by chapter 5. The story is chilling, gripping, and downright exciting. This is the first book from John Burley that I ever read, and it will certainly not be the last.

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.

Set in the small town of Cottonwood, CA in 1954, The Quiet Child by John Burley is a suspenseful mystery about the search for two kidnapped children.

How can an entire town blame a mute six year old boy for the ill health and death that have plagued them in recent years? Apparently quite easily in the absence of any other logical explanation. So when young Danny McCray and his ten year old brother Sean are kidnapped, does anyone outside of their parents, Michael and Kate, want them found? Thankfully part time Sheriff Jim Dent is not about to let fear and suspicion prevent him from doing everything he can to track down the kidnapper and rescue the boys before it is too late.

From the very second a stranger drives off in the McCray family car with Danny and Sean, there is an intense sense of urgency to locate the boys before something dire happens to them. Sheriff Dent is committed to finding the boys and he is completely honest with Detectives John Pierce and Tony DeLuca about the town's opinion about Danny right from the very start. However, like Dent, both Pierce and DeLuca do not allow rumor and speculate interfere with the investigation and all three are committed to solving the crime. They are making very little progress in the days after the kidnapping but will Dent's realization that Michael has gone looking for his sons change the course of the investigation? This discovery is the break they have been waiting for but can Dent, DeLuca and Pierce locate Michael in time to rescue him, Danny and Sean from a possibly dangerous situation?

While The Quiet Child is mainly a mystery, there is also a bit of a supernatural element to the storyline due to the speculation that Danny is somehow responsible for the town's ill health and bad luck. The story weaves back and forth between the boys' experiences at the kidnapper's hands and the increasingly desperate manhunt and massive police search to locate them. With no discernible motive for the kidnapping, plenty of action and some absolutely jaw-dropping plot twists, the novel is incredibly fast-paced with a compelling storyline. John Burley brings the novel to an astounding, twist-filled conclusion that will stun readers.

I learned two things from reading this book:
1) Do not play favorites with your children.
2) Do not waste your time reading this mediocre book.

Not recommended.

Wintersville a sleepy town in Ohio, a brutally murdered teenager is discovered. Ben Stevenson the towns medical examiner, father of two tries to find the killer whilst keeping his family safe.

This book I found to be a very slightly below average thriller. The story itself was ok but was at times slow. There is lots of non important elements where I felt the author was perhaps trying to pad the story out.

The story had a few flaws with what I felt was one big one. Without giving anything away to anybody who may enjoy this book, I felt that the one big lead was right infront of Ben the whole time. Ben being the expert should have seen it.

I found myself skipping pages just to see who it was but by this time it didn't matter to me. The story was there but it was missing something to give it that pull. A very average read for me.½

John Burley has just released his third novel, The Quiet Child.

1954 - Cottonwood, California. Many residents of this small town are ill, including the McCrays. Although there are environmental reasons that might explain the sicknesses, fingers are instead pointed at six year old Danny McCray, who doesn't speak. But how could a child bring so much illness to the town and his own family? When Danny and his older brother Sean are kidnapped, the townsfolk whisper that it's maybe for the best. But Sheriff Jim Kent and the boys' father Michael are determined to bring them home.

Now, with that description, you may think the book is a mystery - and yes, it is. Who has taken the boys and why? The Quiet Child has echoes of Burley's first book, The Absence of Mercy - fathers and sons, a suspicious small town, what a parent would do for a child and at what cost?

Burley's writing is beautifully descriptive and atmospheric - many passages are worth reading again to savour. I've found that its impossible to determine where Burley is going to take his stories - and this was proven again in The Quiet Child. There are almost 'otherwordly' tones to the book. I was surprised by the turn the story took in the last few chapters - it was completely unexpected.

I was interested to read in the author's notes at the end of the book that Cottonwood is a real town - one Burley visited while writing the book. I wonder what the residents think of this book?½

Danny and brother Sean are missing and Sheriff Kent is responsible for finding them. Michael takes matters into his own hands and is able to rescue one son, Sean from the kidnapper. It leaves their mother and the Sheriff with more questions than answers. This is a story about family, loss, unforgiving neighbors, and co-workers. The author explores how far a father will go to protect his family when the odds and community are against them.

Goodreads Giveaway randomly chose me to receive this book. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Oh my gosh this book was bad. Really, really bad. We can start with the continuity error in the first chapter- unacceptable. Then we can move on to the dozens and dozens of peripheral characters. I didn't care about the main characters, let alone all these other people that were thrown in there for filler(?). The pace of this book was soooooo slow. And then we can go to the fact that the author is a doctor and so yes, ok, I get it, you know a lot about medical procedures but this was supposed to be a suspense novel, not a medical textbook. Not to mention, just say you took an aspirin it is not necessary for you to use the word analgesic. Oh yeah and the ending is predictable Ugh. What a complete and total waste of time. I REALLY want someone to investigate how these truly horrible books get all the big time authors' quotes on them saying how fantastic they are! In case I wasn't clear, hated it.

From Amazon:

John Burley’s, The Absence of Mercy, is a harrowing tale of suspense involving a brutal murder and dark secrets that lie beneath the surface of a placid, tight-knit Midwestern town. When a brutally murdered teenager is discovered in the woods surrounding a small Ohio town, Dr. Ben Stevenson—the town’s medical examiner—must decide if he’s willing to put his family’s life in danger to uncover the truth. Finding himself pulled deeper into an investigation with devastating consequences, he discovers shocking information that will shatter his quiet community, and force him to confront a haunting truth. With its eerie portrait of suburban life and nerve-fraying plot twists, The Absence of Mercy is domestic drama at its best for fans of Harlan Coben, Laura Lippman, Jennifer McMahon, and Lisa Gardner.

My Thoughts:

The solution to the identity of the killer is presented before the ending, and the impact and why of who it is becomes a fascinating study into human normal and abnormal psychology. The fact that it appears prior to the ending is a well thought out sequence and brings Burley's novel to a level more than a little beyond a murder mystery. This is a first novel for this author and I believe that he will learn that ordinary people don't need two pages of medical jargon and he needs to cut down on the descriptions and back histories. They may have been necessary to the story, but it was a little too much. That was the only problem that I had with the book. I look forward to more novels by John Burley in the near future. 4.5 stars for an excellent read.

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

I was completely hooked from the first page of John Burley’s psychological suspense novel. The author immediately grabs your attention by describing a grotesque murder and mutilation of a boy in the woods of Wintersville, Ohio. The body is so brutally savaged that it's almost impossible for authorities to make an accurate identification once the dead boy is discovered. Given the lack of identity, panicked parents await their children’s return from school, Ben and Susan Stevenson among them. When sixteen-year-old Thomas arrives on the bus, their relief is only eased by the knowledge that Ben, the town medical examiner, will be doing the autopsy on the victim. Before long Ben and the police face the daunting task of finding a monster, calming a community, and facing the intruding microphones of eager reporters wanting a story. A long nightmare has begun, one that haunts Ben’s waking and sleeping hours, from his work as medical examiner to the home front where his fear has infected family harmony.

The book is quite well-written for a debut novel and the author, a physician himself, knows the medical end of the story quite well. It could have used a better editor or proofreader but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. This book is a good choice for mystery lovers who like a few twists, but also don’t like to get too far off the beaten path. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author.

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."

In the tradition of Sybil and Shutter Island comes a psychological mystery that will leave you stunned and disbelieving. The Forgetting Place by John Burley is a study in the dynamics of pain, trauma, and grief and the effects they can have on the mental and emotional dynamics of the human psyche.

"...This is how it is for the majority-the lucky ones, whose illnesses have not claimed them completely-but it is not the case for the patients here. Too ill to be released into the public, or referred by the judicial system after being found either incompetent to stand trial or not responsible by reason of insanity, Menaker houses the intractably psychiatrically impaired. It is not a forgotten place, but it is a place for forgetting-the crimes committed by its patients settling into the dust like a gradual deterioration of the buildings themselves..."

Dr. Lise Shields joined the staff of Menaker State Hospital correctional facility five years ago. She understands that her patients are commited by Maryland's court system and for many, there will be no salvation or healing. Shields understands that for many, this is their last refuge. But she begins to sense that perhaps Menaker is being used as something else entirely. A place to hide some patient. To silence them. To conceal them from the world.

When a new patient shows up, Jason, with no transfer paperwork at all and no admission paperwork, Shields begins to question why he is at Menaker at all. her questions are met with silence from the administration and soon she feels she is being followed. Who is Jason and what is his secret. His lover was killed, but by who and why? And why is the FBI involved?

Shields must unravel the secrets and lies surrounding Jason and Menaker before she becomes another one of its victims.

The Forgetting Place is thriller that starts slowly and builds and builds until the secrets surrounding its true plot unravels bit by bit and you have an entirely different novel than the one you began with. And that is a good thing. The secrets behind Jason and his incarceration are at the core of this mystery and there are plenty of red herrings afoot. Burley does a terrific job of creating an original and well paced plot here. Plenty of mystery. Plenty of action and plenty of guessing what is going on, with an ending as exciting as it is sad.

A terrific emotional thriller.

This book seems a little gothic. I loved the writing. It was intense. However, an ending would have been nice.

This was so similar to a book I recently finished (Little Black Lies by, Sandra Block) I can't help but wonder if I would have liked it better if I hadn't read them so close together.

This started out pretty good but then things just seemed to get unbelievable and a bit confusing, but when you get to the reveal it makes things a little clearer.

Aack this book is hard to review because I don’t want to spoil it for people that will enjoy it.

This wasn’t an awful book it was a pretty good story but as I said above I read one that felt similar very recently and I think that may have thrown me a little. I liked the conspiracy angle that kept me guessing. Dr Sheilds has been working at Menaker State Hospital for 5 years but her newest patient Jason comes in with no paperwork and the Administrator seems to not care and when really strange things start to happen and it surrounds Jason things get out of hand.

My rating is because I felt like I’d read this book before and the big twist at the end didn’t do it for me.

2 ½ Stars

I received this book from Librarything Early Reviewers and the publisher for a fair and honest review.½

3.5/5 I read John Burley's fiction debut, The Absence of Mercy, last year and quite enjoyed it. I was eager to read his just released second novel, The Forgetting Place.

Psychiatrist Dr. Lise Shields has worked at Menaker State Hospital - a facility for the criminally insane for five years. She's a conscientious, caring doctor concerned for her patients' welfare.

Her supervisor assigns her to a new patient named Jason, who has arrived with no paperwork and no history. When she questions the supervisor, she is told to just proceed, that there will be no forthcoming file. But how can that be? Who is this man? Why is he at Menaker? And who is the man suddenly watching Lise's apartment and following her? When the FBI approach her with a tale of a terrorist bombing plot and a murder, she finally has some pieces of Jason's history at last. But can she believe or trust them? When her own life is put in danger, she has no choice.....

I'm deliberately going to be a bit oblique with this review. If you haven't yet read the book, you might want to skip this altogether.

I must admit to feeling more than a little annoyed with Lise for the first half of the book - her morning routines, her acceptance of her supervisor's edict and the FBI's information without taking it a step further and looking into it herself. She wasn't a protagonist I believed in or wanted to get behind. Things do pick up in the second half of the book and I started to have suspicions that my mental list of frustrating actions and questionable plot points were actually part of the bigger plot picture. Chapters from both Lise's and Jason's past give the reader additional information to support those initial suspicions.

With the final 'reveal' in the last part of the book, all suddenly made sense - and my suspicions were confirmed. I did flip back to the beginning to reread the first few chapters with a different eye and view. Readers who don't persevere through those initial chapters would miss a nice little twist.

Burley himself is a doctor and The Forgetting Place benefits from his 'insider' knowledge. Burley handles the topic of mental illness with a deft hand and insight.½

3.5 There have been so many good psychological thrillers published lately, and this one can certainly join those aptly. Lise a psychiatrist has worked at Mennecker Institution for five years when a patient with no medical history is presented to her. When the FBI gets involved things start moving quickly.

The first part of this book was rather slowly paced as we become familiar with the institution, Lise and this new case. The second part was non stop action as things start happening quickly and secrets are revealed. Things are not as they appear, there is much more than meets the eye.

Good twisty novel with some heartbreaking looks at entail illness and the havoc it can wreak in a family. I applaud the author from his effort to separate the illness from the person.

ARC from publisher.½