“A tense, original thriller that perfectly blends the nail-biting suspense and shocks of Silence of the Lambs and Shutter Island.” —John Marrs, bestselling author of When You DisappearedHis victims are powerless. He is in control. This is his revenge—and he’s only just begun.Three university scientists are found dead in a gruesome murder-suicide, and the only suspect in the case, Victor Lazar, is … the only suspect in the case, Victor Lazar, is quickly captured. When the spate of violent suicides follows him to prison he is moved to solitary confinement, reserved for the highest-risk inmates. And then his assigned psychologist inexplicably takes his own life.
Alex Madison, a former forensic psychologist turned private therapist, is brought in to interview Victor. He suspects that Victor is controlling his victims, somehow coaxing them into a suggestive trance. It seems like science fiction, but as Alex digs deeper he uncovers a frightening reality of secret research and cruel experimentation—and the perpetrators are closer to home than he could ever have imagined.
Too late, Alex learns the true extent of what Victor is capable of—and who he’s after. With everything he holds dear at risk, can Alex take control of a dangerous mind—before it takes control of him?
more
Political, physical, psychological and did I mention twisted?
To classify this book as a thriller is an understatement. The book moves swiftly through past and present weaving the tale of arrogance and superiority among the medical faction. Karma.
This is a heart-wrenching story of experimental mind-control therapy performed on children in an orphanage in Romania and the horrifying consequences. When Alex Madison, a forensic psychologist is asked to consult on a patient being held in prison, he has no idea what he’s about to get into, but he immediately knows the patient called Victor Lazar is something he has never encountered before. Working with a strange woman named Sophie, he travels down a rabbit hole of lies and half-truths only to discover he’s involved in this nightmare in more ways than one and he’s suddenly the target for revenge by a deranged killer. The author builds up to a suspenseful climax, though the end is a bit hard to follow. Still, he manages to bring the story to a somewhat satisfying conclusion.
(Book Blurb) 3 scientists are found dead in a gruesome murder-suicide, and the only suspect in the case, Victor Lazar, is quickly captured. When the spate of violent suicides follows him to prison he is moved to solitary confinement, reserved for the highest-risk inmates. And then his assigned psychologist inexplicably takes his own life.
Alex Madison, a former forensic psychologist turned private therapist, is brought in to interview Victor. He suspects that Victor is controlling his victims, somehow coaxing them into a suggestive trance. (End Book Blurb)
It’s a dark story of how one man can control so many minds. It starts as a crime fiction, but turns into sci-fi with the introduction of secret research and human experimentation. Add to the fact that the protagonist, a therapist, is also addicted to Xanax.
While well-written, I didn’t like any of the characters. I didn’t find any credibility, which is an essential check in what I like to read. I’m sure there are many others who will find this story amazingly good .. but not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Enigmatic
It is possible to be intrigued with a story but also be disenchanted with the arrogance of the main character, and such was the case here. Alex Madison is a philandering jerk, who seems to be aimless and without any sense of purpose. He’s a miserable soul, and while I didn’t like him at all, I still had to see how things would get resolved.
While I was somewhat caught off guard with a twist of one of the characters near the end of the story, I found most of the plot predictable. I didn’t feel like the author explained the chemistry between a couple of the characters very well at all, and so I didn’t buy into their relationship at all.
This was just an OK read for me, nothing spectacular.
This book got me quickly engaged & kept my attention. Teasers were not frustrating with smooth transitions between the past and the present. The focus is on the plot as the characters developed, and the concept is new yet believable and not overdone. This goes in the psychological thriller category.
Even though the story was predictable and the main character was a total tool, I still really enjoyed this book. There were a lot of great moments in it, and I enjoyed the “villain” quite a bit. I’d recommend it for a decent, twisted tale.
The notion of mind control is unsettling and this book delivers. I couldn’t wait to see how it ended or rather how it didn’t. I really enjoyed the story and no doubt there will be part two.