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Isolation Ward
Lorraine has a big new building a team from a collection of staff picked to close down an abandoned asylum and replace it with a new high security unit in isolated Yorkshire. Lorraine has her work cut out for her when it appears that the group includes a secret saboteur. Then, a local teenager is found dead, locked in the isolation room in the derelict asylum building. With a discovery that forces her to face true isolation, trapped in the asylum's tunnels while the demolition team start work above, Lorraine becomes a fresh target for the killer.
384 pages, Hardcover
Published April 17, 2025
1 person is currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Martine Bailey
6 books134 followersMartine is a writer and keen reader who enjoys crime, mysteries and the gothic. After writing four acclaimed historical novels she has created a chilling new crime series comprising Sharp Scratch and Isolation Ward, both set in northern England in the 1980s.
After studying English Literature while playing in bands on the Manchester music scene she worked as a hospital personnel officer and qualified in psychometric testing. Over her career she assessed staff for Ashworth top security psychiatric hospital and completed an MSc on the ‘Psychic Prisons’ that can trap medical staff in negative behaviours.
Martine’s debut, An Appetite for Violets, takes sharp-witted cook Biddy Leigh on a murderous trip to Italy. Fay Weldon described its mix of crime, gastronomy and history, as a new genre, the ‘culinary gothic’. It was a Booklist top ten crime fiction debut of the year. The Penny Heart (A Taste for Nightshade in the US) is a Sunday Times Best Summer Read that draws on cooking, trickery and revenge. The stars, riddles and murder align in The Almanack, a historical mystery featuring fifty authentic riddles. In its sequel, The Prophet, destiny and murder weave an intricate web around Tabitha’s new life.
Martine’s influences include Ruth Rendell, Sarah Waters and the gothic tradition. She is married with one son and lives in Chester, UK.
Follow Martine at:
http://www.martinebailey.com
https://twitter.com/MartineBailey
https://www.facebook.com/MartineBaile...
After studying English Literature while playing in bands on the Manchester music scene she worked as a hospital personnel officer and qualified in psychometric testing. Over her career she assessed staff for Ashworth top security psychiatric hospital and completed an MSc on the ‘Psychic Prisons’ that can trap medical staff in negative behaviours.
Martine’s debut, An Appetite for Violets, takes sharp-witted cook Biddy Leigh on a murderous trip to Italy. Fay Weldon described its mix of crime, gastronomy and history, as a new genre, the ‘culinary gothic’. It was a Booklist top ten crime fiction debut of the year. The Penny Heart (A Taste for Nightshade in the US) is a Sunday Times Best Summer Read that draws on cooking, trickery and revenge. The stars, riddles and murder align in The Almanack, a historical mystery featuring fifty authentic riddles. In its sequel, The Prophet, destiny and murder weave an intricate web around Tabitha’s new life.
Martine’s influences include Ruth Rendell, Sarah Waters and the gothic tradition. She is married with one son and lives in Chester, UK.
Follow Martine at:
http://www.martinebailey.com
https://twitter.com/MartineBailey
https://www.facebook.com/MartineBaile...
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 29, 2025
I tried several times to “get into” this NetGalley novel but each time I stopped reading after a few chapters. I couldn’t connect with the main protagonist, Lorraine Quick, a team building specialist working for the Thatcher government. It was all tell and no show in describing her family situation and work environment. Then the fact that she has been seconded to help facilitate the team supervising an institute for the criminally insane seemed a rather nonsensical setup.
The plot might have worked, had the author been a good writer, but she is not. I doubt that she has ever used a thesaurus—the same meaningless adjectives (e.g. carefully) are used repeatedly throughout the book. The dialogue is stilted—”Is it true about Kevin? Is he dead?…What on earth are we going to do without Kevin?”
I would have enjoyed a good thriller about the changes that took place when the old “Insane Asylums” were shuttered. But although it started on a historical note, it soon became a stale “thriller-lite” containing a hackneyed plot. I ended up speed reading just to finish the book. To me the killer was obvious after about one-half through the book. There’s an extraneous subplot centred around faux supernatural elements that possibly were intended to confuse the reader—but just bored me.
Even though Isolation Ward has all the elements of a good popcorn thriller, I can’t even recommend it for a quick read. It’s too boring and predictable. And relies wholly on cliche thriller basics.
Thanks to Allison & Busby for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
The plot might have worked, had the author been a good writer, but she is not. I doubt that she has ever used a thesaurus—the same meaningless adjectives (e.g. carefully) are used repeatedly throughout the book. The dialogue is stilted—”Is it true about Kevin? Is he dead?…What on earth are we going to do without Kevin?”
I would have enjoyed a good thriller about the changes that took place when the old “Insane Asylums” were shuttered. But although it started on a historical note, it soon became a stale “thriller-lite” containing a hackneyed plot. I ended up speed reading just to finish the book. To me the killer was obvious after about one-half through the book. There’s an extraneous subplot centred around faux supernatural elements that possibly were intended to confuse the reader—but just bored me.
Even though Isolation Ward has all the elements of a good popcorn thriller, I can’t even recommend it for a quick read. It’s too boring and predictable. And relies wholly on cliche thriller basics.
Thanks to Allison & Busby for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
April 1, 2025
"Not every danger can be contained"
Yorkshire, 1983. Margaret Thatcher is at Number 10, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' is on the radio and Salford based single mum Lorraine Quick, with her leave having been summarily cancelled, is having to put plans to tour with her band on hold due to work. With her expertise in psychometric testing, Lorraine is being sent by a government minister, to the desolate Yorkshire moors, where she is expected to build a PR-friendly team out of the ragtag staff at the infamous Windwell Asylum For The Criminally Insane, as it transitions into a modern, top-security unit, housing some of the most dangerous criminals in the country.
Lorraine is offered accommodation in the local village, but she barely has time to unpack and make arrangements to meet and greet the small, four person asylum management team, before she and Medical Director Jan Voss, stumble upon the brutal murder of one of the other directors, Administration Director Kevin Crossley, which has taken place on the premises, despite the fifteen-foot-high perimeter wall and heavy-duty locks. The asylum is in the throes of transitioning from being a state run institution, to becoming a fully privatised business; however the inherent problems of drugs, psychopathic violence and staff who are uncaring at best and complicit in various crimes including misappropriation of funds on a regular basis, have not changed despite the new surroundings.
It appears that circumstances of the current murder, mirror those surrounding the death three years previously of Junior Campbell, one of the institution's more vulnerable inmates and as this complicated mix of relationships and rivalries unfolds, the similarities become even more frighteningly obvious, putting lives, including that of Lorraine herself, in danger.
…
I always enjoy reading books where an author has played completely to their strengths when forming the plotline of a story/series. Martine Bailey's experience within NHS personnel departments and her expertise in processing and analysing psychometric testing, really shines through, to provide the basis of this dark, dour, depressing, oppressive and wonderfully twisted thriller, which was broken down into well marked and headlined chapters, which made reading it so easy on the eye, if not on the mind, which it messed with totally!
Although a brand new publication, the book immediately took me back to the 1980s, which is where I needed to focus my mindset. Police profiling of victims and suspects was in its infancy. Pub food was generally a mass manufactured meat pie of indeterminate age, kept warm in a heated cabinet on the bar. A boxed 'Vesta' curry was a special home date-night treat and a battery operated 'Sony Walkman' which played cassettes, qualified as a personal entertainment system. It also seemed surreal that so many members of a community worked in the same institution, even from within the same family, all a bit incestuous, although I guess that the concept of people commuting many miles from home to work was still for early stage adopters, with multiple car households very much in the minority.
Some things however, no matter the passage of time, still remain as relevant now as they did then. The problems of illegal drugs (and these days mobile phones too) being smuggled into prison; the barely concealed unscrupulous behaviour of some prison officers; senior management who have little or no control over what happens in the establishment on a daily basis and who often care even less; and certain privileged inmates who are free to victimise and terrorise the masses.
I am hoping that my reaction to the many characters who occupied such a small physical space, was exactly as the author intended, as even though individually they were well defined and described, I found it almost impossible to relate to, connect with, or even begin to like, any of them, with the possible exception of Ella, who had definitely been dealt a difficult hand in life. Everyone was a victim of circumstance and fate, including Quick and Diaz themselves, who I believe solved the case more by good luck than sound judgement, as each was busy trying to juggle their rather messy and dysfunctional personal lives, alongside their respective professional duties.
A unique and interesting setting for a storyline and locations which, whilst based on real places, mixed half true names with some fictional. However the bleak and isolated nature of the area as described, is all too real, depending on the prevailing weather conditions, so on this occasion I was more than happy with my 'armchair traveller' status, reading from the comfort of my armchair in my cosy heated room.
This is book #2 in the 'Lorraine Quick' series and whilst the most pertinent points of the backstory were seamlessly woven into the fabric of the storyline, in hindsight, I believe I might have benefitted from starting with the first book, just to have got more insight into the previous history between Quick and Diaz, which seemed a bit haphazard to say the least. At one particular point, I began to think that they were both more interested in each others problems, rather than being in any rush to solve the case. I'm still not sure that the end of this book brought their future relationship to any final conclusions and I wouldn't be surprised to see them back together again soon!
Yorkshire, 1983. Margaret Thatcher is at Number 10, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' is on the radio and Salford based single mum Lorraine Quick, with her leave having been summarily cancelled, is having to put plans to tour with her band on hold due to work. With her expertise in psychometric testing, Lorraine is being sent by a government minister, to the desolate Yorkshire moors, where she is expected to build a PR-friendly team out of the ragtag staff at the infamous Windwell Asylum For The Criminally Insane, as it transitions into a modern, top-security unit, housing some of the most dangerous criminals in the country.
Lorraine is offered accommodation in the local village, but she barely has time to unpack and make arrangements to meet and greet the small, four person asylum management team, before she and Medical Director Jan Voss, stumble upon the brutal murder of one of the other directors, Administration Director Kevin Crossley, which has taken place on the premises, despite the fifteen-foot-high perimeter wall and heavy-duty locks. The asylum is in the throes of transitioning from being a state run institution, to becoming a fully privatised business; however the inherent problems of drugs, psychopathic violence and staff who are uncaring at best and complicit in various crimes including misappropriation of funds on a regular basis, have not changed despite the new surroundings.
It appears that circumstances of the current murder, mirror those surrounding the death three years previously of Junior Campbell, one of the institution's more vulnerable inmates and as this complicated mix of relationships and rivalries unfolds, the similarities become even more frighteningly obvious, putting lives, including that of Lorraine herself, in danger.
…
I always enjoy reading books where an author has played completely to their strengths when forming the plotline of a story/series. Martine Bailey's experience within NHS personnel departments and her expertise in processing and analysing psychometric testing, really shines through, to provide the basis of this dark, dour, depressing, oppressive and wonderfully twisted thriller, which was broken down into well marked and headlined chapters, which made reading it so easy on the eye, if not on the mind, which it messed with totally!
Although a brand new publication, the book immediately took me back to the 1980s, which is where I needed to focus my mindset. Police profiling of victims and suspects was in its infancy. Pub food was generally a mass manufactured meat pie of indeterminate age, kept warm in a heated cabinet on the bar. A boxed 'Vesta' curry was a special home date-night treat and a battery operated 'Sony Walkman' which played cassettes, qualified as a personal entertainment system. It also seemed surreal that so many members of a community worked in the same institution, even from within the same family, all a bit incestuous, although I guess that the concept of people commuting many miles from home to work was still for early stage adopters, with multiple car households very much in the minority.
Some things however, no matter the passage of time, still remain as relevant now as they did then. The problems of illegal drugs (and these days mobile phones too) being smuggled into prison; the barely concealed unscrupulous behaviour of some prison officers; senior management who have little or no control over what happens in the establishment on a daily basis and who often care even less; and certain privileged inmates who are free to victimise and terrorise the masses.
I am hoping that my reaction to the many characters who occupied such a small physical space, was exactly as the author intended, as even though individually they were well defined and described, I found it almost impossible to relate to, connect with, or even begin to like, any of them, with the possible exception of Ella, who had definitely been dealt a difficult hand in life. Everyone was a victim of circumstance and fate, including Quick and Diaz themselves, who I believe solved the case more by good luck than sound judgement, as each was busy trying to juggle their rather messy and dysfunctional personal lives, alongside their respective professional duties.
A unique and interesting setting for a storyline and locations which, whilst based on real places, mixed half true names with some fictional. However the bleak and isolated nature of the area as described, is all too real, depending on the prevailing weather conditions, so on this occasion I was more than happy with my 'armchair traveller' status, reading from the comfort of my armchair in my cosy heated room.
This is book #2 in the 'Lorraine Quick' series and whilst the most pertinent points of the backstory were seamlessly woven into the fabric of the storyline, in hindsight, I believe I might have benefitted from starting with the first book, just to have got more insight into the previous history between Quick and Diaz, which seemed a bit haphazard to say the least. At one particular point, I began to think that they were both more interested in each others problems, rather than being in any rush to solve the case. I'm still not sure that the end of this book brought their future relationship to any final conclusions and I wouldn't be surprised to see them back together again soon!
April 12, 2025
Isolation Ward
It’s 1983, Mrs Thatcher is in power and the old lunatic asylums are in the throes of being closed or privatised as special hospitals. Lorraine Quick is about to start work at the notorious Windwell Asylum for the Criminally Insane. She is apprehensive about being sent far from home as her 8 year old daughter, Jasmine, is about to sit her exams for the local grammar school and Lorraine’s band, Electra Complex, will have to go out on tour with a substitute singer.
Lorraine is a team building expert who has been seconded to assist the admin team at Windwell. The asylum is about to shed its skin and become an up to date, modern maximum security unit and fully privatised. The old Victorian buildings will be demolished.
She has hardly begun work when she and the Medical Director, Dr Voss, find the body of Kevin Crossley, the Admin Director in a seclusion cell. He’s been stabbed several times and there is graffiti referring to a murder in another seclusion cell of a patient, Junior Campbell, three years earlier.
Kevin had an appointment in his diary for that day and was expecting visitors at home with the best china set out in expectation. But he had been lured away to a deserted, dark building. Lorraine soon realises that the rest of the admin team have their own problems and may be covering something up. Enid is an alcoholic and not up to the job of treasurer while her daughter, Oona, also works at Windwell as a ward clerk. There are rumours of the ghost of an ex-patient haunting the tunnels beneath Windwell but there is also a living ghost in the building. This is the scary patient in the infirmary, Rob Kessler, who Dr Voss describes as ‘attractive and charismatic’ which should ring alarm bells earlier than it does. Rob is a maximum security patient. When another body is discovered in the tunnels after an attempt By Oona to call up the hospital ghost, Lorraine realises that it’s not Windwell’s dead that she has to be frightened of but the living…
The changes that happened as the old asylums were closed leaving their patients to ‘care in the community’ and the buildings to either be demolished or converted into ‘luxury apartments’ is an interesting backdrop to the events in the book. Privatising care to some of the most dangerous people in the UK means indifferent, nasty staff and the rise of patients who can run things better. I felt that the author made good use of this as, in the afterword, she discusses her real life experiences in the area which enhanced the novel’s veracity.
I did wonder about the terrifying patient, Rob Kessler, making his appearance so late in the book and managing to escape so easily twice. But he didn’t come alive for me as a character despite the build-up to his appearance. The subplot featuring Ella seemed to fizzle out.
I haven’t read the previous book featuring Lorraine Quick, ‘Scratch Sharp’ so had to work out the confusing dynamics between her and Diaz. But I’m sure that they are almost fated to be together.
The location was very atmospheric and claustrophobic. I could hear keys locking and unlocking doors while I was reading.
‘Isolation Ward’ was overall a pacey thriller although it was slow going in some places. I also felt that there were too many characters.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
It’s 1983, Mrs Thatcher is in power and the old lunatic asylums are in the throes of being closed or privatised as special hospitals. Lorraine Quick is about to start work at the notorious Windwell Asylum for the Criminally Insane. She is apprehensive about being sent far from home as her 8 year old daughter, Jasmine, is about to sit her exams for the local grammar school and Lorraine’s band, Electra Complex, will have to go out on tour with a substitute singer.
Lorraine is a team building expert who has been seconded to assist the admin team at Windwell. The asylum is about to shed its skin and become an up to date, modern maximum security unit and fully privatised. The old Victorian buildings will be demolished.
She has hardly begun work when she and the Medical Director, Dr Voss, find the body of Kevin Crossley, the Admin Director in a seclusion cell. He’s been stabbed several times and there is graffiti referring to a murder in another seclusion cell of a patient, Junior Campbell, three years earlier.
Kevin had an appointment in his diary for that day and was expecting visitors at home with the best china set out in expectation. But he had been lured away to a deserted, dark building. Lorraine soon realises that the rest of the admin team have their own problems and may be covering something up. Enid is an alcoholic and not up to the job of treasurer while her daughter, Oona, also works at Windwell as a ward clerk. There are rumours of the ghost of an ex-patient haunting the tunnels beneath Windwell but there is also a living ghost in the building. This is the scary patient in the infirmary, Rob Kessler, who Dr Voss describes as ‘attractive and charismatic’ which should ring alarm bells earlier than it does. Rob is a maximum security patient. When another body is discovered in the tunnels after an attempt By Oona to call up the hospital ghost, Lorraine realises that it’s not Windwell’s dead that she has to be frightened of but the living…
The changes that happened as the old asylums were closed leaving their patients to ‘care in the community’ and the buildings to either be demolished or converted into ‘luxury apartments’ is an interesting backdrop to the events in the book. Privatising care to some of the most dangerous people in the UK means indifferent, nasty staff and the rise of patients who can run things better. I felt that the author made good use of this as, in the afterword, she discusses her real life experiences in the area which enhanced the novel’s veracity.
I did wonder about the terrifying patient, Rob Kessler, making his appearance so late in the book and managing to escape so easily twice. But he didn’t come alive for me as a character despite the build-up to his appearance. The subplot featuring Ella seemed to fizzle out.
I haven’t read the previous book featuring Lorraine Quick, ‘Scratch Sharp’ so had to work out the confusing dynamics between her and Diaz. But I’m sure that they are almost fated to be together.
The location was very atmospheric and claustrophobic. I could hear keys locking and unlocking doors while I was reading.
‘Isolation Ward’ was overall a pacey thriller although it was slow going in some places. I also felt that there were too many characters.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
April 17, 2025
It’s 1983. It’s taken Manchester United two attempts to win the Cup Final, and Margaret Thatcher just one to win a decisive General Election victory. And Lorraine Quick, bass player in an aspiring rock band, has had to pull out of a career-making tour of Germany to travel to Yorkshire for her day job. Lorraine is qualified in psychometric testing and has been tasked with training a management team at a new state-of-the-art top-security hospital housing dangerous criminals.
She’s hardly had time to unpack when a body is found – and it’s Kevin Crossley a member of the management team she’s supposed to be training. Enter Detective Sergeant Diaz, an all too familiar figure from a previous case Lorraine was involved in.
The other members of the management team don’t make it easy for her. Doctor Voss, in charge of the new facility is hard to read: charming on the outside but obviously hiding his own agenda. Enid Finn the treasurer has an alcohol problem. And Brian Ogden, in charge of the nursing staff, is more like the worst kind of bullying prison warder, at least on the surface.
Meanwhile, four young people are about to cause havoc in the remains of the old hospital, which is slowly being demolished nearby. Oona Finn, Enid’s daughter, fancies herself as a white witch. Tommo Ogden, Brian’s son, takes after his father. They both work at the new hospital, Oona as a ward clerk, Tommo as a nurse. Krish is a whizz with electronics, and Ella... no one knows much about Ella, she just turned up a few weeks ago, but Oona has taken pity on her and given her somewhere to stay.
Lorraine is faced with a near-impossible task: moulding three damaged souls into an effective management team as the police swarm over the hospital in pursuit of a violent killer – and they’re not exactly in short supply in that environment.
In Martine Bailey’s second psychological thriller she shows once more that she knows how to build a sinister atmosphere, and place acutely observed characters in it to great effect. The strands of the plot twist and turn like the labyrinth of tunnels under the old hospital; the characters, major and minor, live and breathe, with the flaws and emotions that make them real. Lorraine herself has a hard time balancing the personal and the professional; as well as a doomed attraction between her and DS Diaz, there’s plenty going on at home to distract her.
Who killed Kevin Crossley is the big question at the centre of the story – but there’s a good deal else going on too, which makes for a gripping and complex tale with edge-of-the-seat moments balanced by a quieter, more reflective approach. Martine Bailey is a writer to watch, and Lorraine Quick is an intriguing protagonist. I look forward to seeing where they go next.
------
Reviewer: Lynne Patrick
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)
She’s hardly had time to unpack when a body is found – and it’s Kevin Crossley a member of the management team she’s supposed to be training. Enter Detective Sergeant Diaz, an all too familiar figure from a previous case Lorraine was involved in.
The other members of the management team don’t make it easy for her. Doctor Voss, in charge of the new facility is hard to read: charming on the outside but obviously hiding his own agenda. Enid Finn the treasurer has an alcohol problem. And Brian Ogden, in charge of the nursing staff, is more like the worst kind of bullying prison warder, at least on the surface.
Meanwhile, four young people are about to cause havoc in the remains of the old hospital, which is slowly being demolished nearby. Oona Finn, Enid’s daughter, fancies herself as a white witch. Tommo Ogden, Brian’s son, takes after his father. They both work at the new hospital, Oona as a ward clerk, Tommo as a nurse. Krish is a whizz with electronics, and Ella... no one knows much about Ella, she just turned up a few weeks ago, but Oona has taken pity on her and given her somewhere to stay.
Lorraine is faced with a near-impossible task: moulding three damaged souls into an effective management team as the police swarm over the hospital in pursuit of a violent killer – and they’re not exactly in short supply in that environment.
In Martine Bailey’s second psychological thriller she shows once more that she knows how to build a sinister atmosphere, and place acutely observed characters in it to great effect. The strands of the plot twist and turn like the labyrinth of tunnels under the old hospital; the characters, major and minor, live and breathe, with the flaws and emotions that make them real. Lorraine herself has a hard time balancing the personal and the professional; as well as a doomed attraction between her and DS Diaz, there’s plenty going on at home to distract her.
Who killed Kevin Crossley is the big question at the centre of the story – but there’s a good deal else going on too, which makes for a gripping and complex tale with edge-of-the-seat moments balanced by a quieter, more reflective approach. Martine Bailey is a writer to watch, and Lorraine Quick is an intriguing protagonist. I look forward to seeing where they go next.
------
Reviewer: Lynne Patrick
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)
March 8, 2025
Kevin Crossley has been called to Cell 17 in Windwell Special Hospital; a visit which will prove to be his last act as Administrator of the new facility. The old Windwell Asylum has been condemned and is even now being demolished. The new Special Hospital is being built on adjacent ground in two phases, the first currently housing all the patients/prisoners, the new, when completed, taking the psychopaths. It also contains the Isolation cells, of which cell 17 is one.
New facilities need new management structures, but not necessarily new staff. Kevin was Administrator in the old building and had overseen the transfer, but was just about to retire. Enid Finn was, and remains, the Treasurer. Similarly, Brian Ogden was, and is, the Head Nurse, and Parveen, who was Kevin’s assistant. Two of the junior staff are also hang overs: Enid’s daughter, Oona, and Brian’s son, Tommo. The newly appointed Hospital Director is Dr Jan Voss. The overall Regional Director, with Voss’s agreement, has decided that for the new world the team need some new dynamic, so has seconded Lorraine Quick, personnel specialist and expert team builder, to work with Voss on this project. The plan is somewhat distracted when Lorraine and Jan find Kevin’s body in Cell 17, the walls daubed with slogans connecting this murder with the unsolved murder of a prisoner, killed three years earlier in Cell 17 of the old building. Lorraine rapidly finds herself drawn into a complex situation, which could easily become life-threatening.
This is a complicated tale, lots of characters, lots of relationships, with the mystery, a standard ‘who killed Kevin and why’, buried inside a lot of extraneous detail (assuming any of it is actually extraneous). It is the second to feature Lorraine, so a series looks imminent, but no preknowledge is required. There are some interesting twists to the resolution. I didn’t like the style, which seemed a bit ‘clinical’, a bit ‘didactic’, particularly early on. Overall, it’s a good whodunnit with an interesting setting, and an unusual principal character. It isn’t perfect, but a good read.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.
New facilities need new management structures, but not necessarily new staff. Kevin was Administrator in the old building and had overseen the transfer, but was just about to retire. Enid Finn was, and remains, the Treasurer. Similarly, Brian Ogden was, and is, the Head Nurse, and Parveen, who was Kevin’s assistant. Two of the junior staff are also hang overs: Enid’s daughter, Oona, and Brian’s son, Tommo. The newly appointed Hospital Director is Dr Jan Voss. The overall Regional Director, with Voss’s agreement, has decided that for the new world the team need some new dynamic, so has seconded Lorraine Quick, personnel specialist and expert team builder, to work with Voss on this project. The plan is somewhat distracted when Lorraine and Jan find Kevin’s body in Cell 17, the walls daubed with slogans connecting this murder with the unsolved murder of a prisoner, killed three years earlier in Cell 17 of the old building. Lorraine rapidly finds herself drawn into a complex situation, which could easily become life-threatening.
This is a complicated tale, lots of characters, lots of relationships, with the mystery, a standard ‘who killed Kevin and why’, buried inside a lot of extraneous detail (assuming any of it is actually extraneous). It is the second to feature Lorraine, so a series looks imminent, but no preknowledge is required. There are some interesting twists to the resolution. I didn’t like the style, which seemed a bit ‘clinical’, a bit ‘didactic’, particularly early on. Overall, it’s a good whodunnit with an interesting setting, and an unusual principal character. It isn’t perfect, but a good read.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.
April 11, 2025
I only found this out after reading the book; it is the second in the Lorraine Quick series, but it seemed to work fine as a standalone. Set in 1983, Windwell Asylum in Yorkshire has been a state run place of confinement for Britain’s worst murderers for years but is now being rebuilt as a privately run top-security unit. Lorraine Quick is a specialist in Organisational Change and whilst she had been planning to go on tour with her band, her boss has sent her to the prison to sort out issues the current Director is having with his team.
Briefly, Lorraine reluctantly accepts, she has no choice, only to find on arrival that one of the staff, Administration Director Kevin Crossley, has been brutally murdered and dumped in an old isolation cell. Coincidently (who believes that) it is the same cell number that a prisoner was found murdered in some years earlier. Into the investigation steps DI Diaz with whom Lorraine has history. But can she put that to one side, whilst leading the staff in team building exercises.
The author has used a mix of personal experience and detailed research to produce what is a taut and exciting thriller with interesting characters, most of whom are not particularly likeable. It felt authentic, I can believe that some inmates are violent and drugs are a problem. I can believe that some staff are uncaring and corrupt. I can believe that conditions are terrible and rehabilitation is non existent. I volunteered in a similar, but non criminal, asylum in the mid 1970’s, so I can believe a lot! A twisted and complex case. I liked the original setting and it was an entertaining read.
Briefly, Lorraine reluctantly accepts, she has no choice, only to find on arrival that one of the staff, Administration Director Kevin Crossley, has been brutally murdered and dumped in an old isolation cell. Coincidently (who believes that) it is the same cell number that a prisoner was found murdered in some years earlier. Into the investigation steps DI Diaz with whom Lorraine has history. But can she put that to one side, whilst leading the staff in team building exercises.
The author has used a mix of personal experience and detailed research to produce what is a taut and exciting thriller with interesting characters, most of whom are not particularly likeable. It felt authentic, I can believe that some inmates are violent and drugs are a problem. I can believe that some staff are uncaring and corrupt. I can believe that conditions are terrible and rehabilitation is non existent. I volunteered in a similar, but non criminal, asylum in the mid 1970’s, so I can believe a lot! A twisted and complex case. I liked the original setting and it was an entertaining read.
June 26, 2025
I haven’t read the first Lorraine Quick novel, but I didn’t feel at a disadvantage – this book works well as a standalone. Besides, I'm a sucker for anything set in the ‘80s, and this book hit that nostalgic sweet spot for me.
Set against the eerie backdrop of the Yorkshire Moors, Isolation Ward takes place in the Windwell Asylum, a former old school psychiatric hospital being converted into a modern unit for some of the country’s most dangerous criminals. It’s an instantly atmospheric setting, dripping with bleakness and unease. I loved it!
Lorraine Quick, with her expertise in psychometric testing, is sent to help create a more polished, PR-friendly team from the currently motley crew of staff. Naturally, a murder occurs, but what is truly unsettling is how closely it mirrors another that happened years earlier.
So, what did I love? The isolated setting and moody landscape are perfect for building that spine-tingling atmosphere. And the 1980s references were spot-on taking me on a welcome trip down memory lane (minus the asylum of course!).
What didn’t quite work for me? Like the overcrowded conditions in the unit, there were just too many characters. I struggled to connect with any of them including Quick and Diaz, whose lives seemed messier than they were compelling. I did wonder how these characters were going to solve a murder.
Overall, I'm glad I saw it through, but it was a bit of a slow burn. I didn’t click with the lead character enough to rush back for the next in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for my thoughts.
Set against the eerie backdrop of the Yorkshire Moors, Isolation Ward takes place in the Windwell Asylum, a former old school psychiatric hospital being converted into a modern unit for some of the country’s most dangerous criminals. It’s an instantly atmospheric setting, dripping with bleakness and unease. I loved it!
Lorraine Quick, with her expertise in psychometric testing, is sent to help create a more polished, PR-friendly team from the currently motley crew of staff. Naturally, a murder occurs, but what is truly unsettling is how closely it mirrors another that happened years earlier.
So, what did I love? The isolated setting and moody landscape are perfect for building that spine-tingling atmosphere. And the 1980s references were spot-on taking me on a welcome trip down memory lane (minus the asylum of course!).
What didn’t quite work for me? Like the overcrowded conditions in the unit, there were just too many characters. I struggled to connect with any of them including Quick and Diaz, whose lives seemed messier than they were compelling. I did wonder how these characters were going to solve a murder.
Overall, I'm glad I saw it through, but it was a bit of a slow burn. I didn’t click with the lead character enough to rush back for the next in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for my thoughts.
May 18, 2025
An entertaining and interesting book, I was drawn to it for a number of reasons, but mainly for the setting which was in the 1980s, an era I’m familiar with that feels almost forgotten.
As much a mystery as a thriller, the protagonist Lorraine is sent to a top-security asylum to boost morale among the staff there. However, along with the main doctor, she discovers the dead body of the chief administrator. That’s just one out of a growing body count.
Rather than focusing on the dangerous patients, the story revolves around the staff which are somewhat of a motley crew. Also on the scene is a detective with whom Lorraine has one of her romantic interests. Lorraine does her best in her role despite the murders and murderers around her.
Interesting characters include Oona who calls herself a witch and is one of the clerks, her boyfriend Tomo, who is a nurse there and is the son of another member of staff, and Ella, who has run away from home (we don’t know why in the beginning) and who is staying with Oona.
Together Oona, Ella and their friend Krish plan to scare Tomo in the abandoned, apparently haunted area of the asylum, where a previous patient is reported to have died.
The story moves as quick as the protagonist’s surname (literally Quick), and I enjoyed learning about the side stories and characters that didn’t form the main story line.
I felt that the ending was the right one, but I was also left wondering what certain character’s motives may have been. I’ll give this one four stars.
As much a mystery as a thriller, the protagonist Lorraine is sent to a top-security asylum to boost morale among the staff there. However, along with the main doctor, she discovers the dead body of the chief administrator. That’s just one out of a growing body count.
Rather than focusing on the dangerous patients, the story revolves around the staff which are somewhat of a motley crew. Also on the scene is a detective with whom Lorraine has one of her romantic interests. Lorraine does her best in her role despite the murders and murderers around her.
Interesting characters include Oona who calls herself a witch and is one of the clerks, her boyfriend Tomo, who is a nurse there and is the son of another member of staff, and Ella, who has run away from home (we don’t know why in the beginning) and who is staying with Oona.
Together Oona, Ella and their friend Krish plan to scare Tomo in the abandoned, apparently haunted area of the asylum, where a previous patient is reported to have died.
The story moves as quick as the protagonist’s surname (literally Quick), and I enjoyed learning about the side stories and characters that didn’t form the main story line.
I felt that the ending was the right one, but I was also left wondering what certain character’s motives may have been. I’ll give this one four stars.
April 19, 2025
For fans of psychological thrillers, this novel is a must-read. Set in 1983, Kevin Crossley, is the Administrator at Windwell Special Hospital who is on the verge of retirement. The old asylum, with its own dark history, is being demolished to make way for a new facility built in two phases. While the first phase is bustling with patients and prisoners, the second—housing the isolation cells—hides a secret waiting to surface.
As he is hoping to leave for the day, Kevin gets called to isolation cell 17 in the new building. He won’t be walking out alive, but who wants him dead? And why? What happens there—and what is later discovered etched on the wall referencing an unsolved murder from three years prior—sets off a mystery filled with intrigue and unexpected twists. The story weaves together a diverse cast of characters including Parveen, his loyal assistant; Enid Finn, the steadfast Treasurer; Brian Ogden, the head nurse; and their respective junior staff, Ooner and Tommo. The addition of Dr. Voss, the ambitious new Hospital Director, and Lorraine Quick, the resourceful personnel specialist whose personal plans are derailed, inject new energy into the narrative, she is sent to give the team some well needed plans for the future running of the new place.
The novel thrives on its labyrinthine plot and the interplay of dysfunctional relationships. Characters are painted in shades of grey—intentionally flawed and mysterious—making them as unpredictable as they are compelling. As hints of the building’s haunting past merge with the unsettling present, the atmosphere is thick with foreboding, drawing the reader into a dark, oppressive world.
While the setting—a pre-mobile phone era complete with phone boxes, cassette players, and the ubiquitous Sony Walkman—is meticulously evoked, a few nods to period-specific details (like the mention of a Vesta curry) enhance the nostalgic feel, even as they momentarily pull the reader out of the immersion.
In summary, this novel is a richly layered psychological thriller that balances complex characters with a tense, twisty plot. It may not present characters in a traditionally sympathetic light, but that seems entirely intentional. The unsettling mix of history, mystery, and the human condition makes it a standout read for anyone seeking a dark journey into the recesses of the mind.
As he is hoping to leave for the day, Kevin gets called to isolation cell 17 in the new building. He won’t be walking out alive, but who wants him dead? And why? What happens there—and what is later discovered etched on the wall referencing an unsolved murder from three years prior—sets off a mystery filled with intrigue and unexpected twists. The story weaves together a diverse cast of characters including Parveen, his loyal assistant; Enid Finn, the steadfast Treasurer; Brian Ogden, the head nurse; and their respective junior staff, Ooner and Tommo. The addition of Dr. Voss, the ambitious new Hospital Director, and Lorraine Quick, the resourceful personnel specialist whose personal plans are derailed, inject new energy into the narrative, she is sent to give the team some well needed plans for the future running of the new place.
The novel thrives on its labyrinthine plot and the interplay of dysfunctional relationships. Characters are painted in shades of grey—intentionally flawed and mysterious—making them as unpredictable as they are compelling. As hints of the building’s haunting past merge with the unsettling present, the atmosphere is thick with foreboding, drawing the reader into a dark, oppressive world.
While the setting—a pre-mobile phone era complete with phone boxes, cassette players, and the ubiquitous Sony Walkman—is meticulously evoked, a few nods to period-specific details (like the mention of a Vesta curry) enhance the nostalgic feel, even as they momentarily pull the reader out of the immersion.
In summary, this novel is a richly layered psychological thriller that balances complex characters with a tense, twisty plot. It may not present characters in a traditionally sympathetic light, but that seems entirely intentional. The unsettling mix of history, mystery, and the human condition makes it a standout read for anyone seeking a dark journey into the recesses of the mind.
May 20, 2025
This is the second in the Lorraine Quick series and equally as good as the first. Set in 1980s Yorkshire, Lorraine is tasked with helping to turn a staff management team around. They've come from a run down mental asylum and are being moved across to the state of the art psychological hospital- but the staff aren't so keen for the move to take place, they like the status quo that existed previously and don't necessarily see the need for improvements to be made.
Then one of the old guard of managers is brutally murdered within the walls of the hospital, despite strict security - and there are clues that this was linked to a previous inmate's death. Lorraine is committed to try and help the team manage the devastating news and plan for the new hospital.
There's a second storyline where local teenagers hang out in the old asylum and tell each other spooky stories, trying to conjure up ghosts from the past. These were too spooky for me to read at night, Im so easily spooked!
One of the things that I have enjoyed about this series is the attention to detail that the author has given to life in the 80s, an era which seems so distant and different now. The boredom of evenings in remote villages with nothing to do and nowhere to go, its no wonder that the kids were trying to make horror films and summon ghosts!
Then one of the old guard of managers is brutally murdered within the walls of the hospital, despite strict security - and there are clues that this was linked to a previous inmate's death. Lorraine is committed to try and help the team manage the devastating news and plan for the new hospital.
There's a second storyline where local teenagers hang out in the old asylum and tell each other spooky stories, trying to conjure up ghosts from the past. These were too spooky for me to read at night, Im so easily spooked!
One of the things that I have enjoyed about this series is the attention to detail that the author has given to life in the 80s, an era which seems so distant and different now. The boredom of evenings in remote villages with nothing to do and nowhere to go, its no wonder that the kids were trying to make horror films and summon ghosts!
March 31, 2025
I found this to be an interesting dark mystery thriller, set in the 1980s in Yorkshire.
It is the second in the Lorraine Quick series, although it can be read as a stand-alone. I haven't read the first one.
Lorraine is staying in the village housing Windwell asylum so she can help with the transition to the modern top security unit that is currently being built. With her knowledge of psychometric testing, she is there to help build a PR-friendly team for the new unit that will house some of the country's most dangerous criminals. A few days after she arrives, she discovers the murder of Kevin, the asylum’s administrative assistant. How did he end up murdered inside one of the isolation cells?
Whilst there were quite a few characters to get to know I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the murder. I found the characters intriguing and was trying to work out their true intentions as I read. Most of the characters had something to hide. The setting was atmospheric and creepy, particularly the crumbling old asylum amidst it's reputation for violence.
The tension really ramps up for the last part of the story and I couldn't put it down.
Overall, I found this an original myster thriller!
It is the second in the Lorraine Quick series, although it can be read as a stand-alone. I haven't read the first one.
Lorraine is staying in the village housing Windwell asylum so she can help with the transition to the modern top security unit that is currently being built. With her knowledge of psychometric testing, she is there to help build a PR-friendly team for the new unit that will house some of the country's most dangerous criminals. A few days after she arrives, she discovers the murder of Kevin, the asylum’s administrative assistant. How did he end up murdered inside one of the isolation cells?
Whilst there were quite a few characters to get to know I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the murder. I found the characters intriguing and was trying to work out their true intentions as I read. Most of the characters had something to hide. The setting was atmospheric and creepy, particularly the crumbling old asylum amidst it's reputation for violence.
The tension really ramps up for the last part of the story and I couldn't put it down.
Overall, I found this an original myster thriller!
April 9, 2025
Book 2 of Lorraine Quick
Yorkshire, 1983. Margaret Thatcher is in Number 10, "Thriller" is on the radio, and Lorraine Quick is having to put plans to tour on hold due to work. With her expertise in psychometric testing, she is being sent to the Yorkshire moors to build a PR-friendly team out of the ragtag staff of the infamous Windmill Asylum as it transitions into a modern, top-security unit housing some of the most dangerous criminals in the country. And then Lorraine stumbles on a brutal murder that has taken place despite the fifteen-foot-high perimeter wall and the heavy-duty locks.
Lorraine and Medical Director Jan Voss stumble on the brutal murder of Administration Director Kevin Crossley. His murder was similar to a murder that had taken place three years ago.
r
There were a few characters to try and remember, most of them had something to hide. There was a creepy feel surrounding this story, probably because it's set on the site of an old asylum. The pace is in the slow side, but stick with it, it's worth finishing. This book can be read as a standalone.
Published 17th April 2025
I would like to thank #NetGalley #AlisonandBusby and the author #MartineBailey for my ARC of #IsolationWard in exchange for an honest review.
Yorkshire, 1983. Margaret Thatcher is in Number 10, "Thriller" is on the radio, and Lorraine Quick is having to put plans to tour on hold due to work. With her expertise in psychometric testing, she is being sent to the Yorkshire moors to build a PR-friendly team out of the ragtag staff of the infamous Windmill Asylum as it transitions into a modern, top-security unit housing some of the most dangerous criminals in the country. And then Lorraine stumbles on a brutal murder that has taken place despite the fifteen-foot-high perimeter wall and the heavy-duty locks.
Lorraine and Medical Director Jan Voss stumble on the brutal murder of Administration Director Kevin Crossley. His murder was similar to a murder that had taken place three years ago.
r
There were a few characters to try and remember, most of them had something to hide. There was a creepy feel surrounding this story, probably because it's set on the site of an old asylum. The pace is in the slow side, but stick with it, it's worth finishing. This book can be read as a standalone.
Published 17th April 2025
I would like to thank #NetGalley #AlisonandBusby and the author #MartineBailey for my ARC of #IsolationWard in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2025
Martine Bailey excels in the compelling authenticity of her characters, good and bad, and Isolation Ward is no exception. The second gritty northern mystery featuring likeable heroine Lorraine Quick, it’s set in the chilling atmosphere of an old asylum on the edge of Ilkley Moor, evocativaely portrayed.
Like Martine Bailey’s previous novel, Sharp Scratch, this one also draws on her experience of both the 1980s music scene and working in the personnel department of the NHS, giving the novel true authenticity as a background to the gripping story. As Lorraine is tasked with arranging a competent team from among the staff at the notorious Windwell Asylum, she is confronted with a brutal murder that evokes a crime from the past. Once again working with DS Diaz – continuing the intriguing will-they-won’t-they chemistry between them – she has to race against the clock to find the killer. As well as some dubious staff members, she also has to contend with a group of local teenagers who use the spooky asylum for occult games that turn sour.
I was hooked and terrified from beginning to end. Another recommended read from Martine Bailey.
Like Martine Bailey’s previous novel, Sharp Scratch, this one also draws on her experience of both the 1980s music scene and working in the personnel department of the NHS, giving the novel true authenticity as a background to the gripping story. As Lorraine is tasked with arranging a competent team from among the staff at the notorious Windwell Asylum, she is confronted with a brutal murder that evokes a crime from the past. Once again working with DS Diaz – continuing the intriguing will-they-won’t-they chemistry between them – she has to race against the clock to find the killer. As well as some dubious staff members, she also has to contend with a group of local teenagers who use the spooky asylum for occult games that turn sour.
I was hooked and terrified from beginning to end. Another recommended read from Martine Bailey.
May 19, 2025
Set in the 1980's, Lorraine Quick has the somewhat unenviable task of running a teambuilding course with the staff of a psychiatric hospital. The hospital is in the process of moving into a new building and the old 'Asylum' is to be demolished. It is not going to be a very easy task as the staff are a mixed assortment of characters who are not very keen on the idea. When one of the staff is found murdered in one of the old isolation rooms, in similar circumstances to one of the inmates many years ago.
The premise of the book sounded interesting. The description of the setting was very good. I could really imagine the claustrophobic corridors and tunnels. Where the book fell down for me was in the characterisation. I really didn't bond with any of them. I know that this is the second book in a series, but I don't think it would have made much difference if I'd read the first one. Overall it was a bit of a disappointing read.
Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.
The premise of the book sounded interesting. The description of the setting was very good. I could really imagine the claustrophobic corridors and tunnels. Where the book fell down for me was in the characterisation. I really didn't bond with any of them. I know that this is the second book in a series, but I don't think it would have made much difference if I'd read the first one. Overall it was a bit of a disappointing read.
Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.
May 3, 2025
Discover the locations in the novel here
Oozing with atmosphere this one! Set in the 1980s so it's all Margaret Thatcher and Thriller. Then we head into an asylum in Yorkshire to solve a mystery.
There's something very compelling and mysterious about going into an asylum as a reader. I've never been in one in real life but I can imagine what its like - as I've never been in a prison (Well, Alcatraz) but can imagine the noises at night, the darkness and the fear of the unknown. This book blends all of that and more and it got the hairs on my neck standing on edge!The building has a haunting past...does it now I thought... that was me invested!
A dark journey but a memorable one!
June 23, 2025
It took me a long time to read this book , mainly because I couldn't get into it easily. The characters are many and the book is told from different points of view and that was confusing. I was also not sure about the role of Lorraine.
The deaths start piling up, the investigation is not really the focus of the book though. Plenty of triggers here, for child abuse etc.
An ok read, had to push myself to continue with it, but did finish it. Not sure about the believability of some of it, do get the oppressive and family based working practices in a remote place like this.
Thanks to Net Galley for the Arc
The deaths start piling up, the investigation is not really the focus of the book though. Plenty of triggers here, for child abuse etc.
An ok read, had to push myself to continue with it, but did finish it. Not sure about the believability of some of it, do get the oppressive and family based working practices in a remote place like this.
Thanks to Net Galley for the Arc
March 30, 2025
This was a rattling good thriller. Set in an asylum in Northern England in the 1989’s, the book pictures the era authentically. The main characters make their second appearance after a previous novel, Sharp Scratch, but this is a stand alone novel. The lead character, Lorraine is great, smart and brave but also vulnerable rather than being more like a superhero. The book focuses on a retributory killing and has a well worked plot to work out the killer in the end making this an enjoyable, informative read.
April 14, 2025
Lorraine Quick is a expert in psychometric testing and is sent to the Yorkshire moors to set a team up for the new Windwell Asylum for dangerous criminals. When a murder happens within the walls Lorraine with DS Diaz has to try and identify the killer.
This is a dark and gritty thriller that keeps you wanting to read more.
Would highly recommend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a dark and gritty thriller that keeps you wanting to read more.
Would highly recommend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 16, 2025
This was a very slow read for me, it was a slow burner and a lot of information to take in. This is the second book written about Lorraine and it might have helped if you read the first book. Lorraine has a new job as a team leader in a high security asylum. She’s there to help the staff members after murders happening on the unit. It’s written in a timeline which I liked, the plot line was just too slow for me. A 3 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.
March 30, 2025
I really like the idea of this book and was looking forward to reading it. However, I really struggled with it. I found the storyline really slow and hard to get into. The "old asylum" theme was interesting and hoped it would set the scene about how these places were and how they worked in the era that the book was set - which it did quite well. However, there were lots of different characters and I found it hard to keep track of who was who. For me, the storyline was a little too slow and I lost interest in it fairly early in the book..
March 29, 2025
Lorraine is sent to a new high security asylum to team build while they are closing down the old asylum, then a local teenager is found dead in the old asylum similar to a death years ago.
I found the book slow going with lots of characters and many times you did not know which character was talking.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.
I found the book slow going with lots of characters and many times you did not know which character was talking.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.
March 29, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Allison & Busby Limited for the eARC.
This was a disappointing read, it sounded promising, but for whatever reason, I just couldn't get into it. I didn't particularly like Lorraine much and found the book slow-going and a bit boring despite the subject of a psychiatric facility and its dangerous inhabitants.
This was a disappointing read, it sounded promising, but for whatever reason, I just couldn't get into it. I didn't particularly like Lorraine much and found the book slow-going and a bit boring despite the subject of a psychiatric facility and its dangerous inhabitants.
April 18, 2025
This was a very slow read and really struggled with it. I did finish it and the concept of the story was there but I just couldn’t connect with the main protagonist. I would have liked it to be a bit more thrilling but it’s rather boring and foreseeable.
Thanks to Allison and Busby for the early ARC
Thanks to Allison and Busby for the early ARC
March 14, 2025
This was a slow read for me and I really struggled with it. But it suddenly ramped up and was a great read. I had considered not finishing it but I’m glad I persevered.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.
June 2, 2025
Found it a bit hard to follow. Got confused by the characters too.
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