Crazy Dead

Zoologist Cordi O’Callaghan, after having almost died solving a previous case, finds herself immersed in depression. She has suffered with this before, but her brother finally had to get her out of bed and checked into a psychiatric ward at a Toronto hospital. As she is recovering and joining the world again, one of the other patients dies, in the bed next Cordi. Cordi sees her lying there with her eyes open and a silk scarf around her neck. Almost before she knows it, the girl is whisked away and no one believes her. Her suspects include a dubious medical staff, other patients who are suffering from a myriad of mental illnesses … schizophrenia, Bipolarism, Alcoholism, Panic Disorder, Paranoia. And even her own brother is acting suspiciously. She then meets Jacques, hospitalized for alcoholism, who seems to be the only person who believes her. But when several attempts on her life occur, she’s not sure she can trust him. Is he really who he says he is? Is anything the way it seems? This was a surprising read for me. With a new author, one never knows what they’ll get. This was a well-written book. Cordi is a strong character, even when she’s fighting her depression. There are lots of interesting suspects … after a while I thought they were all guilty. The ending really took me by surprise! I would like to go back and read the first 3 books in this series. Without peeking, I bet her backstory is terrific. Many thanks to the author / Dundurn / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.