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Monsters in the Hallway
In December 1949, life was nearly perfect for Jason Korsen--until voices told his father to kill the family. They escaped death but Jason's father, Peder, was sent to the insane asylum.
Jason struggles with bullies while his family struggles with poverty. Life couldn't get any worse. Or so they thought.
Ten years later, Jason's friend Roy Pettit is found molested and murdered after a Boy Scout meeting. A choir girl disappears that same night. The obvious suspect is Peder Korsen, who escaped from the asylum.
Everyone in town is ready to hang Peder--everyone except Jason and Detective Joe Stroud. One month away from retirement, Stroud is haunted by the case and challenged by extreme political pressure to charge Peder.
Jason knows he must prove his father's innocence, but how? Who would listen to a high school senior, the son of the main suspect?
And who would ever believe him if he named the real killer--a monster who has done more than just kill a Boy Scout?
Jason struggles with bullies while his family struggles with poverty. Life couldn't get any worse. Or so they thought.
Ten years later, Jason's friend Roy Pettit is found molested and murdered after a Boy Scout meeting. A choir girl disappears that same night. The obvious suspect is Peder Korsen, who escaped from the asylum.
Everyone in town is ready to hang Peder--everyone except Jason and Detective Joe Stroud. One month away from retirement, Stroud is haunted by the case and challenged by extreme political pressure to charge Peder.
Jason knows he must prove his father's innocence, but how? Who would listen to a high school senior, the son of the main suspect?
And who would ever believe him if he named the real killer--a monster who has done more than just kill a Boy Scout?
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2018
30 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Jim Kosmo
4 books6 followersCaptain Jim Kosmo is a national award-winning journalist and author, a US Coast Guard-licensed Mississippi riverboat pilot, and former partner of Padelford Riverboat Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. Before joining the family riverboat business, he was a newspaper editor in Nevada and Minnesota and a corporate public relations executive in Minnesota and Illinois.
Kosmo’s newest book, Monsters in the Hallway, is an award-winning mystery novel based largely on his childhood in Eau Claire, WI. His previous book, Still Standing: The Story of Staff Sergeant John Kriesel, is a nonfiction account of a soldier who lost his legs and two buddies in an IED explosion near Fallujah, Iraq. The best-selling motivational book won eight national book awards and is in its eleventh printing.
Kosmo served as president of the Rotary Club of St. Paul (2013-14), founded the Minnesota Valley Branch YMCA, was chair of the Rivers Region of the Passenger Vessel Association, and was mayor of the city of Bayport, MN. He also is business representative on the Minnesota National Guard Senior Advisory Task Force and sits on several health care and education boards.
Kosmo and wife Shelley have a blended family with eight adult children and twelve grandchildren.
Kosmo’s newest book, Monsters in the Hallway, is an award-winning mystery novel based largely on his childhood in Eau Claire, WI. His previous book, Still Standing: The Story of Staff Sergeant John Kriesel, is a nonfiction account of a soldier who lost his legs and two buddies in an IED explosion near Fallujah, Iraq. The best-selling motivational book won eight national book awards and is in its eleventh printing.
Kosmo served as president of the Rotary Club of St. Paul (2013-14), founded the Minnesota Valley Branch YMCA, was chair of the Rivers Region of the Passenger Vessel Association, and was mayor of the city of Bayport, MN. He also is business representative on the Minnesota National Guard Senior Advisory Task Force and sits on several health care and education boards.
Kosmo and wife Shelley have a blended family with eight adult children and twelve grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 26, 2018
I read this book for my home-town book club. I was so glad it was picked, because it's a book that I probably never would have picked up otherwise. It was such a cool experience reading a book that takes place near where I grew up. The locations were all familiar to me and I had no idea that we had an insane asylum. It was very interesting to learn about my town's dark secrets.
"In December 1949, life was nearly perfect for Jason Korsen--until voices told his father to kill the family. They escaped death but Jason's father, Peder, was sent to the insane asylum.
Jason struggles with bullies while his family struggles with poverty. Life couldn't get any worse. Or so they thought.
Ten years later, Jason's friend Roy Pettit is found molested and murdered after a Boy Scout meeting. A choir girl disappears that same night. The obvious suspect is Peder Korsen, who escaped from the asylum.
Everyone in town is ready to hang Peder--everyone except Jason and Detective Joe Stroud. One month away from retirement, Stroud is haunted by the case and challenged by extreme political pressure to charge Peder.
Jason knows he must prove his father's innocence, but how? Who would listen to a high school senior, the son of the main suspect? And who would ever believe him if he named the real killer--a monster who has done more than just kill a Boy Scout?"
"In December 1949, life was nearly perfect for Jason Korsen--until voices told his father to kill the family. They escaped death but Jason's father, Peder, was sent to the insane asylum.
Jason struggles with bullies while his family struggles with poverty. Life couldn't get any worse. Or so they thought.
Ten years later, Jason's friend Roy Pettit is found molested and murdered after a Boy Scout meeting. A choir girl disappears that same night. The obvious suspect is Peder Korsen, who escaped from the asylum.
Everyone in town is ready to hang Peder--everyone except Jason and Detective Joe Stroud. One month away from retirement, Stroud is haunted by the case and challenged by extreme political pressure to charge Peder.
Jason knows he must prove his father's innocence, but how? Who would listen to a high school senior, the son of the main suspect? And who would ever believe him if he named the real killer--a monster who has done more than just kill a Boy Scout?"
July 17, 2019
Monsters in the Hallway is set in small town Eau Claire, Wisconsin during the 1950s and 1960s. Jason remembers his early family life as happy with his parents and sister. Then as he gets a little bit older his father begins to hear voices. These voices tell him to do things, things that are hurtful and dangerous. Soon the community is concerned and after incidents at work at home his father is diagnosed as sick in the head and admitted to the EC County Asylum.
Life is difficult for his mother as she tries to raise two children on her own. She struggles financially and emotionally. Soon they must move in with her parents. At the same time a local Boy Scout is found murdered. The mystery takes a toll on Jason and his family, and soon another boy is missing.
This book intertwines both stories seamlessly. The mystery will keep the reader completely enthralled trying to solve it, while they feel sympathy for Jason and his family.
This book is based on true events, with the murders added in as fiction. It brings a whole new light to mental health and how treatment has evolved over the years.
I’d highly recommend this book to anyone interested in crime and mystery, mental health, or anyone who enjoys a good book!
Life is difficult for his mother as she tries to raise two children on her own. She struggles financially and emotionally. Soon they must move in with her parents. At the same time a local Boy Scout is found murdered. The mystery takes a toll on Jason and his family, and soon another boy is missing.
This book intertwines both stories seamlessly. The mystery will keep the reader completely enthralled trying to solve it, while they feel sympathy for Jason and his family.
This book is based on true events, with the murders added in as fiction. It brings a whole new light to mental health and how treatment has evolved over the years.
I’d highly recommend this book to anyone interested in crime and mystery, mental health, or anyone who enjoys a good book!
May 6, 2018
Very well written and intriguing!
Jim painted a realistic picture of growing up in Wisconsin in the 50's with many people just trying to do the right thing. There were many struggles to plow through, and I felt like I was there pulling for him, his Mom and the police chief. Characters like Grandma Libby added entertainment. Great work Jim!
Jim painted a realistic picture of growing up in Wisconsin in the 50's with many people just trying to do the right thing. There were many struggles to plow through, and I felt like I was there pulling for him, his Mom and the police chief. Characters like Grandma Libby added entertainment. Great work Jim!
June 26, 2018
Captures your attention
After I heard that this book had reference to the EC Asylum, I really wanted to read it. I had a family member work there in the late 60s.
Once I downloaded the book I couldn't stop reading it. Held my interest the entire time!
Now I can't wait to move on to another of Author Kosmos books
After I heard that this book had reference to the EC Asylum, I really wanted to read it. I had a family member work there in the late 60s.
Once I downloaded the book I couldn't stop reading it. Held my interest the entire time!
Now I can't wait to move on to another of Author Kosmos books
October 29, 2018
Monsters in the Hallway is a standalone novel and is based on true events that the author experienced while growing up in the years when mental health was not understood and sexual attacks on children not spoken about.
Jason knows his father can be a little strange. Sure he talks to people that aren’t there and yes he did try to kill the family by setting fire to the house. But when the monsters in white coats come to take him away, Jason has torn feelings about it. Now the burden falls on his mom to take care of the family; no mean feat in the 50s. As crazy experiments are done on his father in the hospital, Jason grows up a responsible and polite young man and works hard within his Eagle Scout Troop. On the night Jason is honoured for rescuing his sister from the fire that his father set, his best friend Roy who is also a pack member, is raped and murdered. Jason’s father escaped from the hospital that night to see him receive the award and is now the prime suspect in the case. Detective Stroud and Jason are the only two people that believe in his father’s innocence. The detective because of clues popping up in other similar cases, and Jason because he knows there is someone out there who is hurting young children. He does, after all, have firsthand experience. So begins an extraordinary story of people working together to prove a man’s innocence amidst kidnapping, sexual abuse, murder and the stigma placed on misunderstood mental health.
This book really pulled me in and I didn’t realise it was based on a true story until the very end. So many people are victims in this story; whether directly affected or a family member or friend. The nurture versus nature debate had a strong thread throughout the story and made a huge impact on the choices a lot of the characters made. The fact that the author was courageous enough to come forward as a young man and then relive the memories while writing the book is truly impressive. So much bias against those suffering from mental health in this day and age is inexcusable, and it’s sad that opinions are formed based not on facts, but on mass fear. The book was exceptionally well-written and definitely made a strong impression on me.
I highly recommend this book.
Jason knows his father can be a little strange. Sure he talks to people that aren’t there and yes he did try to kill the family by setting fire to the house. But when the monsters in white coats come to take him away, Jason has torn feelings about it. Now the burden falls on his mom to take care of the family; no mean feat in the 50s. As crazy experiments are done on his father in the hospital, Jason grows up a responsible and polite young man and works hard within his Eagle Scout Troop. On the night Jason is honoured for rescuing his sister from the fire that his father set, his best friend Roy who is also a pack member, is raped and murdered. Jason’s father escaped from the hospital that night to see him receive the award and is now the prime suspect in the case. Detective Stroud and Jason are the only two people that believe in his father’s innocence. The detective because of clues popping up in other similar cases, and Jason because he knows there is someone out there who is hurting young children. He does, after all, have firsthand experience. So begins an extraordinary story of people working together to prove a man’s innocence amidst kidnapping, sexual abuse, murder and the stigma placed on misunderstood mental health.
This book really pulled me in and I didn’t realise it was based on a true story until the very end. So many people are victims in this story; whether directly affected or a family member or friend. The nurture versus nature debate had a strong thread throughout the story and made a huge impact on the choices a lot of the characters made. The fact that the author was courageous enough to come forward as a young man and then relive the memories while writing the book is truly impressive. So much bias against those suffering from mental health in this day and age is inexcusable, and it’s sad that opinions are formed based not on facts, but on mass fear. The book was exceptionally well-written and definitely made a strong impression on me.
I highly recommend this book.
September 10, 2021
More than meets the eye
At first, I thought the author told a good, if tragic, story. Sometimes waxing verbose, but after a while I came to enjoy the detailed explanations. But the true reason for the five stars didn't occur until after the ending. I cannot possibly emphasize how brave and selfless the author truly is without giving too much away, but I heavily recommend this book not just for the discussions it surely will create, but because it's necessary for past and present preservation. Please, read to the absolute end of the book, and not just the story. Then recommend it to others not for book sales, but because it is that valuable not only for the story, but the things covered in the parts after the end.
At first, I thought the author told a good, if tragic, story. Sometimes waxing verbose, but after a while I came to enjoy the detailed explanations. But the true reason for the five stars didn't occur until after the ending. I cannot possibly emphasize how brave and selfless the author truly is without giving too much away, but I heavily recommend this book not just for the discussions it surely will create, but because it's necessary for past and present preservation. Please, read to the absolute end of the book, and not just the story. Then recommend it to others not for book sales, but because it is that valuable not only for the story, but the things covered in the parts after the end.
January 22, 2018
Jim Kosmo has crafted a suspenseful story of small town life, the stigma of mental illness, and the struggles police detectives faced in an era before Internet databases and DNA testing. A blend of historical fiction and memoir, the characters and plot are captivating and wholly believable. It's a "don't want to put it down" kind of book - well researched and well written. Highly recommended, especially for crime drama lovers.
March 14, 2019
Great book!
This book is a thrilling mystery that hooks you in and keeps you reading! This book does have some displays of sexual violence and would not be appealing to audiences bothered by such.
This book is a thrilling mystery that hooks you in and keeps you reading! This book does have some displays of sexual violence and would not be appealing to audiences bothered by such.
June 16, 2019
A very engaging story. I thought the dialogue was a bit simplistic and unrealistic, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the book! I cared deeply for the characters and longed for them to find justice.
December 10, 2022
No one sees
Loved the story. I was under the impression it was fact not fact based. I liked his style of writing, and often could see his description of events. Glad to know the family persevered.
Loved the story. I was under the impression it was fact not fact based. I liked his style of writing, and often could see his description of events. Glad to know the family persevered.
February 26, 2019
I really enjoyed this book because the setting was in my hometown.
January 30, 2020
A must read if you live in Eau Claire, WI!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews