Edgar Award for Best Young Adult MysteryMindy McGinnis, the acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, combines murder, madness, and mystery in a beautifully twisted gothic historical thriller perfect for fans of novels such as Asylum and The Diviners as well as television’s True Detective and American Horror Story.Grace Mae is already familiar with madness when family … American Horror Story.
Grace Mae is already familiar with madness when family secrets and the bulge in her belly send her to an insane asylum—but it is in the darkness that she finds a new lease on life. When a visiting doctor interested in criminal psychology recognizes Grace’s brilliant mind beneath her rage, he recruits her as his assistant. Continuing to operate under the cloak of madness at crime scenes allows her to gather clues from bystanders who believe her less than human. Now comfortable in an ethical asylum, Grace finds friends—and hope. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who will bring her shaky sanity and the demons in her past dangerously close to the surface.
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A compelling story. A slice of history that showed the horror of how women were treated in society. What was lovely to see was the development of characters and their mental illness. Mental illness is a wide field and this book touched on many aspects and conditions. Wonderful ending.
I love this book, probably as it combines some of my favorite things to find in books: Murder, wit, awesome characters, a bit a creepiness, and a healthy dash of crazy.
But there really was more it than that, don’t let labels fool you.
I really enjoyed the way the author presented the human psyche and various scientific methods that make complete sense as well as some that are complete trash. Variety is the spice of life.
Also, I had no idea where this was going for most of the book, because it was so unpredictable, and that was a big part of why I liked it so much. It was a puzzle.
Something that was pretty unique about this book is that it focused on friendship and not romance. I mean there was romance if you look for it (or at least a hint?) but friendship was what was important in the end, it was what tied everything together, that and camaraderie.
A friendly warning however. This book was pretty disturbing. If murder is not your thing, maybe you want to rethink this. There are also prevalent elements of sexual abuse. However despite these things I really did enjoy this and found it not too graphic for me.
Although when I described the premise of this book to friends, they thought I was crazy to read it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d like to see a sequel. The characters involved are so realistic, and the treatment of mental illness at the time described so well, I felt right there in the midst of things.
Grace Mae is already familiar with madness when family secrets and the bulge in her belly send her to an insane asylum—but it is in the darkness that she finds a new lease on life. When a visiting doctor interested in criminal psychology recognizes Grace’s brilliant mind beneath her rage, he recruits her as his assistant. Continuing to operate under the cloak of madness at crime scenes allows her to gather clues from bystanders who believe her less than human. Now comfortable in an ethical asylum, Grace finds friends—and hope. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who will bring her shaky sanity and the demons in her past dangerously close to the surface.
I loved this book. Again The author did not disappoint! This was such a great historical mystery! There are a few triggers so if you have issues, ask someone before reading. I definitely recommend this one!
The ending of this book made me so happy in a “Just desserts” kind of way! Definitely worth more than just one read!
It starts out grim and stays that way long enough to get a sense of place and characters. It does move on, allowing the reader to breathe easier and curious to see what happens next. Many contemporary issues highlight how slowly changes occur. The Holmes/Watson element is well-done actually making the relationship between the two major characters more understandable. My biggest disappointment is the lack of a sequel.
I absolutely loved this book. Had a hard time putting it down!
One of my all time fave books.
Actually 3.5 stars. This book was at least more original than most with good characterization, decent dialogue and an intriguing story line.
I was unsure at how to rate this book. I ended at 3.5 stars. I REALLY wanted to rate this book higher, but I just thought the story and writing were a flat. The book does offer insight into how the insane and emotionally distraught folk were treated, and the story has the potential of being remarkable/memorable, but neither the plot nor characters felt alive to me. Regretably, this is not a book that I would pick up to read a 2nd time. I do think it is very much worth the discounted price, however.