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Rabbit Hole
Alice Armitage is a police officer. Or she was.
Or perhaps she just imagines she was.
Whatever the truth is, following a debilitating bout of PTSD, self-medication with drink and drugs, and a psychotic breakdown, Alice is now a long-term patient in an acute psychiatric ward.
When one of her fellow patients is murdered, Alice becomes convinced that she has identified the killer and that she can catch them. Ignored by the police, she begins her own investigation. But when her prime suspect becomes the second victim, Alice's life begins to unravel still further as she realizes that she cannot trust anyone, least of all herself.
Or perhaps she just imagines she was.
Whatever the truth is, following a debilitating bout of PTSD, self-medication with drink and drugs, and a psychotic breakdown, Alice is now a long-term patient in an acute psychiatric ward.
When one of her fellow patients is murdered, Alice becomes convinced that she has identified the killer and that she can catch them. Ignored by the police, she begins her own investigation. But when her prime suspect becomes the second victim, Alice's life begins to unravel still further as she realizes that she cannot trust anyone, least of all herself.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 22, 2021
692 people are currently reading
4048 people want to read
About the author
Mark Billingham
114 books2,156 followersAlso writes as Will Peterson with Peter Cocks.
Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. Having worked for some years as an actor and more recently as a TV writer and stand-up comedian his first crime novel was published in 2001. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.
Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. Having worked for some years as an actor and more recently as a TV writer and stand-up comedian his first crime novel was published in 2001. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 811 reviews
July 26, 2024
4.5 "fascinating, complex, oddly poignant" stars !!
2022 Honorable Mention Read
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Grove Atlantic for an e-copy of this book. This was released August 2021. I am providing my honest review.
Wow ! I have faith again in psychological mysteries (not a ridiculous thriller here!)
Alice (Al) Armitage is in an intermediate length ward in London for mental health and addiction treatment. We are told she has PTSD, substance misuse issues and intermittent paranoia (is this truly her diagnosis?) She is a former copper (is she or isn't she?) Her life has fallen apart and she ends up mandated to have long term treatment for her mental illness and anti-social behaviors (is she a criminal as well?)
We are told this story completely in first person. Alice is spunky, funny, irreverent. She also has a mean streak and is manipulative. Surely she must have a personality disorder as well (does she?) A fellow patient is murdered and Alice feels that her former colleagues are not doing their jobs. She investigates, interviews, sets up tests. Throughout all this she gives her perspectives on the other patients, the doctors and nurses and how she views the outside world including her parents and ex-boyfriend.
Alice is the ultimate unreliable narrator but as a reader we become so certain of her reasoning and skills that we question who is mad? who is bad? what the fuck is going on ?
Despite the suffering that goes on in the ward we witness so many strange and hilarious antics both before and after the murder of the patient but then a couple of weeks later a nurse is murdered....
Truly horrid as Alice is the one that tries to save her. Alice is disintegrating and becoming increasingly psychotic (is she really?)
A fuckin amazing story that kept me at the edge of my seat and made me question the nature of reality and the nebulousness of mental health assessment and (lack of ) treatment and rehabilitation....
This is a book that truly delivers the goods in one of the best mysteries that I have read in a very long time.
Kudos to the author for also infusing this book with compassion and poignancy for those that have to contend with mental illness themselves or witness it in their loved ones.
2022 Honorable Mention Read
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Grove Atlantic for an e-copy of this book. This was released August 2021. I am providing my honest review.
Wow ! I have faith again in psychological mysteries (not a ridiculous thriller here!)
Alice (Al) Armitage is in an intermediate length ward in London for mental health and addiction treatment. We are told she has PTSD, substance misuse issues and intermittent paranoia (is this truly her diagnosis?) She is a former copper (is she or isn't she?) Her life has fallen apart and she ends up mandated to have long term treatment for her mental illness and anti-social behaviors (is she a criminal as well?)
We are told this story completely in first person. Alice is spunky, funny, irreverent. She also has a mean streak and is manipulative. Surely she must have a personality disorder as well (does she?) A fellow patient is murdered and Alice feels that her former colleagues are not doing their jobs. She investigates, interviews, sets up tests. Throughout all this she gives her perspectives on the other patients, the doctors and nurses and how she views the outside world including her parents and ex-boyfriend.
Alice is the ultimate unreliable narrator but as a reader we become so certain of her reasoning and skills that we question who is mad? who is bad? what the fuck is going on ?
Despite the suffering that goes on in the ward we witness so many strange and hilarious antics both before and after the murder of the patient but then a couple of weeks later a nurse is murdered....
Truly horrid as Alice is the one that tries to save her. Alice is disintegrating and becoming increasingly psychotic (is she really?)
A fuckin amazing story that kept me at the edge of my seat and made me question the nature of reality and the nebulousness of mental health assessment and (lack of ) treatment and rehabilitation....
This is a book that truly delivers the goods in one of the best mysteries that I have read in a very long time.
Kudos to the author for also infusing this book with compassion and poignancy for those that have to contend with mental illness themselves or witness it in their loved ones.
August 14, 2023
On the Fleet Ward of a psychiatric hospital for those that have been sectioned, a patient has been brutally murdered. Told and thought in the first person by DCI Alice Armitage, working alone, she deep dig investigates the murder; I suppose that there's one thing I should also mention, Alice is also an in-patient in the Ward!
Set in the DI Thorne universe this is a complex and clever book written from the point of view of unreliable narrator Alice; who shares the Ward with multiple unreliable sources the other patients; the hospital is run by staff that are all unreliable sources as they have to manage what they share due to patient confidentiality; and to top it all off the police are unreliable sources as they can't share certain case details with anyone! Billingham creates a claustrophobic and fascinating mystery as the reader 'lives' the book through the perception and interpretations of mentally compromised Alice, shadowing her down her self perceived rabbit hole of a an enquiry.! It all got a bit repetitive towards the end, so despite a cool concept and tidy execution this was a 7 out of 12, Three Star read for me.
2023 read
Set in the DI Thorne universe this is a complex and clever book written from the point of view of unreliable narrator Alice; who shares the Ward with multiple unreliable sources the other patients; the hospital is run by staff that are all unreliable sources as they have to manage what they share due to patient confidentiality; and to top it all off the police are unreliable sources as they can't share certain case details with anyone! Billingham creates a claustrophobic and fascinating mystery as the reader 'lives' the book through the perception and interpretations of mentally compromised Alice, shadowing her down her self perceived rabbit hole of a an enquiry.! It all got a bit repetitive towards the end, so despite a cool concept and tidy execution this was a 7 out of 12, Three Star read for me.
2023 read
August 7, 2021
EXCERPT: 'So, what do you think happened, Al?' L-Plate asked.
I didn't tell her what I thought because, to be honest, I was scared as much as anything. I was excited, don't get me wrong, all those professional instincts starting to kick in, but I was . . . wary. Right then, with a body cooling just yards away, it was no more than a feeling and I try to steer clear of those, with good reason. Eighteen months before, I'd had a feeling that the crack-head who'd invited us into his flat on the Mile End Road was harmless. If it hadn't been for that, there wouldn't have been any PTSD or any need for the variety of things I poured and snorted and popped into my body to numb that pain. I would not have ended up thinking that the people I loved most in the world were trying to kill me or that strangers could read my mind. I would not have hurt anyone.
ABOUT 'RABBIT HOLE': Alice Armitage is a police officer. Or she was.
Or perhaps she just imagines she was.
Whatever the truth is, following a debilitating bout of PTSD, self-medication with drink and drugs, and a psychotic breakdown, Alice is now a long-term patient in an acute psychiatric ward.
When one of her fellow patients is murdered, Alice becomes convinced that she has identified the killer and that she can catch them. Ignored by the police, she begins her own investigation. But when her prime suspect becomes the second victim, Alice's life begins to unravel still further as she realizes that she cannot trust anyone, least of all herself.
MY THOUGHTS: Mark Billingham is an amazing author. His depiction of Alice Armitage is brilliant, his forays into her mind, scary.
Reading Rabbit Hole was a nostalgic experience for me. It reawakened a lot of memories of patients and incidents from my psychiatric nursing days, some amusing, some not. Billingham has done his research well.
I particularly loved his reference to 'the seven dwarves of lunacy' - Angry, Jumpy, Nervy, are the three he named, but let me add Twitchy, Dopey, Spacey, and Deluded to his list. He definitely hasn't lost his trademark sense of humour, e.g. the Detective Constables who, when she can't recall their names, Alice dubs French and Saunders. In fact, in Rabbit Hole, Billingham has been able to give his sense of humour free reign. He certainly got plenty of chuckles out of me! Neither do I think naming his main character Alice was a random inclination.
He also has a lot of fun with the nicknames that Alice gives her fellow patients, and I apprecited the run down we got on both them and the staff who care for them.
Billingham uses first person narrative to tell this story. Everything you see, you see from Alice's perspective. So we are privy to all Alice's erratic and, at times, manic thoughts, as well as her flashes of lucidity. But, just like Alice, we don't know what happens when she has her blackouts, or even that they are occurring, which makes for very interesting reading.
Please don't go into Rabbit Hole expecting a Tom Thorne thriller/police procedural. You will be disappointed. Instead, go into Rabbit Hole with an open mind and be prepared to enjoy a 'locked room' murder-mystery set in a (supposedly) secure acute psychiatric ward told from the not always reliable point of view of one of the patients. I had a ball with this read, and I hope that you do too.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#RabbitHole #NetGalley
I: #markbillingham @groveatlantic
T: @MarkBillingham @groveatlantic
#contemporaryfiction #crime #mentalhealth #murdermystery
THE AUTHOR: Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. Having worked for some years as an actor and more recently as a TV writer and stand-up comedian his first crime novel was published in 2001. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Grove Atlantic via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review will also be published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
I didn't tell her what I thought because, to be honest, I was scared as much as anything. I was excited, don't get me wrong, all those professional instincts starting to kick in, but I was . . . wary. Right then, with a body cooling just yards away, it was no more than a feeling and I try to steer clear of those, with good reason. Eighteen months before, I'd had a feeling that the crack-head who'd invited us into his flat on the Mile End Road was harmless. If it hadn't been for that, there wouldn't have been any PTSD or any need for the variety of things I poured and snorted and popped into my body to numb that pain. I would not have ended up thinking that the people I loved most in the world were trying to kill me or that strangers could read my mind. I would not have hurt anyone.
ABOUT 'RABBIT HOLE': Alice Armitage is a police officer. Or she was.
Or perhaps she just imagines she was.
Whatever the truth is, following a debilitating bout of PTSD, self-medication with drink and drugs, and a psychotic breakdown, Alice is now a long-term patient in an acute psychiatric ward.
When one of her fellow patients is murdered, Alice becomes convinced that she has identified the killer and that she can catch them. Ignored by the police, she begins her own investigation. But when her prime suspect becomes the second victim, Alice's life begins to unravel still further as she realizes that she cannot trust anyone, least of all herself.
MY THOUGHTS: Mark Billingham is an amazing author. His depiction of Alice Armitage is brilliant, his forays into her mind, scary.
Reading Rabbit Hole was a nostalgic experience for me. It reawakened a lot of memories of patients and incidents from my psychiatric nursing days, some amusing, some not. Billingham has done his research well.
I particularly loved his reference to 'the seven dwarves of lunacy' - Angry, Jumpy, Nervy, are the three he named, but let me add Twitchy, Dopey, Spacey, and Deluded to his list. He definitely hasn't lost his trademark sense of humour, e.g. the Detective Constables who, when she can't recall their names, Alice dubs French and Saunders. In fact, in Rabbit Hole, Billingham has been able to give his sense of humour free reign. He certainly got plenty of chuckles out of me! Neither do I think naming his main character Alice was a random inclination.
He also has a lot of fun with the nicknames that Alice gives her fellow patients, and I apprecited the run down we got on both them and the staff who care for them.
Billingham uses first person narrative to tell this story. Everything you see, you see from Alice's perspective. So we are privy to all Alice's erratic and, at times, manic thoughts, as well as her flashes of lucidity. But, just like Alice, we don't know what happens when she has her blackouts, or even that they are occurring, which makes for very interesting reading.
Please don't go into Rabbit Hole expecting a Tom Thorne thriller/police procedural. You will be disappointed. Instead, go into Rabbit Hole with an open mind and be prepared to enjoy a 'locked room' murder-mystery set in a (supposedly) secure acute psychiatric ward told from the not always reliable point of view of one of the patients. I had a ball with this read, and I hope that you do too.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#RabbitHole #NetGalley
I: #markbillingham @groveatlantic
T: @MarkBillingham @groveatlantic
#contemporaryfiction #crime #mentalhealth #murdermystery
THE AUTHOR: Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. Having worked for some years as an actor and more recently as a TV writer and stand-up comedian his first crime novel was published in 2001. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Grove Atlantic via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review will also be published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 16, 2021
3.5 The rabbit hole this Alice goes down is the local psych ward and I can't think of a better place to feature an unreliable narrator. How Alice come to be here we find out as the story progresses and we also meet the other patients on the ward as well as the nurses. These characters grew on me, some more than others, as we find out their particular stories. For Alice, called Al, she soon becomes embroiled in an investigation taking place on the ward. When a patient is found murdered, she becomes frustrated that she is not allowed to use her police skills and the detectives are not taking her seriously.
A unique scenario and place, some dry humor and a character one can't help but pull for make this an interesting, though albeit long read. I seem to be having problems with ending lately in the books I've read and the who in this who done it I felt rather anticlimactic. There was one revelation though that surprised me and made sense of what came before. So, mixed for me but worth reading for the novelty of the setting and characters.
ARC from Netgalley.
A unique scenario and place, some dry humor and a character one can't help but pull for make this an interesting, though albeit long read. I seem to be having problems with ending lately in the books I've read and the who in this who done it I felt rather anticlimactic. There was one revelation though that surprised me and made sense of what came before. So, mixed for me but worth reading for the novelty of the setting and characters.
ARC from Netgalley.
July 9, 2021
4-5 stars
In this stand-alone psychological thriller from the talented Mark Billingham we go down the rabbit hole into the mind of Alice Armitage. She’s currently in an Acute Psychiatric Ward suffering from PTSD following a traumatic event. As Alice informs us herself, it all starts with a mêlée, three days before the body is discovered.
In some ways this is a tough read as you are inside Alice's mind which has been hijacked by PTSD. However, the author handles all that Alice sees with sensitivity and portrays her well. It’s extremely well written and is a good mixture of dark with the murders and with the state of Alice's fluctuating mind, delusions and memory. She tells her story, frequently with humour and as to whether it’s truthful or not we can’t know for sure for obvious reasons but that’s what makes it so immersive. I love her assessments of those on the ward with her, they are suffering from a variety of conditions and her acuteness of observation and commentary is good. All the characters are conveyed well and are easy to visualise. This is a mystery wrapped up inside a troubled mind and it poses some good philosophical questions with Alice the vehicle. You get a strong sense of place too and an idea what it may be like on just such a ward.
The tensions build well both with the police investigation and between the patients and staff and via Alice you get a sense of foreboding and fear. Her thoughts, sensations and feelings come across in a powerful way. There are some clever misdirections because of Alice’s state of mind and so the big reveal and ultimate ending is a surprise. You feel a whole range of emotions for Alice and the others.
Overall, I guess this won’t be everyone’s cuppa but I think it’s extremely good. There’s a well balanced mix of humour combined with the state of a persons mind and a crime. It flows well considering the narrators condition and kudos to the author for that.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
In this stand-alone psychological thriller from the talented Mark Billingham we go down the rabbit hole into the mind of Alice Armitage. She’s currently in an Acute Psychiatric Ward suffering from PTSD following a traumatic event. As Alice informs us herself, it all starts with a mêlée, three days before the body is discovered.
In some ways this is a tough read as you are inside Alice's mind which has been hijacked by PTSD. However, the author handles all that Alice sees with sensitivity and portrays her well. It’s extremely well written and is a good mixture of dark with the murders and with the state of Alice's fluctuating mind, delusions and memory. She tells her story, frequently with humour and as to whether it’s truthful or not we can’t know for sure for obvious reasons but that’s what makes it so immersive. I love her assessments of those on the ward with her, they are suffering from a variety of conditions and her acuteness of observation and commentary is good. All the characters are conveyed well and are easy to visualise. This is a mystery wrapped up inside a troubled mind and it poses some good philosophical questions with Alice the vehicle. You get a strong sense of place too and an idea what it may be like on just such a ward.
The tensions build well both with the police investigation and between the patients and staff and via Alice you get a sense of foreboding and fear. Her thoughts, sensations and feelings come across in a powerful way. There are some clever misdirections because of Alice’s state of mind and so the big reveal and ultimate ending is a surprise. You feel a whole range of emotions for Alice and the others.
Overall, I guess this won’t be everyone’s cuppa but I think it’s extremely good. There’s a well balanced mix of humour combined with the state of a persons mind and a crime. It flows well considering the narrators condition and kudos to the author for that.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
July 18, 2021
What I would have liked to read, based on the synopsys: a complex, realistic depiction of life and (unnatural) death on a mental health ward, driven by complex, well-rounded characters and suffused with atmosphere, with maybe some sarcasm, darkness and/or social commentary thrown into the mix.
What I got: a snarky, crass, unsufferable main character constantly hitting me over the head with juvenile oh-so-real language straight out of old school chick lit (thankfully no romance, though, so small mercies), over-explaining suspicions that were fairly simplistic to begin with.
I don't mean to disparage Mr. Billingham, but I did not get the impression that a lot of research went into this novel; in the Acknowledgements section, the author thanks a mental health nurse he apparently got some information from, and he's quite happy to repeatedly list types of medication (speaking of which, is it really common practice to let a patient sleep through dinner and the after-dinner rounds of medication?!? Wouldn't you at least make sure she took her pills?), but that's as deep as it gets. The other patients are mostly played for entertainment, their respective disorders nothing more than quirks, and they all seem to be quite content to be stuck where they are, boring though it may be; there's no sense of suffering (I mean let's face it, being mentally ill sucks) or despondency, and most of the time we don't even get a proper insight into what exactly is wrong with them, they're simply dudes who like to fling food at security cameras (convenient!) or talk about sex a lot, in a decidedly unthreatening Carry On kind of way. Apparently one of them is in the throes of some fairly serious long-term psychosis, but again, this is mainly played for laughs (mention his particular delusion, and watch him go crazy with fear! Funsies), and the descriptions, if you've ever looked into what an acute psychotic episode looks and feels like, don't even ring true.
Same goes for Anorexic Girl -- talk about someone else's love handles, and off she goes on another 5-hour walking bender up and down the corridors! Total riot! First of all, it doesn't really work that way (it's an internal compulsion, not something that's triggered by other people's weight problems), and secondly, it's not funny. (Why is she even there? Wouldn't she have been better off at a clinic specialising in eating disorders?) Alice herself supposedly suffers from PTSD, but again, I did not find any of that convincing.
All told, the hospital setting isn't much more than a gimmick. It should have been claustrophobic and unsettling, because what can be more fundamentally frightening than having control over your whole life taken away from you by a faceless institution while at the same time feeling the moorings of your identity coming loose?, but life on Fleet Ward felt like an extended stay at a particularly crummy B&B in the middle of nowhere.
Out of nowhere, there's some clunky Q&A-type dialogue thrown in regarding how the mentally ill are people too and what it's like to be afflicted, which I found pretty heavy-handed and lip service-y as well as structurally redundant, as it was the author's job to let us live inside the head of one such person -- I get that writing a coherent, structured novel from the perspective of a character who can trust neither her thoughts nor her recollection nor her perceptions is basically the toughest job imaginable, but, well, you know, if you take it on, you take it on, right? I could have done without that Deep Conversation with the café lady, as well as the cringe-inducing messaging between Alice and her former flatmate that added nothing to the narrative except a little padding (strings of emojis, anyone? I think I already used the word "juvenile", so I won't bring it up again).
There's a Twist at the end (*sigh* of course there is) that's apparently supposed to shock us, and then Another Twist I'm pretty sure was intended as a jaw-dropping surprise, but, well, both of them really weren't that surprising at all, especially the second one; I had my doubts about that one pretty much from the beginning.
In the end, this is just another beach read, and of course there's nothing really wrong with that; if you're simply looking for a few hours' entertainment that's a bit "different" and not too taxing AND you can stand the main character's voice and attitude, and are not too particular about the real-life effects of mental illness, Rabbit Hole will probably deliver. Sadly, I was hoping for a lot more.
What I got: a snarky, crass, unsufferable main character constantly hitting me over the head with juvenile oh-so-real language straight out of old school chick lit (thankfully no romance, though, so small mercies), over-explaining suspicions that were fairly simplistic to begin with.
I don't mean to disparage Mr. Billingham, but I did not get the impression that a lot of research went into this novel; in the Acknowledgements section, the author thanks a mental health nurse he apparently got some information from, and he's quite happy to repeatedly list types of medication (speaking of which, is it really common practice to let a patient sleep through dinner and the after-dinner rounds of medication?!? Wouldn't you at least make sure she took her pills?), but that's as deep as it gets. The other patients are mostly played for entertainment, their respective disorders nothing more than quirks, and they all seem to be quite content to be stuck where they are, boring though it may be; there's no sense of suffering (I mean let's face it, being mentally ill sucks) or despondency, and most of the time we don't even get a proper insight into what exactly is wrong with them, they're simply dudes who like to fling food at security cameras (convenient!) or talk about sex a lot, in a decidedly unthreatening Carry On kind of way. Apparently one of them is in the throes of some fairly serious long-term psychosis, but again, this is mainly played for laughs (mention his particular delusion, and watch him go crazy with fear! Funsies), and the descriptions, if you've ever looked into what an acute psychotic episode looks and feels like, don't even ring true.
Same goes for Anorexic Girl -- talk about someone else's love handles, and off she goes on another 5-hour walking bender up and down the corridors! Total riot! First of all, it doesn't really work that way (it's an internal compulsion, not something that's triggered by other people's weight problems), and secondly, it's not funny. (Why is she even there? Wouldn't she have been better off at a clinic specialising in eating disorders?) Alice herself supposedly suffers from PTSD, but again, I did not find any of that convincing.
All told, the hospital setting isn't much more than a gimmick. It should have been claustrophobic and unsettling, because what can be more fundamentally frightening than having control over your whole life taken away from you by a faceless institution while at the same time feeling the moorings of your identity coming loose?, but life on Fleet Ward felt like an extended stay at a particularly crummy B&B in the middle of nowhere.
Out of nowhere, there's some clunky Q&A-type dialogue thrown in regarding how the mentally ill are people too and what it's like to be afflicted, which I found pretty heavy-handed and lip service-y as well as structurally redundant, as it was the author's job to let us live inside the head of one such person -- I get that writing a coherent, structured novel from the perspective of a character who can trust neither her thoughts nor her recollection nor her perceptions is basically the toughest job imaginable, but, well, you know, if you take it on, you take it on, right? I could have done without that Deep Conversation with the café lady, as well as the cringe-inducing messaging between Alice and her former flatmate that added nothing to the narrative except a little padding (strings of emojis, anyone? I think I already used the word "juvenile", so I won't bring it up again).
There's a Twist at the end (*sigh* of course there is) that's apparently supposed to shock us, and then Another Twist I'm pretty sure was intended as a jaw-dropping surprise, but, well, both of them really weren't that surprising at all, especially the second one; I had my doubts about that one pretty much from the beginning.
In the end, this is just another beach read, and of course there's nothing really wrong with that; if you're simply looking for a few hours' entertainment that's a bit "different" and not too taxing AND you can stand the main character's voice and attitude, and are not too particular about the real-life effects of mental illness, Rabbit Hole will probably deliver. Sadly, I was hoping for a lot more.
February 3, 2022
Would you like to play chess? Puzzle, anyone?
After witnessing her police partner’s murder, Alice Armitage experiences a psychotic episode and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital. She is suffering from PTSD and has been self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. While living on the psych ward, Alice befriends the other patients. When her new friend, Kevin, is brutally murdered on the ward, she decides to begin her own investigation into the case. She is an expert at this because she is a police officer. Or is she? Who murdered Kevin?
If you enjoy unreliable narrators, this book is for you! Alice goes down the proverbial rabbit hole on the psych ward while conducting her own murder investigation. I appreciated the nod to the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland. The other patients are endearing and I chuckled at the clever nicknames Alice gives to everyone. Alice’s character lends a great sense of humor to this otherwise bleak setting. While some of the middle sections are really slow moving, the twists made up for it at the end. This was the first book that I have read by Mark Billingham and am intrigued to read more of his psychological thrillers.
A few thoughts on the audiobook:
The narrator has a VERY thick British accent. While the actual reading is fantastic, it is difficult to understand. I slowed down the narration significantly in order to make sense of it. Unfortunately, this made for a very, very slow read. Therefore, I highly recommend reading the print version of this book instead.
3.5/5 stars rounded up
After witnessing her police partner’s murder, Alice Armitage experiences a psychotic episode and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital. She is suffering from PTSD and has been self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. While living on the psych ward, Alice befriends the other patients. When her new friend, Kevin, is brutally murdered on the ward, she decides to begin her own investigation into the case. She is an expert at this because she is a police officer. Or is she? Who murdered Kevin?
If you enjoy unreliable narrators, this book is for you! Alice goes down the proverbial rabbit hole on the psych ward while conducting her own murder investigation. I appreciated the nod to the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland. The other patients are endearing and I chuckled at the clever nicknames Alice gives to everyone. Alice’s character lends a great sense of humor to this otherwise bleak setting. While some of the middle sections are really slow moving, the twists made up for it at the end. This was the first book that I have read by Mark Billingham and am intrigued to read more of his psychological thrillers.
A few thoughts on the audiobook:
The narrator has a VERY thick British accent. While the actual reading is fantastic, it is difficult to understand. I slowed down the narration significantly in order to make sense of it. Unfortunately, this made for a very, very slow read. Therefore, I highly recommend reading the print version of this book instead.
3.5/5 stars rounded up
November 26, 2021
I’ve enjoyed other books by this author, but this book was more of a peculiar experiment than it was a mystery. Alice is suffering from PTSD following the death of a colleague in the police department. She has been confined in a mental hospital since she hit her boyfriend over the head with a wine bottle. The entire book is told from her POV, there is little dialogue and all events are related through Alice’s psychotic haze. She also frequently forgets what she has said or done. Not the perfect person to undertake a murder investigation, but that is what she does. The details of the crime and its motive take a backseat to Alice’s descriptions of her fellow patients and her scattered reasoning. She is the ultimate unreliable narrator. The book held my interest, but it was very odd.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
August 18, 2021
Mark Bellingham has pulled the rabbit out of the hat on this one. The Rabbit Hole is told in a way that strikes a perfect balance between sensitively dealing with PTSD and murder whilst injecting tasteful humour throughout the book.
Alice, is a former Police Officer – or was she !!! who has been retired on medical grounds. Alice draws on her life’s experience in the Forces to solve the murder of her friend Kevin, who is killed in a mental institution. The problem is, Alice is also a patient, but that doesn’t hinder her, nor does the dismissive nature of the investigating team. Instead, Alice begins her own investigation and goes about her duties with the prowess, proficiency, and know-how one would expect from a competent police office who has solved so many crimes during her distinguished career.
We are introduced to the cast of Fleet Ward which is amusing in itself. It sounds like snow white naming the seven dwarfs (The Waiter, The Singer, The Sheep etc..), or naming the characters from the film the dirty dozen (Tiny tears, the Grand Master, L-Plate…).
Alice’s investigation is thrown when her main suspect is also murdered, but Alice uses her outside contacts to help with information, whilst she focuses on the internal contenders. Meanwhile we watch Alice struggle with PSTD herself. There is a vulnerability yet determination about Alice that draws the reader to her. There are a few twists that make it an enjoyable read.
Once I finished the book and reflected on the story, the messaging and the outcome, I appreciated the book even more. It is a touching story that is so well written.
Alice, is a former Police Officer – or was she !!! who has been retired on medical grounds. Alice draws on her life’s experience in the Forces to solve the murder of her friend Kevin, who is killed in a mental institution. The problem is, Alice is also a patient, but that doesn’t hinder her, nor does the dismissive nature of the investigating team. Instead, Alice begins her own investigation and goes about her duties with the prowess, proficiency, and know-how one would expect from a competent police office who has solved so many crimes during her distinguished career.
We are introduced to the cast of Fleet Ward which is amusing in itself. It sounds like snow white naming the seven dwarfs (The Waiter, The Singer, The Sheep etc..), or naming the characters from the film the dirty dozen (Tiny tears, the Grand Master, L-Plate…).
Alice’s investigation is thrown when her main suspect is also murdered, but Alice uses her outside contacts to help with information, whilst she focuses on the internal contenders. Meanwhile we watch Alice struggle with PSTD herself. There is a vulnerability yet determination about Alice that draws the reader to her. There are a few twists that make it an enjoyable read.
Once I finished the book and reflected on the story, the messaging and the outcome, I appreciated the book even more. It is a touching story that is so well written.
December 12, 2021
Alice (Al) Armitage previously worked in law enforcement but is currently confined to a psychiatric facility as the pressures of the job and the loss of her partner culminated in her abusing drugs and alcohol. A patient on the ward is murdered and Alice convinces herself that the police are in need of her help in the investigation.
I've read and liked quite a few of Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne novels but this standalone is very different. The story was slow moving but I enjoyed the book on the whole and liked Alice's descriptions and nicknames for the other patients. The book has its dark moments but also quite a bit of humour and had me guessing (wrongly!) what was real and what was imagined. The title is quite apt. It's not a book I would recommend to everyone but worth reading. 3.5 Stars!
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic via Netgalley for a chance to read an ARC of this novel which was published in August 2021. All opinions expressed are my own.
I've read and liked quite a few of Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne novels but this standalone is very different. The story was slow moving but I enjoyed the book on the whole and liked Alice's descriptions and nicknames for the other patients. The book has its dark moments but also quite a bit of humour and had me guessing (wrongly!) what was real and what was imagined. The title is quite apt. It's not a book I would recommend to everyone but worth reading. 3.5 Stars!
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic via Netgalley for a chance to read an ARC of this novel which was published in August 2021. All opinions expressed are my own.
June 27, 2021
I enjoy reading Mark Billingham’s Tom Thorne series so I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately it was an ok read but not up to the previous high standard. This is a stand alone novel that I did enjoy and is different to his other books.
Alice Armitage is a patient in an acute psychiatric ward following a debilitating bout of PTSD, self-medication with drink and drugs, and a psychotic breakdown. When one of Alice’s fellow patients is murdered she is convinced that she hunt down the killer.
There are some good characters but I was never completely hooked and never really felt the authors usual magic. A decent read but not his best.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Alice Armitage is a patient in an acute psychiatric ward following a debilitating bout of PTSD, self-medication with drink and drugs, and a psychotic breakdown. When one of Alice’s fellow patients is murdered she is convinced that she hunt down the killer.
There are some good characters but I was never completely hooked and never really felt the authors usual magic. A decent read but not his best.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
September 10, 2021
I have enjoyed Billingham’s Tom Thorne series. But I tried to quit this book several times. I should have. It’s awful, incredibly boring and spins itself into the false hope that we’ll actually learn a motive. Then the last section really adds nothing to the story. Yep, we know the first person character is bonkers. And throughout the book we want to believe her when she describes what made her bonkers. The last section, an email, makes a mockery of her explanation. Not that I care, because Alice (god, don’t you hate it when people takes names and reduce them to ridiculous names: Alice is called “Al” through much of the book, another abomination) is just so dull. And the obvious reference to Alice in Wonderland is not really played out at all. When you have a first person narrative, even one by someone committed to a mental hospital, the narrator should be interesting. Alice is boring, which might be her greatest problem. That she pretends to be something less boring is not of much help in the enjoyment of this book. I thought Billingham was trying to latch on to the “unreliable narrator” style that seems so popular these days. But Alice is unreliable in dull ways. And by the way, shame on all those authors who praised this stunningly bad book in back cover blurbs. I know blurbs are a stupid mechanism in the publishing world, but these writers, some of whom are excellent, should spend more time on their own works and less time unconvincingly praising this trash.
July 23, 2021
Sometimes there is just a powerhouse name in the thriller genre but somehow their work has just evaded you for one reason or another. Rabbit Hole was my first taste of the talented Mark Billingham’s work. I’m neither surprised nor shocked that I fell down the Rabbit Hole. The mind of Billingham is devious and twisted, he will take a common misconception in mental health and twist and turn it until it no longer resembles what it once was.
The author did the groundwork, and the reader took one step and we fell into the dark and depraved mind of Alice Armitage. She is an ex-police officer who has been medically retired. She experienced a deeply traumatic event that happened to her partner. She ultimately had a breakdown and things spiraled out of control quickly after her paranoia and violent attack directed at her boyfriend, Andy. She has now been sectioned under the mental health act and is an inpatient in an acute psychiatric ward.
I think I should be handcuffed after reading Rabbit Hole. I am guilty of loving this novel so much. I’m guilty of disliking character after character so much. I was an ex mental health worker am deliriously pleased with an accurate account of just how complex PTSD can be. Not long after her arrival in the ward one of the patients is found murdered. It is from here that things become extremely tangled and our viewpoint within Alice’s brain becomes heightened with delusions, fragmented memories, and deep-seated pain.
Alice is in the eye of a storm. All around her is chaos and destruction. When we meet her she making pronouncements of her fellow ward mates. Nicknames to allow her to remember them better, and all good ones either. My chest ached with some behaviors and I was more intrigued than ever to find out backstories. The author doesn’t beat around the bush, there is a mammoth in the room but when will it be addressed?
The tension is palpable and you get a real sense of fear and foreboding and you have no trouble visualizing the intensity of being trapped not only inside your mind but the confines of the ward also. Guilt is a dominant theme within Rabbit Hole and the reader gets a real sense of how far it can drag someone down. Guilt is hard to shake, hard to rationalize, and hard to free the shackles.
Rabbit Hole excels with its intelligent vivacity. A magnificent sense of gravitas with a terrifying exploration of mental health and guilt.
The author did the groundwork, and the reader took one step and we fell into the dark and depraved mind of Alice Armitage. She is an ex-police officer who has been medically retired. She experienced a deeply traumatic event that happened to her partner. She ultimately had a breakdown and things spiraled out of control quickly after her paranoia and violent attack directed at her boyfriend, Andy. She has now been sectioned under the mental health act and is an inpatient in an acute psychiatric ward.
I think I should be handcuffed after reading Rabbit Hole. I am guilty of loving this novel so much. I’m guilty of disliking character after character so much. I was an ex mental health worker am deliriously pleased with an accurate account of just how complex PTSD can be. Not long after her arrival in the ward one of the patients is found murdered. It is from here that things become extremely tangled and our viewpoint within Alice’s brain becomes heightened with delusions, fragmented memories, and deep-seated pain.
Alice is in the eye of a storm. All around her is chaos and destruction. When we meet her she making pronouncements of her fellow ward mates. Nicknames to allow her to remember them better, and all good ones either. My chest ached with some behaviors and I was more intrigued than ever to find out backstories. The author doesn’t beat around the bush, there is a mammoth in the room but when will it be addressed?
The tension is palpable and you get a real sense of fear and foreboding and you have no trouble visualizing the intensity of being trapped not only inside your mind but the confines of the ward also. Guilt is a dominant theme within Rabbit Hole and the reader gets a real sense of how far it can drag someone down. Guilt is hard to shake, hard to rationalize, and hard to free the shackles.
Rabbit Hole excels with its intelligent vivacity. A magnificent sense of gravitas with a terrifying exploration of mental health and guilt.
June 29, 2021
This is a stand alone novel by Mark Billingham, with a slight nod to “Alice in Wonderland,” with the main character being called Alice Armitage and the suggestion that she has fallen down the rabbit hole. In this case, the rabbit hole is an acute psychiatric ward, or Fleet Ward, to be exact. Alice has been sectioned and is a patient on the ward and her musings, as she explains her surroundings and the cast of characters – both other patients and staff – are darkly funny.
Alice explains that she was a detective constable in North London (one of the reasons why I do warm to Billingham’s novels must be that his characters inhabit my local area) with the homicide unit, before an event led to PTSD and her career, and personal, downfall. She is an admittedly unreliable narrator, as the prescription medications make her woozy and unable to focus and then there are those disturbing blackouts.
Although there is always a lot happening on the ward, things are about to become even more intense, when one of the patients is found dead. Missing her previous life desperately, Alice throws herself into investigating the case, to the annoyance of staff and the amusement of the other residents of Fleet Ward; while you can understand Alice’s extreme frustration and annoyance as she is not taken seriously.
This is a sometimes poignant, often funny, very intelligent thriller. I loved the cast of characters that Billingham has cleverly constructed in this, very modern, locked room mystery – for those on Fleet Ward remain the suspects and the possible victims… I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review. It has been a long while since a book engaged me as thoroughly as this one. Highly recommended.
Alice explains that she was a detective constable in North London (one of the reasons why I do warm to Billingham’s novels must be that his characters inhabit my local area) with the homicide unit, before an event led to PTSD and her career, and personal, downfall. She is an admittedly unreliable narrator, as the prescription medications make her woozy and unable to focus and then there are those disturbing blackouts.
Although there is always a lot happening on the ward, things are about to become even more intense, when one of the patients is found dead. Missing her previous life desperately, Alice throws herself into investigating the case, to the annoyance of staff and the amusement of the other residents of Fleet Ward; while you can understand Alice’s extreme frustration and annoyance as she is not taken seriously.
This is a sometimes poignant, often funny, very intelligent thriller. I loved the cast of characters that Billingham has cleverly constructed in this, very modern, locked room mystery – for those on Fleet Ward remain the suspects and the possible victims… I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review. It has been a long while since a book engaged me as thoroughly as this one. Highly recommended.
September 8, 2021
Mental patients are sometimes fascinating to read about, and Alice Armitage is one of them. She is a police officer, was a police officer, or imagines she was. She is now a long-term patient in an acute psychiatric ward after a mental breakdown. When one of the patients in the ward is murdered, Alice decides she is the perfect person to solve the crime since she has so much experience in investigations. She has identified the prime suspect, even though the police are ignoring her, but then the prime suspect is murdered as well.
The book was interesting and some of the quirky characters were fun. The plot was different in that it was told from the psychiatric patient's point of view - I liked that.
Thanks to Grove Atlantic through Netgalley for a copy. This book was published on August 3, 2021.
The book was interesting and some of the quirky characters were fun. The plot was different in that it was told from the psychiatric patient's point of view - I liked that.
Thanks to Grove Atlantic through Netgalley for a copy. This book was published on August 3, 2021.
August 28, 2021
I kept reading it, thinking it would get better, or that Tom Thorne would show up and get it all on track.
August 1, 2021
This book was such a disappointment. The story was tedious and you could guess the ending before you finished the third chapter. The characters aren't likeable in the slightest and the attempts at humour are not even close to funny. Overall it was draining to get through.
June 23, 2022
I really tried… honestly I did. To the tune of 60%. It was just too difficult to hook into, constantly felt as if there was some revelation coming but never happened. It may well reveal at the end but I just couldn’t wait for it.
I couldn’t grasp the characters either. Maybe too many all on the same level!
So it goes.
I couldn’t grasp the characters either. Maybe too many all on the same level!
So it goes.
January 5, 2022
Alice Armitage is (or, at least, believes she is) a former police officer who is now a patient on a psychiatric ward, suffering from PTSD after her partner Jonno is stabbed to death during a routine investigation. When one of her fellow patients is murdered, Alice secretly mounts her own investigation and becomes convinced she knows who the killer is. Unfortunately, a few days later, Alice’s suspect becomes the second victim.
Considering the setting, this could have been a very depressing read. However, in Mark Billingham’s capable hands, it’s a frequently hilarious, complex and suspenseful one. Everything is told in the first person and we view the whole canvas through Alice’s befuddled and highly medicated brain. Virtually everyone: the other patients, doctors, nurses, the actual police officers is assigned Alice’s special nicknames as she keeps concocting bizarre scenarios to justify her suspicions.
Considering that the adventures of Lewis Carroll’s original Alice have been interpreted (in the 1960s, at least) as the fantasies of someone who has ingested a surfeit of magic mushrooms, this isn’t so much a psychological thriller as a psychedelic one. With the Alice here as narrator, we often get the feeling that reality is just beyond our grasp.
I’ve long been an admirer of Mark Billingham’s work and, with this highly original novel, he’s added yet another string to his bow. A great read to kick off 2022.
Considering the setting, this could have been a very depressing read. However, in Mark Billingham’s capable hands, it’s a frequently hilarious, complex and suspenseful one. Everything is told in the first person and we view the whole canvas through Alice’s befuddled and highly medicated brain. Virtually everyone: the other patients, doctors, nurses, the actual police officers is assigned Alice’s special nicknames as she keeps concocting bizarre scenarios to justify her suspicions.
Considering that the adventures of Lewis Carroll’s original Alice have been interpreted (in the 1960s, at least) as the fantasies of someone who has ingested a surfeit of magic mushrooms, this isn’t so much a psychological thriller as a psychedelic one. With the Alice here as narrator, we often get the feeling that reality is just beyond our grasp.
I’ve long been an admirer of Mark Billingham’s work and, with this highly original novel, he’s added yet another string to his bow. A great read to kick off 2022.
February 14, 2024
Una dintre cele mai slabe cărți pe care le-am citit.
Descrierea este tentantă dar execuția e ceva rău tare 🙈
Descrierea este tentantă dar execuția e ceva rău tare 🙈
July 19, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
This was my summer read, an actual book with pages for reading in the sun. Hence why it took me so long to read. I enjoyed this book. A look into Alice’s world in a mental hospital with the people that surround her, patients and staff. Alongside runs a murder or two and we are left guessing who done it. Was it one of the patients, or more eerily one of the staff or Alice herself. Alice goes through the motives, telling the story of her undoing and how she became to be an inmate. The best part of the story was the last five pages. Left me wondering and looking for more. Definitely kept me entertained in the sun.
This was my summer read, an actual book with pages for reading in the sun. Hence why it took me so long to read. I enjoyed this book. A look into Alice’s world in a mental hospital with the people that surround her, patients and staff. Alongside runs a murder or two and we are left guessing who done it. Was it one of the patients, or more eerily one of the staff or Alice herself. Alice goes through the motives, telling the story of her undoing and how she became to be an inmate. The best part of the story was the last five pages. Left me wondering and looking for more. Definitely kept me entertained in the sun.
July 27, 2021
Billingham's homage to One Flow Over The Cuckoo's Nest. A murder mystery set in psychiatric ward with fun people who are nuts. Alice is DC but she is also a patient who hit her boyfriend with bottle on the head. Found to be on skunk she ends up in with other loonys. This like Producal Son.
I got it because my wife in 1970s was on psyc ward it's Sucide is painful it brings on meany changes but so does Murders
This book has ghastly cover and is 388pages not 200p.
I got it because my wife in 1970s was on psyc ward it's Sucide is painful it brings on meany changes but so does Murders
This book has ghastly cover and is 388pages not 200p.
August 16, 2021
This book is a major departure from the type of stories Mark Billingham is well known for. I hugely enjoy the Tom Thorne series and the stand alone, Die of Shame, is one of my favourites. This one though, I’m afraid, just didn’t click for me, despite it having a very innovative and clever plot line.
Alice Armitage is a police officer living in a secure psychiatric hospital. She has been sectioned following a major breakdown caused by the traumatic death of a colleague that she feels responsible for. While she is in hospital a patient is murdered and Alice takes it upon herself to investigate. The story is narrated by Alice who describes her thoughts, ideas and memories throughout. It is during the telling of the story that we discover how unwell Alice is. She is paranoid and delusional, suffers with memory lapses and has huge mood swings. It soon becomes clear that nothing Alice describes can be taken as fact as so many of her memories and experiences are affected by her illness. Is she actually a Police Officer or could she have committed the murder herself even?
Although the plot is a good one I found the style of the story difficult. The whole book is spent inside Alice’s head with her paranoia which made it a very dark and unrelenting read. It certainly has plenty going for it but personally I found very little to enjoy in the story. I feel this is a marmite story and can imagine plenty of readers would find it enthralling, unfortunately I wasn’t one of them.
Alice Armitage is a police officer living in a secure psychiatric hospital. She has been sectioned following a major breakdown caused by the traumatic death of a colleague that she feels responsible for. While she is in hospital a patient is murdered and Alice takes it upon herself to investigate. The story is narrated by Alice who describes her thoughts, ideas and memories throughout. It is during the telling of the story that we discover how unwell Alice is. She is paranoid and delusional, suffers with memory lapses and has huge mood swings. It soon becomes clear that nothing Alice describes can be taken as fact as so many of her memories and experiences are affected by her illness. Is she actually a Police Officer or could she have committed the murder herself even?
Although the plot is a good one I found the style of the story difficult. The whole book is spent inside Alice’s head with her paranoia which made it a very dark and unrelenting read. It certainly has plenty going for it but personally I found very little to enjoy in the story. I feel this is a marmite story and can imagine plenty of readers would find it enthralling, unfortunately I wasn’t one of them.
October 1, 2021
It was ok but definitely not up to Mark Billingham's usual standard. The story was a bit tedious, and he hasn't mastered writing as a woman, Alice was much too masculine and unconvincing, and not very likable at all.
March 23, 2022
Well I’ve read 151 pages and still haven’t warned to the plot, the characters or anything really. So with the “Life Is short” attitude I’m not going to finish it!
July 22, 2021
Rabbit Hole is the latest enthralling standalone from the master that is king of crime Mark Billingham. Detective Constable Alice Armitage is a police officer. Or she was. Or perhaps she just imagines she was. Whatever the truth is, following a debilitating bout of PTSD, self-medication with drink and drugs, and a psychotic breakdown, Alice is now a long-term patient in the Shackleton Unit, an acute psychiatric ward, at Hendon Community Hospital. Though convinced that she doesn't really belong there, she finds companionship with the other patients in the ward despite their challenging and often intimidating issues. So when one of her fellow patients is murdered, Alice feels personally compelled to launch an investigation from within the ward. Soon, she becomes convinced that she has identified the killer and that she can catch them. Ignored by the police, she must gather proof on her own, relying on the few contacts she has on the outside that still take her calls, so she begins her own off-the-books investigation.
But when her prime suspect becomes the second victim, Alice's life begins to unravel as she realises that she cannot trust anyone in the ward, least of all herself. Having lost her conviction and with her investigative confidence shattered, she comes dangerously close to a psychological point of no return. This is a compulsive and enthralling thriller from the very beginning with a taut and totally original plotline and in contrast to the humour lacing the story throughout is a sad, tender set of emotions. Billingham offers up a rich and intricate portrayal of a first-person narrator who appears to be unreliable and gives us insight into her issues mentally. It's fresh and edgy but also addresses pressing social issues and is populated with characters ripe with idiosyncrasies and once again Billingham pushes the boundaries of crime writing shining a light into some of the darker corners of society. A subtle, captivating and nuanced character study and a glimpse at the plight of those suffering from PTSD, psychosis and delusions. Highly recommended.
But when her prime suspect becomes the second victim, Alice's life begins to unravel as she realises that she cannot trust anyone in the ward, least of all herself. Having lost her conviction and with her investigative confidence shattered, she comes dangerously close to a psychological point of no return. This is a compulsive and enthralling thriller from the very beginning with a taut and totally original plotline and in contrast to the humour lacing the story throughout is a sad, tender set of emotions. Billingham offers up a rich and intricate portrayal of a first-person narrator who appears to be unreliable and gives us insight into her issues mentally. It's fresh and edgy but also addresses pressing social issues and is populated with characters ripe with idiosyncrasies and once again Billingham pushes the boundaries of crime writing shining a light into some of the darker corners of society. A subtle, captivating and nuanced character study and a glimpse at the plight of those suffering from PTSD, psychosis and delusions. Highly recommended.
August 6, 2021
Mark Billingham pens one of my favourite crime series - the Tom Thorne books. But he also writes standalones - the latest is Rabbit Hole.
Now, what do think when you hear the title? Merriam Webster defines a rabbit hole as "a complexly bizarre or difficult state or situation conceived of as a hole into which one falls or descends."
Alice Armitage find herself in a rabbit hole. She's a "medically retired" police officer. After witnessing the death of her partner, she develops PTSD and starts self medicating with drink and drugs. Which lands her sectioned into a secure psychiatric unit.
"A murder isn't really anything to write home about in a place like this, not when you think about it. It's almost inevitable, I reckon, like the noise and the smell. You ask me, a murder's par for the course."
Uh huh, a patient is murdered and Alice, as police, decides to work the case from inside. Great premise! Oh, Alice is a wonderfully unreliable narrator! She has memory issues, is paranoid and takes a boatload of meds every day - as does everyone she lives with. The killer could be any one of the residents.
There are a number of supporting players in Rabbit Hole - both residents and staff. The book is told from Alice's point of view and that's how we get to know the others. I have to applaud Billingham's description of those residents and their illnesses, as well as the setting and the every day life on the ward. We learn bits and pieces of what came before for Alice from interactions with some ex colleagues, friends and family. There's some dark humour scattered thoughout.
As to the 'investigation - I was just as stymied as Alice. I was with her as she pieced together answers that seemed quite logical, but changed often with new observations, memories and occurrences. I truly (and happily) had no idea who the killer would be. I thought things were being wrapped up in the run up to the final pages, and was caught off guard by an unexpected twist. Nice ending!
In my opinion, the idea for Rabbit Hole was really different (in a good way), the setting jumped to life, the characters were intriguing and really well drawn and I couldn't solve the mystery myself. Well done Mark Billingham! I'll be waiting for your next book.
Now, what do think when you hear the title? Merriam Webster defines a rabbit hole as "a complexly bizarre or difficult state or situation conceived of as a hole into which one falls or descends."
Alice Armitage find herself in a rabbit hole. She's a "medically retired" police officer. After witnessing the death of her partner, she develops PTSD and starts self medicating with drink and drugs. Which lands her sectioned into a secure psychiatric unit.
"A murder isn't really anything to write home about in a place like this, not when you think about it. It's almost inevitable, I reckon, like the noise and the smell. You ask me, a murder's par for the course."
Uh huh, a patient is murdered and Alice, as police, decides to work the case from inside. Great premise! Oh, Alice is a wonderfully unreliable narrator! She has memory issues, is paranoid and takes a boatload of meds every day - as does everyone she lives with. The killer could be any one of the residents.
There are a number of supporting players in Rabbit Hole - both residents and staff. The book is told from Alice's point of view and that's how we get to know the others. I have to applaud Billingham's description of those residents and their illnesses, as well as the setting and the every day life on the ward. We learn bits and pieces of what came before for Alice from interactions with some ex colleagues, friends and family. There's some dark humour scattered thoughout.
As to the 'investigation - I was just as stymied as Alice. I was with her as she pieced together answers that seemed quite logical, but changed often with new observations, memories and occurrences. I truly (and happily) had no idea who the killer would be. I thought things were being wrapped up in the run up to the final pages, and was caught off guard by an unexpected twist. Nice ending!
In my opinion, the idea for Rabbit Hole was really different (in a good way), the setting jumped to life, the characters were intriguing and really well drawn and I couldn't solve the mystery myself. Well done Mark Billingham! I'll be waiting for your next book.
February 10, 2024
Am început această carte în cadrul clubului de carte #thethrillerclub.
Încep prin a spune că pentru mine experința cu această carte a fost ca și premiza „nu judeca o carte după copertă”. Când am văzut așa copertă absolut superbă mi-am zis „trebuie să fie o poveste desprinsă din filmele care acțiunea are loc într-un spital de psihiatrie”. Trebuie să recunosc că nu am citit multe cărți unde personajele erau pacienți într-un spital de psihiatrie. Prima care îmi vine în minte e „Pacientul” de Jasper DeWitt, carte pe care am citit-o acum doi ani și am iubit-o, care m-a făcut să nu dorm o noapte de frică, dar nu vorbim despre asta acum.
O avem ca personaj principal pe doamna Alice, un fost polițist, o criminală sau un pacient, nu știm. Povestea este narată la persoana I, din perspectiva lui Alice, rău, foarte rău acest lucru. Mi-ar fi plăcut să aflu mai multe despre ce se afla în mintea fiecărui personaj, nu doar cum ni-l descria Alice pe personajul X. Mi se pare că e genul de carte la care aș prefera filmul în detrimentul cărții în sine. A fost plină de detalii iunitile, pagini chiar, nu doar fraze. Tot ce mi-a rămas în minte din cartea asta a fost o scenă cu un cactus, fetele de la #thethrillerclub știu despre ce zic aici. 😆
Datorită acestor lucruri enumerate mai sus nici nu am putut să îmi mențin atenția 100%, mulțumesc @sociostetic pentru încurajări, dar nu a devenit mai bună pentru mine. Am simțit că nu s-a întâmplat mai nimic în 386 de pagini. Stilul de scriere mi s-a părut destul de haotic, dar cumva pot întelege acest aspect. Cred că acesta era scopul cărții deoarece se presupune că e din perspectiva unui pacient.
Finalul mi s-a părut destul de grăbit, voiam mai multe informații, să fie mai detaliat. Și acum despre ce mi-a plăcut. Ei bine, nu mi-a plăcut nimic, de aceea a primit 1. ⭐️
Desigur, dacă eu am avut această experință cu o carte asta nu înseamnă că voi nu trebuie să o citiți. So, dacă vreți să îi dați o șansă, aștept pe viitor părerea voastră, iar pentru cei care ați citit-o, cum vi s-a părut?
Încep prin a spune că pentru mine experința cu această carte a fost ca și premiza „nu judeca o carte după copertă”. Când am văzut așa copertă absolut superbă mi-am zis „trebuie să fie o poveste desprinsă din filmele care acțiunea are loc într-un spital de psihiatrie”. Trebuie să recunosc că nu am citit multe cărți unde personajele erau pacienți într-un spital de psihiatrie. Prima care îmi vine în minte e „Pacientul” de Jasper DeWitt, carte pe care am citit-o acum doi ani și am iubit-o, care m-a făcut să nu dorm o noapte de frică, dar nu vorbim despre asta acum.
O avem ca personaj principal pe doamna Alice, un fost polițist, o criminală sau un pacient, nu știm. Povestea este narată la persoana I, din perspectiva lui Alice, rău, foarte rău acest lucru. Mi-ar fi plăcut să aflu mai multe despre ce se afla în mintea fiecărui personaj, nu doar cum ni-l descria Alice pe personajul X. Mi se pare că e genul de carte la care aș prefera filmul în detrimentul cărții în sine. A fost plină de detalii iunitile, pagini chiar, nu doar fraze. Tot ce mi-a rămas în minte din cartea asta a fost o scenă cu un cactus, fetele de la #thethrillerclub știu despre ce zic aici. 😆
Datorită acestor lucruri enumerate mai sus nici nu am putut să îmi mențin atenția 100%, mulțumesc @sociostetic pentru încurajări, dar nu a devenit mai bună pentru mine. Am simțit că nu s-a întâmplat mai nimic în 386 de pagini. Stilul de scriere mi s-a părut destul de haotic, dar cumva pot întelege acest aspect. Cred că acesta era scopul cărții deoarece se presupune că e din perspectiva unui pacient.
Finalul mi s-a părut destul de grăbit, voiam mai multe informații, să fie mai detaliat. Și acum despre ce mi-a plăcut. Ei bine, nu mi-a plăcut nimic, de aceea a primit 1. ⭐️
Desigur, dacă eu am avut această experință cu o carte asta nu înseamnă că voi nu trebuie să o citiți. So, dacă vreți să îi dați o șansă, aștept pe viitor părerea voastră, iar pentru cei care ați citit-o, cum vi s-a părut?
August 19, 2021
The unreliable narrator has been a favorite vehicle for authors in recent years. Here, Billingham gives us perhaps the most unreliable narrator of all: A woman sectioned into a mental health ward following a psychotic episode brought on by PTSD. This woman is a former police detective who, although having been medically retired from the force, still sees herself as on the Job.
In the author's notes, Billingham indicates that this was not an easy book to write. As a reader of Rabbit Hole, I can say that I found it not to be an easy book to read, either. Not because the writing isn't good, or that the characters aren't fully fleshed or the suspenseful tension isn't there; it's because from the outset you know that the narrator has mental health issues. How can the reader rely on the narrator's observations or ideas? It is a tricky journey, but Billingham takes us through it.
In the author's notes, Billingham indicates that this was not an easy book to write. As a reader of Rabbit Hole, I can say that I found it not to be an easy book to read, either. Not because the writing isn't good, or that the characters aren't fully fleshed or the suspenseful tension isn't there; it's because from the outset you know that the narrator has mental health issues. How can the reader rely on the narrator's observations or ideas? It is a tricky journey, but Billingham takes us through it.
June 12, 2022
Throw this book down a hole. BORING.
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