Delirium, Brooke & Daniel Crime Thriller #2

A few disappointing outcomes. But it was exciting.

I didn't think this book was quite as good as the first one. However, it's still fast-paced and a gripping storyline that deals with mental health and attitudes towards it.

Detective Jamie Brooke is still grieving the loss of her daughter when she is called to investigate the murder of a prominent psychiatrist. The case leads her to Bedlam Asylum, a place with a dark history of madness and experiments. Jamie teams up with Blake Daniel, a psychic antiquities expert, to uncover the truth behind the murders and the asylum's secrets. The story delves into themes of grief, insanity, and the supernatural, creating a chilling and suspenseful narrative. It's a gripping psychological thriller that explores the depths of human nature and the spectrum of madness.

Detective Jamie Brooke is still grieving the loss of her daughter when she is called to investigate the murder of a prominent psychiatrist. The case leads her to Bedlam Asylum, a place with a dark history of madness and experiments. Jamie teams up with Blake Daniel, a psychic antiquities expert, to uncover the truth behind the murders and the asylum's secrets. The story delves into themes of grief, insanity, and the supernatural, creating a chilling and suspenseful narrative. It's a gripping psychological thriller that explores the depths of human nature and the spectrum of madness.

And interesting tale. Doesn’t always hang together, but still an interesting read. Parts of the story gets very graphic. One needs a strong stomach. Worth a read.

I enjoyed the history of mental illness and how it was viewed and treated through time and how it is perceived today. An excellent theme, not just the main storyline, of how people treat the Other.

I do think the vigilante (or murderer, if you prefer) could have gone after bigger fish, like the main psycho experimenting on the mentally different.

I can’t wait to see what Jamie does next. A dark thriller with interesting themes and questions about morality.

To understand all that leads up to this particular book, start with the first of J. F. Penn's book. This is an exceptional author telling an extraordinary story line of the everyday lives and years of these particular people caught up in a particular situation which is not always pleasant. Some die and some live. So goes the story.

Delirium blew me away and I have to admit I wasn't expecting it to. J.F Penn set the bar so high with Desecration (The London Psychic Book 1) that I didn't see how she could reach it again. I stand corrected. In fact I sit chewing-my-nails awake-till-the-small-hours-reading corrected. This is another wrenching read that offers so much on every level. It's an awesome action-packed ride that opens with a shockingly vivid and creepy murder. A number of equally horrible deaths follow, impacting on Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke as she grieves for her daughter and tries to continue without her. The serial killings are so strange and macabre that Jamie is drawn back to life by each subsequent death. Her investigation is the crutch her broken heart needs and once again the character development is stellar. We also learn more about Blake and the hardships of his childhood. The influence of poor parenting is further developed and with greater sophistication, since Blake's Mother loved him and tried to do her best for him, but failed very badly. The same could be said of his Father, but both parents placed the expectations of their culture ahead of their son's wellbeing. The ugliness of corruption returns in this book, but it is even nastier and further reaching than in Book 1. However, the central theme of this novel is sanity. How do you even define what is normal? And how does society treat those who clearly fall beyond its definition of sane? Some information was glazed over, for example the existence of drugs that can help mental conditions without turning their users into zombies, but this was a sideline to the specific situations in the story and might easily have turned it into a lecture. Delirium is a "tale full of sound and fury", but it signifies a great deal. Insights into the human condition come thick and fast to create a work that leaves the reader breathless and satisfied. That said, I can't wait to read Book 3. Warning: graphic violence and vivid imagery abound. The research is excellent, as usual, but Delirium also has all the power and gravitas of Desecration.

J.F. Penn’s Delirium is like Nancy Drew on acid. J.F. delivers a sensory overload on this one, by that I mean the way she describes everything from the oil slick on the street to the smell of rotted bodies, really takes the reader to that place in the story. At times I felt like there was too much information that didn’t really move the scenes forward but other times they worked really well. These books are not for the faint of heart, if you really get engaged in a book to where you smell and see the locations be aware. I would have loved to learn more about Blake Daniel, I loved his character from the first novel in the series, Desecration. We got a little teaser about him when we found out that his estranged father was dying and he returned home. We even met his mother, but all of that was glazed over. Blake has special powers that allows him to see the history of an object by holding on to it. Neat right? Not so much if you’re Blake, some of the things that he sees are absolutely horrendous! One scene that stuck out in my mind was of him seeing demons opening his dying father’s skull and eating his brain. Blake finds his father’s grimoire, and of course I wanted to know more, but Blake was kidnapped and that was kind of the end of that. I would have liked to see more interaction between Blake and Jamie, they have such awesome similarities; they are both such broken characters and it left me yearning for them to turn to each other. Their paths crossed when Jamie asked him to help her on a case she was working on (Jamie is a detective), but Blake declined because he was dealing with facing his dying father who treated him like a demon seed all his life. By the way, his father was a man of the cloth. Jamie and Blake meet again towards the end. I’m not going to say more on that because I don’t want to give away anything. I would have prefered to read more about Blake than the politician. I love the way it ended, it had me shouting “you go girl!” about Jamie’s character’s making the decision to make her own destiny. Overall I enjoyed this story but it didn’t connect for me like Desecration. Thank goodness I bought the next book in the series, Deviance I started reading it right away. It is the final book in the trilogy and I can’t wait to see where J.F. takes it. One of the things I really love about J.F.’s novels are the research that she puts into it to make sure everything is accurate. At the back of the book she shares her experiences and I really appreciate that. Thank you J.F. for reminding us that we all have a little “crazy” in us and that is quite normal.

This book is a thriller which deals with mental health and the different attitudes there are to it, and a very dangerous faction who want to eliminate the 'mad'. Detective Jamie Brooke is suffering following the death of her daughter and then gets involved in a case where the mentally ill are abused and even killed, and calls on the help of the reluctant psychic Blake Daniel (who has his own demons) to resolve the case. The storyline is exciting and believable, a huge amount of research has obviously been carried out, and the characterisations and descriptions are faultless. It isn't always an easy book to read, mainly because it raises a lot of questions about the subject, but it is an enthralling read. I really recommend this book, it is excellent on so many levels.

It's always exciting when people find things out that go against all their preconceived ideas and long-held beliefs. But then are open enough to give the new information time to prove itself. Our tenacious Detective continues dealing with her daughter's illness which has a big impact and becomes her motivation in continuing her pursuits. There's action, intrigue, evil government agencies at work, mind altering chemicals on the loose, major discoveries she's been searching for, and the thought that just maybe she...(sorry-no spoilers here). Poor Blake has a bit of a rough time but comes to some of his own conclusions. I charged my way through this series right after the ARKANE series. What a ride! J.F. Penn has quickly become one of my favorite authors to follow. Why didn't I find her works sooner? My only problem with the book is the next one is still one month away, and I want to know if Blake OK and what the Detective decides to do.

Delirium is the second book of the London Psychic series featuring Detective Sergeant Jamie Brook and reluctant psychic Blake Daniel. After events in the Hellfire caves in Desecration, Jamie needs Blake’s help with another case. This time in the old hospital of Bedlam where a psychiatrist has been murdered. This book delves into the history of treatments given to people with mental illness and the medical profession’s opinions on people with psychic abilities. It is clear that it is an area that interests the author. She writes in-depth passages about treatments and they come across as compassionate to those being treated. This book can be read as a standalone novel, but would be better read after Desecration so that you can better understand the developing relationship between Jamie and Blake, and what is causing Jamie to think and behave the way she does. I thoroughly enjoyed the darkness of this book. The treatment of the mentally ill was (and can be) appalling, and whilst you can only imagine what it must have been like to be strapped into a tranquilizer chair, the author makes it so much easier for your mind to do so. I also appreciated the personal note added by the author after the end of the story. I agree with her about how “there is a spectrum of madness in all of us, it’s just a matter of degree.” Excellent.

Once in a while a book comes along that combines realistic themes, great characters and interpersonal relationships, and terrifyingly realistic details. This is that book! Not only does Penn keep this series suspense intact, but there is a moment of pure emotional distress when the main character had to decide between helping her partner or her love interest, both of whom are in life-threatening situations. I haven't read a better setup in decades!! ALSO! If you will take the time to read about the author following the story, you will hear one of the most vulnerable things a person in her position of prominence will ever write. J. F. Penn writes from her heart and out of some of her life experiences. That is why her London Psychic and ARKANE books are so unnerving! They touch reality but skirt it just enough so that we don't fall in headlong!

Amazing intrigue! The reader is immediately at the edge of their seat in the opening scene, where we witness Dr. Christian Monro's physical and emotional trauma while being murdered. We are brought into the death scene, each agonizing step of the way. The detail and the pace are excellent. The suspense is high voltage. The protagonist Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke once again is challenged with high stakes. As in the first book of the series, Jamie is going through hell emotionally after the loss of her child, but she is also engaged in the case and wants to understand the true crime. The heroine strives to remain objective while gathering evidence, hoping to see the truth. Along the way many twists in the case elude her, and attempt to veer her from the true crime. She follows the leads and takes the reader down a road of unexpected horrors. Jamie is not faint of heart, but a woman who makes the tough decisions; she is the protector of her co-workers and friends. There is hope - as she is faced with danger even in her most fragile hours, yet somehow finds the strength to prevail. The subject matter of this novel immediately jolts interest - the history of mental illness treatment and the reminder of abuse done to the mentally ill. This is a topic I too have strong feelings about, and so this story truly hit my heartstrings. The research was done well, as to be expected by this author who always delivers well developed background. This story is not for those wanting a light read, because the reader will be left with some concepts to think about - maybe even choices on how to view others who may not be as fortunate as most. In this world it is too easy to forget about those who suffer with mental illness. Society has swept them from public view, but we know in our heart that more needs to be addressed. I thank the author for writing this riveting story and bringing this topic to the forefront. To date this is my favorite of J.F.Penn's books. I truly enjoy reading about Jamie, and this is a great series. Delirium is for anyone who enjoys detective horror thrillers, and is a definite must read.