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The Forgetting Place: A Novel Kindle Edition

by John Burley (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 212 ratings

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A female psychiatrist at a state mental hospital finds herself at the center of a shadowy conspiracy in this dark and twisting tale of psychological suspense from the author of The Absence of Mercy.

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.

In this chilling follow-up to The Absence of Mercy, author John Burley—a master at medical and psychological detail—showcases the many ways in which the dangers of the outside world pale in comparison to the horrors of the human mind.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Forgetting Place is a deep dive into the darkest recesses of the human psyche. Surprises wait at every turn.” — Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Love You

“Layered and evocative - an intelligent, powerful read.” — Sophie Littlefield, bestselling author of The Missing Place

“Will send chills down your spine. A taut psychological thriller.” — Alice LaPlante, New York Times bestselling author of A Circle of Wives

“[An] impressive psychological thriller . . . Burley, himself a physician, renders the manifestations of psychological illness in such a way that both Lise and the reader must confront the terrifying nature of reality itself.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Back Cover

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 injustice, contain secrets? 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.

In this chilling follow-up to The Absence of Mercy, author John Burley—a master of medical and psychological detail—showcases the many ways in which the dangers of the outside world pale in comparison to the horrors of the human mind.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00G2A7WYE
Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks (February 10, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 10, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4055 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 348 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,008,571 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #9,281 in Psychological Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #13,873 in Crime Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #19,159 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 212 ratings

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Crystal Seymour

Interesting

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2023

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If you followed along with and enjoyed watching the movie "Shutter Island", then you would probably like reading this book.

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Book fan

Dark psychological mystery that will keep you reading until the end

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2015

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Dr. Lise Shields is a psychiatrist who works at the Menaker State Hospital for the criminally insane. Her supervisor assigns her a patient named Jason who has no history or paperwork. Despite her reservations about accepting this patient she ultimately decides to treat him. She questions her supervisor repeatedly about the lack of paperwork on this patient with no credible answers. I was very perplexed about this part of the story since I work in the medical field and this is not a realistic scenario. Lise is also approached by FBI agents who allude some sort of conspiracy within the hospital. The story was gloomy and interesting enough that I was able to overlook some of the events that did not make sense. The ending has a creative twist that I did not see coming and explains the events that did not seem credible.

3 people found this helpful

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Kuby McCarty

Do Not Miss this Book!! The Forgetting place

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2015

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True to form, John Burley's latest novel confirms his status as a talented contemporary fiction writer with a keen understanding of human behavior. After his last book, Absence of Mercy, my expectations were high. Mr. Burley did not disappoint.

The Forgetting Place is a riveting novel, almost impossible to put down. As a psychiatric R.N. employed by a state hospital, I was especially touched by the familiar warmth of the relationships of patients and staff, usually not imagined by outsiders.The surprising twists in the story will leave you stunned. The protagonist psychiatrist's compassion is returned to her in a way you'll not see coming.

The book is a compelling and enjoyable thrill ride, an engaging tale of medical and psychological intrigue. Don't miss it!

One person found this helpful

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Kid's Word Cookbook author

You'll remember The Forgetting Place

Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2023

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Menaker State Hospital is a psychiatric facility that houses patients who have the most severe psychiatric conditions and who have little hope of ever functioning in regular society. Is it “The Forgetting Place?” Maybe. But “The Forgetting Place” could also be a place in our minds. Lise Shields is the narrator and tells her story of working as a psychiatrist in Menaker, and begins with the arrival of a new patient, Jason Edwards. She has many questions about this patient, right from the beginning, when he arrives with no paperwork. Lise eventually meets up with 2 FBI agents who fill her in somewhat on what is going on. It seems that there are people out to get Jason and that he is possibly being hidden in the hospital for his own protection. Apparently, his ex-lover was associated with terrorists and the CIA is involved. Eventually, Lise becomes caught up in the intrigue and winds up having to flee for her life.

The problem is that it is hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys and who is reliable and who is not, and this goes for all the characters. But that is also what makes the story interesting and where the twists and turns come from.

The one issue I have with this book, is when the FBI agents are talking with Lise about the motivations of Jason’s lover for becoming involved with terrorists. They talk about Israel targeting Lebanese civilians in the 2nd Lebanon War in 2006, which of course is patently false. Israel never targets civilians, and does more than any other country to protect them. Now, it’s possible that this is not actually the author’s opinion, and maybe he is just ascribing it to the character, but it sure doesn’t sound like it. Other than that, and the fact that this type of plot has been done before (although not quite like this), I thought it was a very good late night read.

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2015

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I liked the book, but it was not nearly as intense as this authors first book I read, Absence of Mercy. That book drew me in from the first sentence and this one took quite a ways before I really got into it. I liked the twist in it, but I did have it figured out part way through. Definitely a good read, but was a little disappointed in it after Absence of Mercy. I will read more by this author though. They both had very good plot lines and characters.

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2015

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Good character development, suspenseful story, surprising twists, excellent editing and well done descriptions create a fast paced novel that will make you think about the world of the insane and their treatment. Burley's clever plot development, with back-history and present day events, coupled with first-person perspectives keeps the reader plugged-in throughout. I liked it so much, that I went back and re-read the first chapters to fully appreciate Burley's subtle dialogue and descriptions. "The Forgetting Place" is even better than Burley's first book, "The Absence of Mercy." I can't wait to read his next novels. My wife and I both loved this, thus 10-Stars from us.

2 people found this helpful

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S. Guy

John Burley does it again! Wow!

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2019

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The twists and turns were many in this book, just as they were in his first book, Absence of Mercy. The author is a very gifted writer. Now, on to his third book, The Quiet Child. I'm sure it will not disappoint. Look out, Stephen King-you've got some awesome competition! Thanks for a great read, once again.

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2015

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I hate to give a book only two stars, but I found this one a tough and boring slog. The story setup (and resolution), in other words the bones of the story were solid. The book should have been much better than it was. Lise Shields, a first person narrator, is boring as all get out. Maybe because the author is a man trying to write a woman. The dialogue is flat and stiff and the story plods along without excitement. Obviously others have felt differently, but I found this book a big disappointment.

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