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Building 51
Partially burned and completely abandoned, the Hudson River State Hospital for the Insane stands as a crumbling reminder of the dark, early days of the treatment of the mentally ill. While the hospital was touted as “revolutionary,” it was more of a warehouse. Shock treatment, lobotomies, and straightjackets weren't scary stories; they were the reality. For 140 years, unspeakable acts happened within the hospital’s walls and wards, and it was not only the patients who committed them. In Building 51, a group of seven friends exploring the ruins discover a room full of old, battered suitcases. Why were they still there? Because their owners never left. And they're excited to have visitors.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2018
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637 people want to read
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December 20, 2018
There's an abandoned mental institution in my town. I've heard plenty of stories about its closing over the years. Mostly, I was told that when the state shut it down in the seventies, its patients had nowhere else to go, and they became the "street people" that everyone around my town knew. They weren't bad people, and they weren't dangerous. They were a little "off," maybe, but they had distinct personalities, and they became well-known "characters." I also heard that the hospital used to allow patients to work the farms nearby to give them exercise and fresh air. But the state stopped allowing that, claiming it was wrong to have the patients work for free. They either had to get paid, or they couldn't work, so the hospital stopped them from working.
Now, the buildings stand on the edge of town, across from a popular park. The grounds are fairly extensive, but they're also creepy. Most of the buildings on the outer edges were former homes for staff members. I can't see the patients' quarters from the road, and the whole place is fenced off, forbidden. I'm sure people have sneaked into the grounds, and I'm sure they've vandalized the place and maybe even have stayed there when they had nowhere else to go. I'm sure it's haunted by the people who never got to leave.
Enter Building 51 by Jennifer L. Place. I heard about this novel from my friend, who knows the author. When she told me that it takes place at the abandoned mental hospital, I thought she meant the one in my town. It turns out that this book is about the Hudson River State Hospital, located about an hour from where I live. Still, the images conjured up by the idea of this book, connecting to something so close to home (and literal images I Googled of the creepy Hudson River State Hospital), made me really want to check this book out!
Building 51 refers to the nickname of the main building of the shut-down and abandoned HRSH, the number correlating to its location on a survey map. Like "my" hospital, this hospital is well-known locally, and the grounds have been trespassed on, burgled, and used as a makeshift hotel of sorts. I can understand why places like HRSH draw trespassers--there's something intriguing about a former mental hospital, given all the stories we've heard about the way mental health problems were treated years ago. We know about the lobotomies and electroshock therapy, the way that people with the most "manageable" problems were treated as dangerous and unfit for "normal" life. Add all of that intrigue to the idea of creepy old buildings, left to fall apart, struck by lightning, seemingly long-abandoned, and it's enough to make me want to explore the grounds of "my" hospital too. Only, when you actually read through this story, all you want is to stay far away! Anyway, it's a great location for a ghost story, and Jennifer Place uses the location well for a creepy plot that made this book really hard to put down.
The story starts with seven friends at a diner. Gregory, the newcomer to the group as Sarah's new boyfriend (her ex is Jackson, another member of the group), suggests they all go to HRSH, break in, and look around. The group seems to take it as more of an offhand suggestion, but when they next hang out, the plan comes up again and takes shape. The friends follow through and make it to the grounds. They start with Building 51, and that's where everything really begins.
The characters are really well-drawn. They're funny, and their banter back and forth from the beginning is entertaining. Each character is realistic and "relatable" in some way. I like Jackson the best, probably because we're really in his head the most, but I felt a fondness for each of the other characters except Gregory, with whom I get the feeling we're not meant to sympathize...
I like Place's writing style. She provides just the right amount of detail about the grounds to make everything come alive (ha! pun intended). She evokes the creepy atmosphere of the place so well. I also appreciated that she doesn't make the former patients come off as "crazy" people doing "crazy" things. She has the characters see the patients and even the staff with sympathy. She gives them moments to show their humanity and to remind her readers that people with mental health problems don't fit the stereotypical mold of what comes to mind when we hear "mental patient." It's important to treat people with sensitivity, and Place does that...while also using the location and the former patients to create a really great, suspenseful horror story.
That's the other thing I like about this book. The story is engrossing. At first, the friends drew me in, but then, it was the plot. It's well-paced, and I like that Place jumps from one character's perspective to another. She knows how to end a chapter, so you want to keep reading to get to the next chapter from that person's perspective.
The final aspect of this book that I loved is the ending. It's such a good twist (and a little twisted, I will say...), and it gave me that thrill of coming to a satisfying ending. It wasn't the ending I saw coming nor the ending I wanted, but it made sense, and I liked it. Also, that Epilogue....
The only reasons I gave this book four stars and not five are:
one, it has quite a few copy editing errors. I am very picky about those things in books. In fact, I'm rereading Mossflower, a well-known book by a famous British author, and there are quite a few typos, and it really bothers me. So, that's not specific to this book, but for some readers, I think it would be more glaring. The only other thing was some redundancy: "Her voice was awful, a mixture of a rattle and a little girl's voice, sing songy, which made Gregory's blood go cold," for instance. We don't need to be told her voice was awful because the great description that follows should make us feel that awfulness. This doesn't happen a lot throughout the book but often enough for me to notice it.
These are both picky critiques because the book is really good! It's fun, entertaining, engrossing, suspenseful, and eerie. It's not scary, necessarily, but I would classify it as horror because of what happens over the course of the story, but it didn't give me nightmares. I was careful not to read it right before I went to bed, though!
I highly recommend this book if you want something suspenseful and "easy" to read with great characters and a plot that moves quickly from beginning to end with strong conflict and a satisfying ending.
Now, the buildings stand on the edge of town, across from a popular park. The grounds are fairly extensive, but they're also creepy. Most of the buildings on the outer edges were former homes for staff members. I can't see the patients' quarters from the road, and the whole place is fenced off, forbidden. I'm sure people have sneaked into the grounds, and I'm sure they've vandalized the place and maybe even have stayed there when they had nowhere else to go. I'm sure it's haunted by the people who never got to leave.
Enter Building 51 by Jennifer L. Place. I heard about this novel from my friend, who knows the author. When she told me that it takes place at the abandoned mental hospital, I thought she meant the one in my town. It turns out that this book is about the Hudson River State Hospital, located about an hour from where I live. Still, the images conjured up by the idea of this book, connecting to something so close to home (and literal images I Googled of the creepy Hudson River State Hospital), made me really want to check this book out!
Building 51 refers to the nickname of the main building of the shut-down and abandoned HRSH, the number correlating to its location on a survey map. Like "my" hospital, this hospital is well-known locally, and the grounds have been trespassed on, burgled, and used as a makeshift hotel of sorts. I can understand why places like HRSH draw trespassers--there's something intriguing about a former mental hospital, given all the stories we've heard about the way mental health problems were treated years ago. We know about the lobotomies and electroshock therapy, the way that people with the most "manageable" problems were treated as dangerous and unfit for "normal" life. Add all of that intrigue to the idea of creepy old buildings, left to fall apart, struck by lightning, seemingly long-abandoned, and it's enough to make me want to explore the grounds of "my" hospital too. Only, when you actually read through this story, all you want is to stay far away! Anyway, it's a great location for a ghost story, and Jennifer Place uses the location well for a creepy plot that made this book really hard to put down.
The story starts with seven friends at a diner. Gregory, the newcomer to the group as Sarah's new boyfriend (her ex is Jackson, another member of the group), suggests they all go to HRSH, break in, and look around. The group seems to take it as more of an offhand suggestion, but when they next hang out, the plan comes up again and takes shape. The friends follow through and make it to the grounds. They start with Building 51, and that's where everything really begins.
The characters are really well-drawn. They're funny, and their banter back and forth from the beginning is entertaining. Each character is realistic and "relatable" in some way. I like Jackson the best, probably because we're really in his head the most, but I felt a fondness for each of the other characters except Gregory, with whom I get the feeling we're not meant to sympathize...
I like Place's writing style. She provides just the right amount of detail about the grounds to make everything come alive (ha! pun intended). She evokes the creepy atmosphere of the place so well. I also appreciated that she doesn't make the former patients come off as "crazy" people doing "crazy" things. She has the characters see the patients and even the staff with sympathy. She gives them moments to show their humanity and to remind her readers that people with mental health problems don't fit the stereotypical mold of what comes to mind when we hear "mental patient." It's important to treat people with sensitivity, and Place does that...while also using the location and the former patients to create a really great, suspenseful horror story.
That's the other thing I like about this book. The story is engrossing. At first, the friends drew me in, but then, it was the plot. It's well-paced, and I like that Place jumps from one character's perspective to another. She knows how to end a chapter, so you want to keep reading to get to the next chapter from that person's perspective.
The final aspect of this book that I loved is the ending. It's such a good twist (and a little twisted, I will say...), and it gave me that thrill of coming to a satisfying ending. It wasn't the ending I saw coming nor the ending I wanted, but it made sense, and I liked it. Also, that Epilogue....
The only reasons I gave this book four stars and not five are:
one, it has quite a few copy editing errors. I am very picky about those things in books. In fact, I'm rereading Mossflower, a well-known book by a famous British author, and there are quite a few typos, and it really bothers me. So, that's not specific to this book, but for some readers, I think it would be more glaring. The only other thing was some redundancy: "Her voice was awful, a mixture of a rattle and a little girl's voice, sing songy, which made Gregory's blood go cold," for instance. We don't need to be told her voice was awful because the great description that follows should make us feel that awfulness. This doesn't happen a lot throughout the book but often enough for me to notice it.
These are both picky critiques because the book is really good! It's fun, entertaining, engrossing, suspenseful, and eerie. It's not scary, necessarily, but I would classify it as horror because of what happens over the course of the story, but it didn't give me nightmares. I was careful not to read it right before I went to bed, though!
I highly recommend this book if you want something suspenseful and "easy" to read with great characters and a plot that moves quickly from beginning to end with strong conflict and a satisfying ending.
February 22, 2021
Много интересна и смразяваща история. Действието всъщност се развива в останките на стара психиатрична болница. Тази сграда действително е съществувала, в Ню Йорк, и е била известна като Hudson River State Hospital, от 1873г. Имало е 40 пациента, които са се лекували там. Сградата е била изоставена през 2003 и окончателно затворена през 2012, а през 2013- продадена на анонимен купувач.
Много мистериозни и ужасяващи случки витаят из коризорите на болницата, а в " Building 51", авторката Jennifer L. Place развихря въображението си и ни въвежда в сърцето на изоставената сграда. Там заедно с компания от приятели ентусиасти, отваря забравените врати и ни кани да надникнем вътре, в стаи, които може би все още не са празни.
Много добре написана ужасяваща история. Макар и кратка, успя да ме накара да настръхна.
Много мистериозни и ужасяващи случки витаят из коризорите на болницата, а в " Building 51", авторката Jennifer L. Place развихря въображението си и ни въвежда в сърцето на изоставената сграда. Там заедно с компания от приятели ентусиасти, отваря забравените врати и ни кани да надникнем вътре, в стаи, които може би все още не са празни.
Много добре написана ужасяваща история. Макар и кратка, успя да ме накара да настръхна.
December 16, 2020
Някои болници не се разделят със своите пациенти .....
Не искам да бъда на мястото на тази групичка приятели тръгнали да разгледат мрачните коридори , врати зад които стои ужаса и който сякаш се просмуква в тила ти .
Не искам да бъда на мястото на тази групичка приятели тръгнали да разгледат мрачните коридори , врати зад които стои ужаса и който сякаш се просмуква в тила ти .
January 7, 2018
Super creepy and really great read
Just finished a few minutes ago, and I've got to tell you that this book really grabs you by the scruff of the neck and doesn't stop shaking you until the last page is turned. Well fleshed out story, exciting and believable characters, and enough compelling, gruesome imagery to make you consider turning on another light while reading. If you're a fan of asylum stories, you must add this one to your collection...it's a definite keeper.
Just finished a few minutes ago, and I've got to tell you that this book really grabs you by the scruff of the neck and doesn't stop shaking you until the last page is turned. Well fleshed out story, exciting and believable characters, and enough compelling, gruesome imagery to make you consider turning on another light while reading. If you're a fan of asylum stories, you must add this one to your collection...it's a definite keeper.
April 12, 2021
I have a soft spot for those bad movies where people go into an abandoned place to find and/or film ghosts and get more than they bargained for. Kinda like all the ghost hunter shows, except something actually happens. And frankly, I wish something would happen on one of those ghost hunter shows. Those guys can be such idiots.
Anyway, we have a creepy abandoned asylum, stupid 20-somethings trespassing, and some pissed off ghosts haunting the place. Great recipe right?! This was actually really good, but I felt like it dropped off at the end. All of a sudden, it's over and I was left wondering what the heck happened. Dropped it a star for that ending, but otherwise a good story.
Anyway, we have a creepy abandoned asylum, stupid 20-somethings trespassing, and some pissed off ghosts haunting the place. Great recipe right?! This was actually really good, but I felt like it dropped off at the end. All of a sudden, it's over and I was left wondering what the heck happened. Dropped it a star for that ending, but otherwise a good story.
March 4, 2019
Sensational. Truly a wonderful modern horror straight from a well-developed imagination. Gripping to the very end.
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May 25, 2018very suspenseful!!! enjoyed reading a book based on a location close to my home. wondering if there will be a sequel
November 28, 2018
I really liked this book. My only qualm is that I wish it was longer and wanted to know more. I hope there is a part 2.
March 13, 2019
Urban exploration horror filled with tension and some truth…
Building 51 follows the events of seven friends as they embark on an exploration excursion. Their destination the Hudson River State Hospital for the Insane; a real place with a real history that can be described as harrowing to say the least.
Exploration of abandoned places is a specialist niche in the genre of horror and one which I very much enjoy. Films such as ‘Grave encounters’ and ‘House on Haunted Hill’ come to mind but in terms of books, Building 51 is the benchmark and makes for a roller coaster tension filled read.
Fusing elements of real history and the paranormal make this story and the characters in it feel like something is lurking and watching them. Something is and this gradually becomes apparent manifesting itself in a range of unique and creepy ways.
The overall flow of the book is cinematic and even nods to the horror movie rules, some of which the characters unfortunately fall into. Many horror stories tend to run out of ideas near the end but not in Building 51 where the strong premise stands all the way to the end.
Building 51 follows the events of seven friends as they embark on an exploration excursion. Their destination the Hudson River State Hospital for the Insane; a real place with a real history that can be described as harrowing to say the least.
Exploration of abandoned places is a specialist niche in the genre of horror and one which I very much enjoy. Films such as ‘Grave encounters’ and ‘House on Haunted Hill’ come to mind but in terms of books, Building 51 is the benchmark and makes for a roller coaster tension filled read.
Fusing elements of real history and the paranormal make this story and the characters in it feel like something is lurking and watching them. Something is and this gradually becomes apparent manifesting itself in a range of unique and creepy ways.
The overall flow of the book is cinematic and even nods to the horror movie rules, some of which the characters unfortunately fall into. Many horror stories tend to run out of ideas near the end but not in Building 51 where the strong premise stands all the way to the end.
September 5, 2020
A unique ghost story set in an abandoned and dilapidated mental asylum. The fact that this place actually exists makes the story all the more alarming and chilling. The author sets the scene well and her cast of characters quickly become familiar as they explore the seemingly vacant building. Soon each is confronted by echoes and shadows from the asylum's dark past. Who if any of the foolish group of friends will survive? The book is written almost like a movie and I was able to visualise the scenes well and I had to keep reading to find out what would be the fate of the explorers of building 51.
October 1, 2020
Excellent read indeed!
Over the past six months I've read a number of books based in asylums. All were very good as was Building 51. Great characters and very well written. Jennifer L Place is a new author to me and I will lookout for more of her books. 10/10.
Over the past six months I've read a number of books based in asylums. All were very good as was Building 51. Great characters and very well written. Jennifer L Place is a new author to me and I will lookout for more of her books. 10/10.
January 22, 2020
I loved this book! The build up is amazing and at times i felt like i was in the story. Very well written. A must read if you like to support horror writers.
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February 15, 2026I thought this book was good. The topic was unusual for me to read about. It is set in a complex of old buildings where insane and mentally ill patients were kept many years ago, hence the name building 51. This complex is located in a small town where many residents worked in the facility. A group of 7 young friends go there to find out what it's really like and several end up dead (plot reveal). The characters that die see former residents of the facility before they are killed. The grandmother of one of the young people worries all day and into the night about her grandchild and calls the police who discover several dead young people. I liked it quite a bit.
June 25, 2023
A mental hospital for the insane sits atop a hill next to the Hudson River. Back in the day those who may have been sad, have a temper or even those who read one too many books would be locked away there. Intrusive "treatments", horrible staff and strange patients were in this hospital. With heinous acts and unethical practices happening throughout the hospital when it was open, it now lays abandoned.. but what could go wrong when a group of friends decide to go and explore it?
We follow Jackson and his friends Sarah and her new boyfriend Gregory, Valerie, Adam, Jay and Georgia as they explore the abandoned mental hospital. Gregory was the one with the idea to go to the abandoned hospital in the first place.. but why? And does he have a connection to the place?
Ooh this was so good, I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely be re-reading this when autumn comes around 🖤.
(Oh I loved Valerie's Gram Louise 🥰)
We follow Jackson and his friends Sarah and her new boyfriend Gregory, Valerie, Adam, Jay and Georgia as they explore the abandoned mental hospital. Gregory was the one with the idea to go to the abandoned hospital in the first place.. but why? And does he have a connection to the place?
Ooh this was so good, I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely be re-reading this when autumn comes around 🖤.
(Oh I loved Valerie's Gram Louise 🥰)
February 1, 2018
Loved it from beginning to end! Actually I couldn't put it down. Many a dish got unwashed etc. but it was so worth it. Thank you Jenn, for another riviting novel that I will read again! I'm sure my second go round will fill me in on many things I missed in my anxiousness to find out what was coming next. I loved this book because it was so different and brought out so many interesting twists and turns that I could hardly keep up. Good work. Looking forward to your next thriller!
I chose this rating because I didn't want to put it down. It was that enthralling and also do interesting. I recommend this to everyone who enjoys a really good thriller!
I chose this rating because I didn't want to put it down. It was that enthralling and also do interesting. I recommend this to everyone who enjoys a really good thriller!
September 22, 2018
AWESOME, A MUST READ!!
April 23, 2022
Just finished this. It was okayish. It read like a decent script for a mid-level horror movie. I actually would have enjoyed it more as a movie. There was something missing here that's hard to explain. I understood who the characters were and the location they were in, but had a hard time really manifesting any of it in my imagination. Had this been on screen, which would have allowed me to read body language, facial expressions, and the interactions between them, I would have been able to connect with who these 5 people were. Had I been able to hear the subtle sounds and nuances in their voices, seen what they were seeing, I would have had a better understanding of what they were experiencing. For whatever reason, I just couldn't get that connection through what was given to me on the page.
October 5, 2019
If you're looking for a little haunting tale this Halloween, pick up this book. While Horror may not be my genre, I can certainly say this was very well written, with characters you can really identify with and certain scenes that will definitely creep you out.
For those who like warnings: there is major character death, as any proper horror story will have.
For those who like warnings: there is major character death, as any proper horror story will have.
September 2, 2019
This book sucked. There are a ton of grammar and sentence structure errors. The story is unbelievable and corny. There’s no reasoning into why the deaths happened or why the asylum seemingly comes back to life.
It’s just a boring ghost story. 1/5 stars, don’t recommend. I regret reading it.
It’s just a boring ghost story. 1/5 stars, don’t recommend. I regret reading it.
April 14, 2026
This... was a letdown. I felt everything was anticlimactic, and the "scary ghosts" in the abandoned hospital didn't do much. I was super annoyed by the drama from the group of teens who went exploring. I hated the new boyfriend who came up with this idea; I thought he should've just gone on his own. Very typical scary-movie characters who feel something is wrong and go into danger anyway.
I did like the way the ghosts killed; I thought those were very unique and clever kills that fit the story. I liked the ending of what happened to them (I won't spoil it lol), but only those select things saved this book. I thought that, even though this book was a fast, short read, it still could have been condensed, but I like quick reads, so it wasn't a big deal.
I will not read this again, but I may read something else from the author, Happy Reading!
I did like the way the ghosts killed; I thought those were very unique and clever kills that fit the story. I liked the ending of what happened to them (I won't spoil it lol), but only those select things saved this book. I thought that, even though this book was a fast, short read, it still could have been condensed, but I like quick reads, so it wasn't a big deal.
I will not read this again, but I may read something else from the author, Happy Reading!
May 9, 2022
Very good haunted asylum story. This is the kind of thing you secretly want to see during those paranormal investigation shows. Well, maybe not the death part, I don't want them to die, but the intense horror. Lots of creepy atmosphere and dread waiting for the action to start. Towards the end, the police could have used Joe Kenda to investigate, they didn't seem too great at their job, but it made for an interesting ending.
May 10, 2018
First of all, I admit I'm not partial to books that are too gory, or that make me want to turn on all the lights. So, there were paragraphs I barely skimmed, because I was able to figure out what was going to happen without having to read the blow-by-blow.
I wanted to read this because I live near the abandoned hospital in which the story is set, and it's always fun to read about places with which you're familiar. I didn't find much in the way of local landmarks, though, and I wish there'd been a place described that was recognizable.
The biggest disappointment was that it could have been so much more. I had high hopes when the adventure started, but everything became too predictable - the characters' actions and reactions, the plot, the ending. There's room for a sequel, which I'd be willing to read just to see if there's any improvement.
I wanted to read this because I live near the abandoned hospital in which the story is set, and it's always fun to read about places with which you're familiar. I didn't find much in the way of local landmarks, though, and I wish there'd been a place described that was recognizable.
The biggest disappointment was that it could have been so much more. I had high hopes when the adventure started, but everything became too predictable - the characters' actions and reactions, the plot, the ending. There's room for a sequel, which I'd be willing to read just to see if there's any improvement.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews