The Clinic: A Thriller

by David Jester

An isolated rehab clinic. Three lost souls. One big secret.

They each had their own demons to face, and none of them had much to live for. Malcolm was alone in the world, Darren might as well have been, and Eddie . . . well, Eddie wished he was. Crime wasn't a way out for them; it was just a way to survive.

But the clinic was a job too far, a risk that didn't justify the reward.

The isolated rehab clinic should have been an easy target. But this simple job would turn into a nightmare that none of the young men could have foreseen, unleashing an evil that was sown way before their time.

The Clinic is a twisted, macabre, and chilling tale told from the perspective of three delinquents, young men who never had a chance and are forced to make their own ways in life. They set their sights on an out-of-town rehab clinic, hoping to pilfer the prized possessions of rich alcoholics and addicts. But the clinic is not what they thought it was. Their plan inevitably goes awry and their night of petty crime turns into a fight for survival.

Can the boys make it out alive, and will their lifelong friendship remain intact once the truth is revealed?

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction, Thriller Suspense, Novels, Adult Fiction, Suspense

216 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2013

About the author

David Jester is a novelist and short story writer living in the North East of England. His books include the comedy, An Idiot in Love, and the gruesome horror, This Is How You Die.

He is published by Skyhorse Publishing and represented by Peter Beren.

Reviews

[Jess☺️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Clinic by David Jester is the first book I've read by this author but it won't be my last I may leave it awhile before I pick up another but I definitely will read more.
On the front cover it says this book is a thriller I think that's wrong it should say 'blood bath thriller' because it's all slicing and dicing with a twist or two of a thriller thrown in, this book definitely didn't end I how I thought it would or even turn into the book I thought it was, I could of done with a little more background story about the parents and their lives before but saying that it was still a toe curling read.
It's bloody, dark and plenty gory with an edge of your seat excitement and with many moments of ' oh my god' 😱
If you want something shocking and definitely different then I recommend this book.

[Ellen Gail · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 48%. I could not possibly care less about this.

Thanks to Edelweiss and Skyhorse for the drc

[Linda Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malcolm, Eddie, Darren. Three teenagers growing up practically in the streets. Three teenagers who are petty thieves, with no good future in store for them.

After one particular robbery where they risked being caught netted them nothing but some cheap jewelry, Eddie tells the others about a clinic for the rich miles away from anything. They all think hard and long about what the rich people may have with them. Maybe they'd all be set for life.

Unfortunately the clinic is really a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. And the writer gives new meaning to the inmates who are running the asylum.

The middle of the book reminds me of the old slice-and-dice movies of the 70s. Lots of violence, graphic violence. Dead bodies and body parts everywhere you turn. The walls and floors so saturated with blood, the copper scent assails you even as you sit in your favorite reading chair.

But what's even worse is when the boys hear the sound of boots on the floor ... and knowing they are coming to continue playing a game.

The ending was explosive ... never saw it coming. Those pages made it worthwhile to read the entire book.

This is a new author to me and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good horror story.

Many thanks to the author / Skyhorse Publishing / Edelweiss for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unsolicited, unbiased and entirely my own.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always with a David Jester novel this is a well-written and atmospheric horror story that sucks you in from the first page. I’ve read many other Jester novels, because I enjoy his writing style so much and I think this is one of his best, simply because of the level of detail in the descriptions, the plot twists and the character development. This is a fine piece of writing and once again would make a good movie if, and one hopes so, he’s eventually snapped up by a big publishing house. You won’t be disappointed by this and you’ll most likely be checking out his other works straight after finishing.

[Stormi (StormReads) · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's about three teens who like to break into houses and each have a different background and at times I wondered why they were even friends. Malcolm  didn't have parents and was on his own, Darren had one parent and Eddie had two parents (and was the most horrible, crazy and psychotic of them all!) They hadn't made as much as they thought they would with the one house and Eddie tells them about this rehab place out in the woods that his Uncle said was for the rich. Well, was he ever wrong! It was a Clinic for the insane and they was on a killing spree. Once they get to the clinic it's just a bunch of blood and gore and I had no clue what was going on. Did the crazies decide to kill the doctors and take over the clinic? What the heck happened, I didn't like not knowing what was going on and it was just to much crazy and not knowing, plus I couldn't stand the three teens and wanted them all to die. I didn't care and they seem to only know how to say the F word and other vulgar things, especially Eddie. Now I don't mind a curse word here and there but when it seems to be their only vocabulary I get put off. It wouldn't have surprised me if he decided to join the crazies. I just didn't like what I was reading and even though I seen in a review that the end was pretty cool I didn't care and at 44% I DNFed and I don't feel a bit bad about it. :)

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. I understand that the author’s style of writing appeals to some readers, however, it’s like he emptied the entire thesaurus into 207 pages and then recycled all the words as mortar to fix poor writing flow. I NEVER want to hear a descriptive depiction about fucking florescent lights EVER again.
The characters and plot were two dimensional. The plot twist was...*blows raspberry*
No atmosphere, just lots of sinister, wicked, sadistic, mischievous, devious, menacingly, evilly, depraved, sly, hideous, repulsive, repugnant, teasing, malicious SMILING (or In other words...beaming, grinning, laughing, giggling, grinning, smirking, gleaming)
SO MUCH SMILING.
It was kinda like a battle Royale- Psych Ward Version. It could translate well into a torture porn movie if they added depth to the characters, clever cinematography and ditched the storyline in its entirety. (So the usual Hollywood book to film treatment *shrugs*)

[Myndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original Review: Mad Book Love

Malcom, Eddie and Darren have been friends since childhood. Malcolm and Darren are trying to make ends meet by breaking into people's houses, Eddie just enjoys the thrill of it all. Tired of taking risks and walking away with junk, Eddie convinces Malcolm and Darren to do a bigger job. Eddie knows of a fancy, isolated rehab clinic for the rich and famous, and he thinks it will be easy pickin'. Unfortunately, there is much more to the clinic than any of the boys realize, and shortly after they make their way in, they realize they'll be lucky to get out with their lives.

To begin with, this is SO not my genre. Yes, I knew it was horror when I selected it. You know who else is often labeled horror? Stephen King and Dean Koontz. And I read them and enjoy them. That said, I always wonder why they are labeled horror because I've never once been scared or horrified by any of their work (not that I've read it all). To me, horror is more applicable to movies like Saw, The Hills Have Eyes, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. You know, disgusting, overly graphic, super violent, horrific, nightmarish stuff. The kind of thing that you're watching/reading and wondering if you can keep going - and why you even would - because they are just…beyond the pale. But I digress…

I didn't enjoy this book because it was actually horror. Not horror lite, or pretend horror, but Saw horror. Gory, gory, gory. Violent, psychotic, over-the-top carnage. Exactly the kind of thing I have zero tolerance for (not in a judgy way, in a "that's way too uncomfortable for me, I need a Xanax, I can't unsee that" kind of way). So, why did I give it 4 stars if it wasn't' for me? Because even though it isn't my genre, it delivered exactly what I'm always expecting from horror books, but (thankfully!) never get. I continually had to take breaks from it. I dreaded picking it back up again. Not because it was terribly written, but because everything happening in the story was terrible. Perfectly. Horrible.

So why, if it was everything horror should be, did I only give it 4 stars? Because the ending was weak sauce. Honestly, for all the effort I put in emotionally to continue reading, I expected way more in the wrap up. Not a happy ending (because horror, people), but one that didn't seem like an afterthought. It just felt like the train ran out of steam when it finally came into the station, know what I mean?

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone I know because I don't know anyone who reads this genre. But if you like the movies I mentioned earlier - Saw, The Hills Have Eyes, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre - this might be just the book for you.

Note: I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like any of the 3 main characters, too much repetitive gore and a crappy ending.

[Daniel J. Weber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review originally posted at Daniel J. Weber Creates

Mature-content: R (Coarse language, gore, and sexual content)

Sometimes petty crimes aren't satisfying enough, when the mother-load is just on the horizon. Why steal from a sleeping drunk when a clinic looms just out of town, filled with rich rehab patients? This is the question that Malcolm, Darren and Eddie ask themselves -- three delinquents raised by the streets.

The Good:

This book starts out really well. The introductory scene draws the reader in with a unique third-person omniscience point-of-view that makes everything from the thieves, to snoring man, to creaking floorboards come to life. From here, the story progresses into a wonderful telling of three adolescents ignored and abused by their parents. It is not wonderful in the sense that these boys have "wonderful" lives, but the intense focus on this character development through back-story is refreshingly pleasant.

Once the action picks up, it doesn't let go until the very end. The heist is pleasantly set-up so that it doesn't feel like a bunch of random teenagers running across the pages, but instead a group of semi-friends brought together because of their horrible lives at home. From their very first step into The Clinic, the suspense is invitingly creepy. David Jester uses internal monologue and prose together for such suspense, causing the reader's heart to beat out of control with each slapping foot as it comes closer, closer, closer, and each bulb buzzing to life, ripping secrecy from the shadows.

The Bad:

I loved the back-story presence, and Jester knows his way around setting up a scene, but sadly, The Clinic falls flat after this. The first 20% was wonderfully promising, but then things start to fall apart. There are so many editing issues that I struggled to make sense of certain sentences, and the ones that did make sense just sounded choppy and ill-crafted. An editor would have helped this book immensely... at least some of its issues.

There is no easy way to say this... okay, maybe there is. In short, The Clinic is unrefined. No, it is not just the editing issues that make it so, but the writing style is stilted and juvenile, making this feel more like a first draft than a final sellable product. There are many repeated words in close proximity to each other, applying the breaks to any style points afforded through word craft. Jester seems to particularly have a problem with third person pronouns and their over-use... or perhaps he doesn't have a problem with their over-use. This is not just a word-craft issue, killing any potential magic the words have to share, but it even gets in the way of some sentences making sense, particularly where there is more than one "he."

"He wanted to scream. He wanted to see what his face looked like when he took his fist from his face; he wanted to see the damage he had done to him. He also just wanted to sit there on top of him, bathing in his own victory."

This is the biggest issue with The Clinic, as it runs throughout. It, however, might not have taken so many points away if the plot was good... or existent. 80% of the book is just mindless gore speckled with a few key moments of suspense. The last 20% is when the plot finally gets introduced, and then promptly concludes. This constitutes a total of about 30 pages. The plot was not necessarily bad in concept, but some presence of it before the final confrontation would have been nice.

Conclusion:

Sadly, despite the promising introduction, I cannot recommend this book. True, I managed to get from beginning to end without setting it aside, but that is all that really can be said. The Clinic is full of editorial errors and juvenile word choice. This coupled with the lack of plot does not do the book any favours. The first 20% is The Clinic's only redeeming factor, setting up the characters well. If you like mindless gore, that is what The Clinic has to offer.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story lulls you into a false sense of security then bam the gruesomeness hits you full on in the brain.

It is well written and absolutely brilliant, it keeps you gripped from start to finish.

The book is about 3 mates Eddie, Darren and Malcolm.

Eddie comes from shall I say a middle class back ground, his parents both work and he wants for nothing but he craves attention of his peers and doesn’t like them calling him a posh boy so he tries to be harder and more cruel then anyone else.

Malcolm comes from a broken home and his mother just upped and left one day and he hasn’t a clue where or who’s she’s with. The local council is still paying the rent so he’s trying to save for when they catch up with the charade and throw him out onto the street to fend for himself.

Darren he also comes from a broken home and his alcoholic/druggy mother has taken up with Ian who’s cut from the same cloth as her. Darren hates been there with them both but he has no choice.

They start off doing petty burglarising but they aren’t getting anything decent. Then Eddie comes up with a plan of doing over a rehab place that his uncle told them about in the middle of no where.

The 3 of them go off to go find this place and scope it out. Eddie’s uncle was right it’s at the back of beyond but doesn’t look like a fancy rehab place for the rich and famous but can looks be deceptive?

They decide to do the deed later that night.

This is when the book starts getting gruesome.

Darren becomes angry and kicks his mam’s boyfriend to a bloody mess and his mam tells him to leave and never come back as she doesn’t want to see him again.

Malcolm has a bit of friction with the local idiots who live near him.

Eddie is just stood waiting outside near his house for his mates.

They finally get to the big mansion to the deed but all is not as it seems, The front door is open and the security guard is still in the same position as he was earlier in the day, surely he can’t still be asleep. Alas no he’s well and truly dead, had his throat slit and just left there.

I won’t give anymore away but there is lots of twists one way and another keeping you gripped with bated breath, you never know when you’ll feel like jumping out of your skin.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malcolm, Darren, and Eddie are unlikely friends. One night they are robbing a drunk man’s house and don’t find anything of value. Eddie tells the other two about a story he heard from this uncle about a clinic in the woods for the rich. They three friends decide to rob the clinic. But there is something wrong with this clinic; it’s not for the rich but the psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. And the nuts are now running the nut house.

The three boys have their own issues. Darren comes from a broken home where his mother, addicted to drugs and alcohol has hooked up with a man just like her. Malcolm only had his mother until the day she left. Now he is on his own. Then there is Eddie. He is from a middle class home and has no wants. But he wants the attention from his friends.

There are small clues that this clinic is not what the boys think it is but they are too excited to score the lot. What they find is a bloody, brutal mess that the inmates have created in their takeover of the asylum. Think bloody slasher films where the blood flows like rivers. Soon the boys are on the run for their own lives.

This is a bloody, gory horror stories for those that enjoy their brutality. The boys have clearly gotten in over their heads and look like they will lose them before the end of the night. I admit that I didn’t expect the ending.

This is a good story but one that you will either like or hate. I could see several people not finding this their cup of tea. As for me, it was a good, gore filled read. I am curious to read other books from David Jester.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was really uneven. The story set-up was quite, quite brilliant, but is let down by really bad editing, in some cases there were no spaces between the words, some really confusing dialogue, meaning it was difficult to tell in places who was talking and thinking, etc. It also felt really juvenile in places, the way things were phrased, which lets it down even further. I also found the big reveal to be pretty stale and flat, almost like it was thrown in just for the heck of it.
In short, it felt a bit like a first draft rather than a finished novel, and really should have had an editor somewhere along the line.

[Bob Ashton Sr · Rating 1 out of 5]

Written like shampoo instructions

Each chapter but for the last was a repeat of the prior. Wash.Rinse.Repeat. How many rooms can you describe the same horrific murder scenes over and over and over and expect the reader to be enthralled and riveted to continue reading to see what happens next? Down the hall, turn the corner and guess what - same as before. Then, the last chapter introduces previously undeveloped characters and plot information, rushing to a predictable conclusion.

[Cyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a decent read, and enjoyable as a thriller, but very little of the conclusion is foreshadowed in a meaningful way which makes it feels kind of like..."ah shit, running out of pages, uuuuuh, backstory backstory backstory done!"

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Skyhorse Publishing for my e-copy.

The Clinic is a dark and twisted story that finds three teenage boys deciding to go from robbing houses to robbing a clinic meant for wealthy alcoholics and drug users...or so they have been told. Darren, Eddie, and Malcolm are good friends. Some might say best friends. They have known one another for a long time. Sometimes they act more like brothers - smarting off to one another, getting into fights, but also having the best of times. The Clinic, as it is known, is located in a desolate area far from anywhere and anyone. As soon as they reach it, Malcolm begins to think that something isn't right about the place. It is mid-afternoon and there is no one in the garden. Cups have been left on a bench, a robe has been left on the pathway, and the security guard is asleep. But the boys decided that tonight is the night and nothing will ever be the same. They see each other in a new light and secrets are revealed that none of them would have guessed.

If you are easily offended or just offended by strong cursing and stronger language, this is NOT a book for you. I am not usually off set by such but this one even got to me a bit. It is extremely descriptive and you can see each thing happening as if you are there. The scenes are graphic and can be disturbing.

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Clinic has been on my TBR for a while now. I think I started this one about 3 times before I finally got into it enough to want to keep going. The begging is a bit slow. The book follows three teens who have been robbing houses in the evenings and want to try for something bigger to get better loot. Eddie's uncle tells them about a clinic that hosts rich rehab patients. They think this will be their lucky break.

For me, this was just kind of meh. Part of my disappointment in the book was I thought I was getting a paranormal horror. But, I didn't find it here. It's definitely horror. It's also really gory. If you aren't into a lot of blood and guts, then this is not the book for you. That doesn't bother me too much, but at about 75%, it got to be a bit much. I stuck it out until the end but, honestly, I kind of wish I had just DNF'd it. There were two twists that really came out of nowhere and were pretty laughable. None of the characters were vary likable. I know each boy had their issues, but that didn't excuse their behaviors. I also felt like the book was a bit all over the place and probably could have used a bit more editing.

I'm not sure I would really recommend this one. I've read better gory horror. It is a quick read, so it has that going for it.

[Cora McEachern · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finished it , started off okay. Outrageous ending and plot, characters back story are so out there it just isn’t remotely believable. Felt like author was just trying to create a too twisted ending and shock factor.

[Monika Albert · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was bad. Maybe I just don’t like horror books as much as I thought I would. It was so cheesy and predictable. I will never not finish a book when I start one but I was glad when I finished this one.

[Rachael T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really want to give this 5 stars but I found the ending, while intriguing, didn't give me the ending feelings that I was hoping for. It wasn't a *gasp* for me... more of a "huh that's interesting."
Also caught a few typos and that always distracts me.

[Eddy Celin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uhhh. It was a roller coaster of quality for me. It did a good job of making hate the characters I was supposed to but the twist at the end was absolutely ridiculous. I loved the Outlast feel of it and brutality was great.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

🤔

This book started out really strong, I couldn't wait to see how the book wrapped up. Unfortunately I didn't like the ending. I didn't like the twist. Good book until that point. Personally feel that the ending let the book down a wee bit.

[Lovely Loveday · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spine-chilling thriller that does not disappoint!

[Sarah Stover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gory, disturbing, thrilling... Great read that definitely got under my skin.

[Rena · Rating 2 out of 5]

stupidest book I've ever read.

[Rob Lenihan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started strong, and almost felt like it would have a supernatural theme, but I felt the ending was rushed. It just suddenly went off in a ridiculous direction that spoiled the build up.

[Stephanie Testa · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a good book, a bit scary for sure but it has a good thrill and an interesting plot twist! i liked the epilogue, it tied up nicely!

[Logan Bristow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the book until the end. Ending was just super goofy and cliche to me.

[Laney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad bad bad bad bad.

Wayyyy too much gore and I could not connect with the characters at all. Almost did not finish this book. Could see the plot from a million miles away.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book were a good fit for me but others annoyed me or upset me. I did a lot of skimming and speed reading with the annoying parts. I may be done with the author for a bit.

[Linda Anders]

I was not prepared for how gruesome this book was. It was a good read during spooky season and a good plot twist. This book is not for the faint of heart.