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Schizo: Hidden In Plain Sight
In the same vein as Robin Cook and Michael Palmer, Dr. Ilene B. Benator crafts a terrifying medical thriller that is sure to excite.
An ambitious future surgeon on his psychiatry rotation is assigned a patient who reveals to him information about an organized plot to control the population. His pursuit of the truth leads him to become a psychiatric patient in the same facility.
Dan Greenberg was a promising medical student who was derailed by Catherine--a bizarre schizophrenic patient whose delusions about patients in danger at hospitals all around Chicago were startlingly specific.
Drawn by both curiosity and compassion, Dan investigates, discovering that they were exactly where Catherine said they would be. Who are these people? Why are they in danger? Are they connected with each other?
While incarcerated, he joins forces with an unlikely ally Jake--who murdered his family during a drug-induced psychotic break, but is also a charming hacker with street smarts who creates a plan to get Dan's life back. In his attempts to do so, he threatens to uncover a conspiracy to track and manipulate the population by a cabal of influential people who will do anything to keep their plot secret. He will learn just how far powerful people will go to stay in control, and the high price of the truth.
Schizo takes readers on a wildly unexpected journey into the what-ifs of medical science. Written by an Emergency Physician, Ilene B. Benator crafts situations that are terrifying, yet all too believable.
An ambitious future surgeon on his psychiatry rotation is assigned a patient who reveals to him information about an organized plot to control the population. His pursuit of the truth leads him to become a psychiatric patient in the same facility.
Dan Greenberg was a promising medical student who was derailed by Catherine--a bizarre schizophrenic patient whose delusions about patients in danger at hospitals all around Chicago were startlingly specific.
Drawn by both curiosity and compassion, Dan investigates, discovering that they were exactly where Catherine said they would be. Who are these people? Why are they in danger? Are they connected with each other?
While incarcerated, he joins forces with an unlikely ally Jake--who murdered his family during a drug-induced psychotic break, but is also a charming hacker with street smarts who creates a plan to get Dan's life back. In his attempts to do so, he threatens to uncover a conspiracy to track and manipulate the population by a cabal of influential people who will do anything to keep their plot secret. He will learn just how far powerful people will go to stay in control, and the high price of the truth.
Schizo takes readers on a wildly unexpected journey into the what-ifs of medical science. Written by an Emergency Physician, Ilene B. Benator crafts situations that are terrifying, yet all too believable.
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2016
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 23, 2016
I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.
This was a fast paced psychological thriller. I was intrigued with the title of the book and, therefore, the presumption of some serious schizophrenic characters wreaking havoc. I was a little disappointed there was not more focus on schizophrenia but I was pleased with the plot.
The first half of the book had my heart pounding. I was racing through it to find out what was going to happen. The pace slowed a little for me in the second half. While it was still interesting enough to make me want to find out how everything turned out, it left me feeling like the second half was less believable.
Overall, I liked the book enough to read more by this author.
This was a fast paced psychological thriller. I was intrigued with the title of the book and, therefore, the presumption of some serious schizophrenic characters wreaking havoc. I was a little disappointed there was not more focus on schizophrenia but I was pleased with the plot.
The first half of the book had my heart pounding. I was racing through it to find out what was going to happen. The pace slowed a little for me in the second half. While it was still interesting enough to make me want to find out how everything turned out, it left me feeling like the second half was less believable.
Overall, I liked the book enough to read more by this author.
September 19, 2016
This book should not even be compared to author Robin Cook's or Michael Palmer's writing. Their medical thrillers always had an edge right from the beginning which intensified with many twists and turns all the way to the end.
What Dr. Ilene B. Benator sets out to do fails completely with this first part of a series. Which I will not continue after reading this book. It's a shame that all these over hyped books are duds, that lately I have to keep getting a refund from Amazon. I do notice that more and more Arcs are being given away, nobody buys books but me, and it's strange that all the ARCs, plus VINE are giving these books 5 star ratings. It does make you wonder?
This book is poorly written with very weak or almost laughable characters. Some of the story starts out as flashbacks then back to present day. You have no suspense with an edge of intensity, blood or gore. The writing formula is monotone and drags on with nothing happening at all. Just plain boring and I can't believe I even finished.
The plot is unbelievable because the author made it that way with not enough backstory to what was going on. At one point I actually believed the main character Dr. Dan Greenberg was Schizophrenic. We as readers are expected to believe that Dan in a Mental Institution hooks up with a murderous criminal Jake, who all of sudden is knowledgeable of all underground internet connections and pulls off a magical escape.
Spoiler Alert:
The tiny piece of metal is never fully explained and the the so called elite company has plans for massive genocide in the future.
To wrap it up, future readers will be disappointed because you get absolutely no clear answers at all for this story. Everything thing is just lightly touched upon. Then the ending is wrapped up quickly and nicely with a big bow on it. No twists or shockers at all.
What Dr. Ilene B. Benator sets out to do fails completely with this first part of a series. Which I will not continue after reading this book. It's a shame that all these over hyped books are duds, that lately I have to keep getting a refund from Amazon. I do notice that more and more Arcs are being given away, nobody buys books but me, and it's strange that all the ARCs, plus VINE are giving these books 5 star ratings. It does make you wonder?
This book is poorly written with very weak or almost laughable characters. Some of the story starts out as flashbacks then back to present day. You have no suspense with an edge of intensity, blood or gore. The writing formula is monotone and drags on with nothing happening at all. Just plain boring and I can't believe I even finished.
The plot is unbelievable because the author made it that way with not enough backstory to what was going on. At one point I actually believed the main character Dr. Dan Greenberg was Schizophrenic. We as readers are expected to believe that Dan in a Mental Institution hooks up with a murderous criminal Jake, who all of sudden is knowledgeable of all underground internet connections and pulls off a magical escape.
Spoiler Alert:
The tiny piece of metal is never fully explained and the the so called elite company has plans for massive genocide in the future.
To wrap it up, future readers will be disappointed because you get absolutely no clear answers at all for this story. Everything thing is just lightly touched upon. Then the ending is wrapped up quickly and nicely with a big bow on it. No twists or shockers at all.
September 19, 2016
Waldorf Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Schizo: Hidden in Plain Sight, in exchange for an honest review.
"...(N)o one would have guessed I'd end up as a permanent resident of the very same forensic psychiatry unit that I studied at just one year ago."
These words are among those told by the main character, Dan Greenberg, a third year medical student whose zeal to help his patients ends up causing unforeseen circumstances beyond his control. During stolen moments of lucidity, Dan carves out his story, his contention that he did not commit a horrific crime and is not insane. Locked up as part of a conspiracy against him, Dan tries to secretly convince a former classmate to help him.
Schizo is a book with a very interesting premise. As the main character may or may not be an unreliable narrator, the book has a heightened sense of suspense as readers try to determine what is the truth. I was engrossed in the story from the first page and was highly interested in the outcome. The problem that I found with Schizo was the fact that the author does not, until the very end, give reason as to why Jake helps Dan to such a great extent. Even with the cliffhanger reveal, it did not make much sense why, when circumstances change, Jake did not take a different path. I also did not feel that the last four pages added anything to the book and, in fact, detracted from it. That being said, Schizo does combine two of my favorite genres: suspense thrillers and medical fiction. Readers who enjoy Robin Cook will definitely enjoy Schizo: Hidden in Plain Sight.
"...(N)o one would have guessed I'd end up as a permanent resident of the very same forensic psychiatry unit that I studied at just one year ago."
These words are among those told by the main character, Dan Greenberg, a third year medical student whose zeal to help his patients ends up causing unforeseen circumstances beyond his control. During stolen moments of lucidity, Dan carves out his story, his contention that he did not commit a horrific crime and is not insane. Locked up as part of a conspiracy against him, Dan tries to secretly convince a former classmate to help him.
Schizo is a book with a very interesting premise. As the main character may or may not be an unreliable narrator, the book has a heightened sense of suspense as readers try to determine what is the truth. I was engrossed in the story from the first page and was highly interested in the outcome. The problem that I found with Schizo was the fact that the author does not, until the very end, give reason as to why Jake helps Dan to such a great extent. Even with the cliffhanger reveal, it did not make much sense why, when circumstances change, Jake did not take a different path. I also did not feel that the last four pages added anything to the book and, in fact, detracted from it. That being said, Schizo does combine two of my favorite genres: suspense thrillers and medical fiction. Readers who enjoy Robin Cook will definitely enjoy Schizo: Hidden in Plain Sight.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews