Hiding in Third Person

by Phil Bradley

Ricky, a flippant orderly befriends a mental patient at an asylum he refers to as the spa and dude ranch. He listens to the sick man, the others refer to as Mr. River, tell a dubious tale of two teenage boys on the run from an assassin.
In River's story, the boys take refuge at an abandoned military base, BOMARC, nestled in the idyllic New Jersey Pinelands. Also trailing the boys are several cops. False identities and coded messages hinder the cop's search.. Mr. River's story ends in a bloody showdown at BOMARC.
Asylum doctors plan to move Mr. Rivers to a dark and remote facility. Their ultimate decision hinges on the validity of the sick man's story. Seemingly, Ricky is the only believer and he has to risk his life to prove the patient's story to be true.

Genres: Mystery

260 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2017

About the author

Retired from the Air Force, currently teaching high school. I love stories and thought I would write one! Military history interests me, and clever writing does as well. I have tried to merge the two in my first book, Hiding in Third Person.

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the setting at first to be both unique and interesting. That set the pace for this unusual book which has an endearing (in an off sort of way) character, Ricardo listening to obscure memories of insane patients. I was taken with the story within the story. I found it to be a good read.

[Melissa Hernandez-Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really glad I picked up this story. I enjoyed the mystery and the story within the story. Everything wrapped nicely at the end. It was, however, a bit slow to start. It took a while to finally get the story going. The balance between the present and the past was very well done. Of course, it can get a little too much, but the balance was good. You get to see everything connect together, and once things do start to connect, you won't be able to put it down. What was also great was how I was able to piece a few things ahead and was correct! The story isn't predictable, but you can piece a few things. I am no expert or have enough information to say as to whether Malachi's mental illness was written well, but I understood what was going on with him. I understood how he is not well and what it takes for him to be okay. I wish there was more to this story after the ending, but it did end well. The narrator, Ricardo, most certainly knew what he was doing, so I wanted more of him after the story ended.

[J.A. Kalis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of the book, Hiding In Third Person, intrigued me and I wanted to find out what it meant. I wasn't disappointed with the story. It hooked me from page one and kept me guessing throughout the entire book as I never knew what to expect next. The characters feel realistic and credible, and are well-developed. Ricky, a young orderly in a mental asylum befriends one of the patients there, Mr. River, who starts one day to tell him an intriguing story. Ricky finds it so fascinating that he keeps coming back over the next couple of days to hear the rest of it. But he wonders whether what the mental patient tells him has really happened or he has just made it all up.
The author did a very good job of weaving two stories into one book. The plot is well crafted and suspenseful with plenty of twists and turns. The writing style is clear, easy to follow and engaging.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bradley spins a good yarn in this tale of a couple of young boys on the run. I won't give away any spoilers, but the story takes a few twists and turns. It does become a bit "thick" in places, with lots of small detail thrown in, and this is generally a bit of a distraction and could have been tightened up quite a bit in the editing. Otherwise, I'd happily give it 5 stars. Still, the main characters--an orderly and a patient at an asylum--are people you can care about. Well worth a read.

[Vigilant Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title – Hiding in Third Person
Author – Phil Bradley
Genre – Mystery, Action/Adventure
260 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5 Posted 9/26/17
No. 60 - 2017

My Impressions: slow to start, vicious criminals, bad guy masquerading as a cop, unexpected compassion.

Main Characters:
Malachi – known as Mr. Rivers, a simple, decent human being with a mental disorder
Doc Micheletti - Honduran punk in a gang.
Ricky – orderly in a mental institution.
Aldo – Camden N.J. police detective who rises to the occasion despite worrying if his wife has cancer.
Rags – Aldo’s young partner.
Beatty – Ocean County police detective.
The Finder – A huge assassin.

A young runaway named Malachi is confined to the Cumberland County Asylum for the Mentally Ill. Ricky, an orderly who befriends him calls the institution The Cumberland County Psycho Spa and Dude Ranch. Ricky patiently listens as Malachi spins a wild yarn of evading the authorities and a killer named The Finder.
Malachi evaded the authorities by hiding at BOMARC, a deserted and abandoned nuclear missile launch site where a nuclear material leak contaminated a section of the large track of land in the New Jersey Barrens forest.
The police assemble a large task force of detectives, park rangers and volunteers to search for two missing Honduran young men as well as Malachi. To keep the suspense intact, The Finder discovered the young men are hiding at BOMARC and set out to kill them.
The story was slow at first as the large cast of characters was introduced. Then it picked up speed and pulled me into the complexities of the plot. The story is simple yet intriguing.

The editing is very good with a few exceptions, as are sentence structure and character development for the main characters.
Details are adequate to good.
The plot is involved with many characters and several unexpected twist in addition to a surprise ending.
The writing style is simple and straight forward.


This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.

[Pegboard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hiding in Third Person will impress you with the simplicity of the story, while adding depth and awe the further you read. Phil Bradley keeps his characters unpredictable and one step ahead of you.
As Mr. River’s story unfolds, Ricky believes the mentally ill patient he is caring for at the asylum is actually giving an account of his own life, told in third person. He seemingly begins telling a story that is unrelated to the first one until the two teenagers in each story meet under terrifying events. Ricky is not ready to let the doctors file Malachi away without intervening to get him the help he needs with the lovely intern.
I found it fascinating that although Malachi was recounting his life, he acknowledged his friends when he told how others knew them to be imaginary. He could accept both beliefs, as if he really was an outside observer.

[PAULA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not my usual beach romance type but I read it because I heard that it was good. The first couple chapters were a little hard for me to grasp but I am so glad I stuck with it. I found the characters to be very interesting and couldn't put it down. Loved the ending!

[Darla Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a fun book to read. I found myself constantly wanting to get back to it to see what the characters were going to do next!

[Rachel Kester · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel by Phil Bradley tells the story of Ricky, who meets a patient at a local asylum named Mr. Rivers. Ricky ends up befriending Mr. Rivers who eventually tells him a very dark yet intriguing story. This story tells of two friends, Malachi and Doc, who are on the run from The Finder, an assassin. These two friends come across many clues, riddles, and problems along the way as they work to protect each other from this sinister figure. Ricky believes Mr. Rivers story might not just be a made-up story, and goes out to discover the truth.
This book is a gripping thriller which will make putting it down difficult. At 218 pages it might be a little long for some, but Bradley’s writing style will make those pages fly by. This is a well-written story and one that fans of suspense (and even those who don’t often read this genre) should definitely consider reading.

[READER VIEWS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (08/17)

“Hiding in Third Person” by Phil Bradley is a compelling and intriguing psychological thriller following two unlikely friends as they navigate through desperate times and questionable choices trying to escape an assassin deep in the New Jersey Pinelands.

The story begins at the Cumberland County Asylum with Ricky, one of the orderlies, who gives readers a glimpse of life inside the facility. Used to hearing far-fetched stories from the patients, and taking them at face value, Ricky is uncharacteristically drawn to the patient dubbed by some of the other orderlies as Mr. River.

Though it is his tendency to keep to himself, over the years Mr. River relates an incredible tale of violence, gang activity, runaway teens, and murder to all who would listen. Because of his remarkable tale, the doctors of the asylum do not believe Mr. River has any chance of getting better, and plan to move him to a more appropriate institution as soon as possible. Sensing that Mr. River’s story is true, Ricky becomes River’s champion of sorts, and sets out to prove the legitimacy of the tale.

First off, a personal note to the author: you had me at the title. I found the clever, enticing play on words unique and refreshing, and combined with the simple yet enigmatic cover, I could not wait to dive into the story. To be honest, if I am initially swayed by the cover and title (I know! It’s not supposed to happen that way, but…), I tend to set higher expectations for the material inside. I’m not entirely sure it is intentional, but it happens nonetheless. With “Hiding in Third Person,” my expectations were met and exceeded, as I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this story.

The author’s voice is distinctive and crisp; the writing is brilliant and just plain engaging. From the present day setting inside the asylum, to the flashbacks of two teens hiding out in an abandoned military base, Bradley’s style paints clear and defined pictures, plunging readers directly into the plot.

The characters are realistic, well-defined and multi-dimensional. I liked connecting with Ricky, the protagonist, as I discovered his many different characteristics. He makes the most of a depressing job with his witty, satirical nature, yet goes weak in the knees over intern Dr. Benitez. He shows a fierce compassion for his patients in the mental institution and is inclined to help the underdog. Ricky truly is the heart of the story, as is Malachi, who you will meet when you read the book, but I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. With real issues and idiosyncrasies, all the characters played key roles in the drama.

In summary, I found “Hiding in Third Person” by Phil Bradley to be a fascinating tale of suspense full of the inconceivable and the unexpected, that will leave you thinking about the story days after the reading is finished. Excellent read.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story from a psychology perspective.

[Heena Rathore Rathore-Pardeshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blog Rating - 3.5/5

Hiding In Third Person is an entertaining yet light-hearted read.

I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect from the book in terms of plot and the story, but once I started reading it I found it a very engaging and an entertaining read. The writing is good and has a nice flow to it. No complex words, no complicated sentence structures and no unnecessary detailing – in short, it was a light and casual read.

The characterisation was not great, but I did care for the main lead, Ricky, enough to finish the entire book pretty quickly. As I already mentioned, it is a light read so it worked for me.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes action, adventure or mystery and even to those who are looking for a breezy read to take a break from their usual reading genres.

You can also read this review at The Reading Bud

[C.E. Clayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Hiding In Third Person” is, on the surface, about an orderly in a mental institution gaining the trust of a patient in order to learn the truth behind his fantastic story about runaways and murder, and keep the troubled man from going to another facility. But things are not as simple as they appear, and the patient, Mr. Rivers, has a story that many think is false, but Ricky, the orderly, knows otherwise. It’s a storyline that should be thrilling, with an intriguing mystery as to what’s real, and who is responsible for Mr. Rivers’ ultimate fate, but the story didn’t really achieve that for me by the books’ conclusion.

The premise is fascinating, and heck, even the book’s title and clever cover art help cement that. I love this cover and title! But it was the delivery that fell flat for me, and I think if this had gone through a copy editor’s hands, a lot of those things would have been caught and cleaned up to where what we are left with, is a thrilling story. The sentence structure and jumbled POV was the biggest sticking point of this for me. Often the chapter starts as one character’s perspective, then mid paragraph switches to another person. This got especially confusing when the cops get involved, and it made it difficult for me to keep track of who was who and who was making the observations, and ultimately made the characters feel a bit flat—at least when it came to most people outside of Malachi.

I thought Bradley did a great job showing Malachi’s quirks, and as someone with a sibling on the autism spectrum, I thought this was portrayed both tastefully, and very well. I especially loved the introspection Ricky has regarding the patients in his care and what it means to be left at the asylum. I wish there had been more focus on that at times, for the author does bring up good points and observations that I felt should be explored further. In fact, I thought Ricky’s story was far more interesting and believable than the cop’s sections of the books, and longed for the author to spend more time with this orderly, which would have made the ending all the more impactful in my opinion.

Like I said, the premise of this book is very interesting and holds so much promise. But because of the POV and confusing sentence structure, I could never lose myself to the story and get swept up in the suspense and mystery Bradley sets up. This is one of those books that, if it went through another round of copy edits, will be fabulous, but as is, the story and plot just never sparkled enough for me to truly enjoy the story. Ultimately, I just don’t think this book was for me. So, for now, this book is a 2.5 rating, but I’d probably change this if later updated editions of the book come out, and thanks to the author for providing a copy for review!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle Book Review for- Hiding in Third Person by Phil Bradley

Our story begins with our Protagonist introducing himself as an orderly in an Insane Asylum on the outskirts of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania or as he would call it “The Psycho Spa and Dude Ranch” We find out his name is Ricardo, the youngest of the orderlies at the Psycho Spa. I found the title of this story interesting, since Ricardo is also hiding from something bad that happened in his past. His job at the Psycho Spa keeps him busy as he cleans up after the inmates or “Wackos” as he would call them. With permission from the Spa Management, or perhaps as a reward for his hard work, Ricardo sits with the Wackos and listens to some of the crazy stories they tell. He seems to like this privilege since it gets him away from his boring and burdensome chores at the Psycho Spa.
Ricardo finds himself attracted to what he feels are true stories from one of the Wackos he calls Mr. River. And so that is where this story goes, with Ricardo meeting with and listening to the detailed stories of Mr. Rivers. From the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, to the life and death struggle of the street gangs in Philadelphia, and on; Ricardo along with Mr. Rivers and his real or perhaps imaginary friends take you on a journey full of life. Read it for yourself, and find out what happens as the story twists around to the end. You won’t be disappointed.
The writing is clean and good, the story flows. An interesting work of fiction, I highly recommend this book.
Review by Robert J Saniscalchi: Author of the novels- Bullets and Bandages, My Life For Her, and Freedom’s Light. 8/20/2017

[Nalene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book since a signed copy was sent to me by the author, and I do think the overall concept is unique and intriguing. However, it took at least the first half of the book for me to get any momentum as a reader of this tale. I didn't feel the characters had been developed enough for me to become invested in their progress, and the frequently shifting narrative voice was a bit confusing for awhile. Given the way the novel developed and concluded, these decisions make sense, as does the use of narrators with uncertain reliability. Nevertheless, it was hard to stick with the plotline and characters long enough to see any sort of payoff. For the most part the ending was rewarding enough, but even then certain character threads were left hanging (like Aldo's wife, for instance). I don't know if Mr. Bradley has hopes to write a follow-up book, but that would make sense given the ending.

[The Reading Bud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blog Rating - 3.5/5

Hiding In Third Person is an entertaining yet light-hearted and quick read.

I wasn't sure what exactly to expect from the book in terms of plot and the story, but once I started reading it I found it a very engaging and an entertaining read. The writing is good and has a nice flow to it. No complex words, no complicated sentence structures and no unnecessary detailing – in short, it was a light and casual read...

Read the full review here - The Reading Bud

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ricky has worked in a insane asylum for 5 years. The job ain’t much, but as long as he can entertain himself by hearing the looney stories, then it’s too bad. He is particularly intrigued by this one looney though. His name is Mr. Rivers, a paraplegic with burn scars all over his arms and face. It all begins when Ricky stars listening to this old man.

This whole book actually centers on Mr. Rivers’ story, which I failed to see the point in. What was he talking about? It was just weird and confusing. I actually wished the story was more focused on Ricky.

[Evan Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love books that leave you questioning "what is going to happen next" at the end of a chapter. This book did that!

[Cindy]

This one started off too slow - I just lost interest.

[Shawna Alpdemir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a fun read with a fair amount of surprises. Enjoyable and an interesting voice.