Certifiably Insane: A Novel

by Arthur W. Bahr

Defense attorney Kate Newhouse hires psychiatrist Simon Rose to determine the sanity of Janice Jensen, who has murdered her husband and baby, not realizing that Jensen and Rose have a history together and that her own life is in danger. A first novel. 17,500 first printing.

Genres: Crime, Mystery

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 1999

Reviews

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Janice Jensen - she’s the girl your parents warned you about. Her picture would be the one you’d find in the Urban Dictionary under the term, “crazy bitch.” Janice is the ultimate threat. She’s pretty, she’s educated and more importantly she’s double dipped in a extra strong vat of psycho.

Certifiably Insane is a quick, schizophrenic, layered with a tasty bit of bipolar kind of read. Although, the ending was predictable, it’s still worthy of 4 stars in my book.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up on vacation at a Little Free Library. In the front of the book there was a well written review from the former owner of the book. She rated the book an A+ and likened it to true crime. It really sparked my interest as there was no dust jacket and no synopsis to read. I read it in less than a week on vacation and it really kept my interest. I liked the main character and it was interesting learning about the psychiatric field. The storyline was good, but I felt there could have been more twists and turns. They wrapped the book up neatly in a little bow in the last couple chapters which felt rushed. But that being said I really enjoyed it and happily would have read more. 4.5*

[Mysterious · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would classify this one as psychological suspense.

Janice Jensen nee Donahue has shot her husband several times and stabbed her baby Sean repeatedly. Is she certifiably insane because she says she hears her dead overbearing mother's voice or is she criminally responsible?
This is what her former childhood boyfriend, now psychiatrist Simon Rose has to decide for himself.

[William Prystauk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although well written (save for some melodramatic sappiness), the story is excruciatingly predictable. There are absolutely no surprises and one can see all elements of the end coming from the first chapters. The character study elements of Simon Rose are wonderful, but the mystery itself is hackneyed.

[Monty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This forensic, psychological novel, written by a former forensic psychologist and completed by his wife after he died at age 47 of a heart attack, was an excellent read. It was well-written, had enough twists and turns to make it complex, and was completely spellbinding as it reached its climax.

[Kristin Witt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the book that made me want to go into psychology. I've read it twice and, though I'm no longer pursuing the criminally insane route, I would recommend it for anyone who likes psychology and/or psychological thrillers.

[Selena · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like the psychological side of crime, youj will love this.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Dark subject matter, some cheesy passages, but overall it was engaging and intersting.

[Ann Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so sorry that Mr. Bahr did not live to see his book published or to write another. It was quite good.