Instead of rehashing the all-too-familiar criminal suspense thriller, Katzenbach uses a mental hospital as the setting. Traditional detective tools (such as interrogation and collecting evidence) function under a different, and often frustrating set of rules. Solid pacing keeps the reader involved, at least until the climax nears and the possibilities have narrowed substantially. At that point, however, the characters have developed enough to warrant hanging on until the end to discover exactly what becomes of them.

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