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Insanity #2
The Burden
Who will prevail...Justice or a twisted experiment? The time has come for Jeremy Heston to face the music for his violent actions. After executing one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history, Jeremy's experiment moves forward to the next planned phase: the courtroom. What should be an easy case for the district attorney to obtain the death penalty turns out to be an uphill battle. Behind the scenes, a mystery person sends secret money to Jeremy's parents to cover steep legal fees, delivers confidential information to the defense team, and attempts to rattle the jury. During the trial, Jeremy learns more about his personal state of mind than he had ever known. With the odds stacked against his life, all he can do is sit back and watch as strangers clash over his fate toward a dramatic outcome.
- GenresPsychological
246 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 2018
21 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Andre Gonzalez
58 books277 followersAndre Gonzalez is the international bestselling author of the Wealth of Time Series, and co-owner of M4L Publishing.
After surviving the Aurora Theater Shooting in 2012, Andre was inspired to chase his lifelong dream of pursuing a career as an author. This tragedy gave him a new appreciation for life along with a drive to make the world a better place by publishing books readers all around the world can enjoy.
He has written over twenty time-travel, thriller, and horror books after spending many years reading and studying the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Keeping readers up late and their hearts pumping faster than normal is his ultimate goal. Andre was the recipient of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2021 Independent Writer of the Year award.
When he’s not writing, you can find Andre buried underneath a long to-do list or chasing around his three hyper children. He and his wife are raising their family in their hometown of Denver, CO.
Author Website: www.andregonzalez.net
After surviving the Aurora Theater Shooting in 2012, Andre was inspired to chase his lifelong dream of pursuing a career as an author. This tragedy gave him a new appreciation for life along with a drive to make the world a better place by publishing books readers all around the world can enjoy.
He has written over twenty time-travel, thriller, and horror books after spending many years reading and studying the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Keeping readers up late and their hearts pumping faster than normal is his ultimate goal. Andre was the recipient of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2021 Independent Writer of the Year award.
When he’s not writing, you can find Andre buried underneath a long to-do list or chasing around his three hyper children. He and his wife are raising their family in their hometown of Denver, CO.
Author Website: www.andregonzalez.net
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 21, 2018
Devious mind, insanity or masterful manipulation? A look into the mind of a murderous young man. I have to wait for the final answers in the next book of this series. Unfortunately, that's why I gave it 4 stars. Maybe that's wrong on my part because the book was excellent but I become petulant when I don't get all the answers (I'm impatient like that). Okay, I'll wait for the next but again, impatiently.
April 30, 2018
So this is the continuation of Jeremy's 'experiment' and as with Insanity, this book really sucks you in. The lengths he goes to, to make sure it all stays on the right path, are amazing. By the end of it though, I'm kind of convinced it's not so much of experiment anymore. Oncce again Andre Gonzalez had written a fascinating, engaging read.
January 18, 2019
Continued Excellence!
This book is fantastic! It continuously excels in the story telling. I like the way it picked right up from where the last book left off and then continue its wonderful story.
This book is fantastic! It continuously excels in the story telling. I like the way it picked right up from where the last book left off and then continue its wonderful story.
May 20, 2018
What will win justice or a twisted experiment. He committed a serious crime and it should have been easy to get the death sentence. Something is going on behind the scenes. His legal costs are being paid. What is really going on? See by reading
I received an advanced copy and I enjoyed it so much that I want to review
I received an advanced copy and I enjoyed it so much that I want to review
April 30, 2018
Jeremy is a puzzle. I loved this book because if gave me a walk through how the legal system works and how Jeremy was thinking throughout the entire ordeal. I want to know more so much more! I sure hope we get a glimpse of Jeremy after this step in his grand scheme of things!
August 26, 2018
This second installment of the Insanity series was so much more terrifying than the first, for me. "Insanity" showed Jeremy Heston as a deeply disturbed man of great talent and ingenuity - which he put towards a terrible end. The way he was so convinced that his action of killing so many people was for some kind of greater good just gave me the chills. In "The Burden," Jeremy goes through the court process for his mass murder and works tirelessly towards a verdict of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. Every single thing he does and doesn't do, everything he says and chooses not to say, all go towards his ultimate end of being found Insane and sent to a mental health facility instead of jail.
Frighteningly, there appears to be somebody who is helping him towards that end. If Jeremy had wound up with a pro bono defense attorney, he may never have had any chance. But somebody secretly gives his parents untold amounts of money as well as advice on just the kind of expert attorneys Jeremy will require to be found temporarily insane. Who is this person? And why are they so willing to drop all this money and effort on Jeremy? Is it somebody Jeremy knows?
I wondered if perhaps this helper was maybe Jeremy's old Psychology mentor from college. Perhaps a guilty conscience, for all the times the mentor told Jeremy that he was destined for great things? But that never felt quite right. I can't imagine even a tenured college professor having that kind of money lying around, for one thing.
There is something greater than meets the eye going on here, and throughout the entire story, it felt very dangerous. Of great concern to me was that Jeremy never seemed to know who was helping him, but just assumed it was somebody who believed in what he was doing. How can he be so blindly trusting? After all he did, the meticulous planning he kept secret for months and months, the way he smiled in people's faces at work and then deliberately went in and shot so many of them - after all of that, how can he just blithely think that somebody is giving him all this help with no ulterior motive? I suddenly question just how smart Jeremy is after all.
The person in the background feels incredibly dangerous. I am warily eager to read the final book in the series and find out what happens next with them.
The story itself points out so many, many flaws in our legal system. The truth is, a person who studies the legal system will know where all the gaps are, and will be in a position to plan their crime around those holes. Every person who strives to beat a game studies that game first so that they know where all the weak spots are. And every single time that kind of person wins the game, all the other players get so frustrated because it feels unfair. Although technically the "winner" observed all the rules of the court, they never intended to honor the rules. They always intended to get around the rules. That is what Jeremy Heston has done. He learned the system, he found the holes, and he exploited them. He never intended to obey the law, and so his efforts at an Insanity plea, while being taken seriously by the court, are so frustrating and disgusting to the families of the people he killed.
This was a profound read. Frightening and compelling all at once. I highly, highly recommend it.
Read this and more of my reviews at:
www.memoirsofabookwyrm.com
Frighteningly, there appears to be somebody who is helping him towards that end. If Jeremy had wound up with a pro bono defense attorney, he may never have had any chance. But somebody secretly gives his parents untold amounts of money as well as advice on just the kind of expert attorneys Jeremy will require to be found temporarily insane. Who is this person? And why are they so willing to drop all this money and effort on Jeremy? Is it somebody Jeremy knows?
I wondered if perhaps this helper was maybe Jeremy's old Psychology mentor from college. Perhaps a guilty conscience, for all the times the mentor told Jeremy that he was destined for great things? But that never felt quite right. I can't imagine even a tenured college professor having that kind of money lying around, for one thing.
There is something greater than meets the eye going on here, and throughout the entire story, it felt very dangerous. Of great concern to me was that Jeremy never seemed to know who was helping him, but just assumed it was somebody who believed in what he was doing. How can he be so blindly trusting? After all he did, the meticulous planning he kept secret for months and months, the way he smiled in people's faces at work and then deliberately went in and shot so many of them - after all of that, how can he just blithely think that somebody is giving him all this help with no ulterior motive? I suddenly question just how smart Jeremy is after all.
The person in the background feels incredibly dangerous. I am warily eager to read the final book in the series and find out what happens next with them.
The story itself points out so many, many flaws in our legal system. The truth is, a person who studies the legal system will know where all the gaps are, and will be in a position to plan their crime around those holes. Every person who strives to beat a game studies that game first so that they know where all the weak spots are. And every single time that kind of person wins the game, all the other players get so frustrated because it feels unfair. Although technically the "winner" observed all the rules of the court, they never intended to honor the rules. They always intended to get around the rules. That is what Jeremy Heston has done. He learned the system, he found the holes, and he exploited them. He never intended to obey the law, and so his efforts at an Insanity plea, while being taken seriously by the court, are so frustrating and disgusting to the families of the people he killed.
This was a profound read. Frightening and compelling all at once. I highly, highly recommend it.
Read this and more of my reviews at:
www.memoirsofabookwyrm.com
May 22, 2018
The Burden of Insanity?
(Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of the book. I read it and provided my honest review.) The Burden, Insanity #2 by Andre Gonzalez opens with Jeremy Heston in court being prosecuted for the murders he allegedly perpetrated in Book #1, Insanity. We now find him in court starting the second phase of his Insanity experiment, what is the legal definition of insanity? And will he, Jeremy, meet that standard? First, let me be upfront and say it took a big push to get me across the finish line. While The Burden has made great strides in contextual and character-building improvements since Book 1, and you begin to see Jeremy’s, personality and emotions (or lack thereof), being flushed out, the author’s style of writing does not match my needs as a reader. That is why this is a difficult review to write. It could also be that maybe, fundamentally, I just don’t get it. Maybe this is meant to be a simple book about a simple person who is just seeking the answer to a simple question. Am I insane or not for the actions I committed? MY RECOMMENDATION: Neutral –Tex.
(Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of the book. I read it and provided my honest review.) The Burden, Insanity #2 by Andre Gonzalez opens with Jeremy Heston in court being prosecuted for the murders he allegedly perpetrated in Book #1, Insanity. We now find him in court starting the second phase of his Insanity experiment, what is the legal definition of insanity? And will he, Jeremy, meet that standard? First, let me be upfront and say it took a big push to get me across the finish line. While The Burden has made great strides in contextual and character-building improvements since Book 1, and you begin to see Jeremy’s, personality and emotions (or lack thereof), being flushed out, the author’s style of writing does not match my needs as a reader. That is why this is a difficult review to write. It could also be that maybe, fundamentally, I just don’t get it. Maybe this is meant to be a simple book about a simple person who is just seeking the answer to a simple question. Am I insane or not for the actions I committed? MY RECOMMENDATION: Neutral –Tex.
May 27, 2018
Gonzalez HAS to Continue This Series!
Wow! Is Jeremy same or insane? Just finished reading Gonzalez's Insanity series, Insanity and The Burden. I'm not a psychology reader...more of a crime murder fiction reader...but this caught my eye and I couldn't put it down! There is a lot of things in these novels which deal with the modern world today...what to do with a Psychology degree, availability of jobs upon college graduation, stress in the workplace, availability of guns, insecure personal relationships... The list goes on. Gonzalez weaves all of these dealings into Jeremy until he does something that is so horrific... telling us he's same but pretending to be insane or is he really insane all along? Am not a spoiler so you have to read this series! Gonzalez HAS to continue this series!
Wow! Is Jeremy same or insane? Just finished reading Gonzalez's Insanity series, Insanity and The Burden. I'm not a psychology reader...more of a crime murder fiction reader...but this caught my eye and I couldn't put it down! There is a lot of things in these novels which deal with the modern world today...what to do with a Psychology degree, availability of jobs upon college graduation, stress in the workplace, availability of guns, insecure personal relationships... The list goes on. Gonzalez weaves all of these dealings into Jeremy until he does something that is so horrific... telling us he's same but pretending to be insane or is he really insane all along? Am not a spoiler so you have to read this series! Gonzalez HAS to continue this series!
May 24, 2018
"Just a long crawl to the finish line."
The Burden continues the story of psychology student, Jeremy Heston's obsession with making the world better by improving the perception of mental illness. His strange way of doing this? The shooting to death of thirteen of his work colleagues.
The book follows his arrest, incarceration in prison and the trial, and details both Jeremy's thoughts as he languishes in solitary for the eighteen months before it begins, the trial itself and the viewpoint of his defence team and his parents. There is also a mysterious stranger ...
Simply written, the book is quick and easy to read as well as being intriguing. But there are some aspects which fail to feel truthful. Nevertheless, well worth reading as a gentle psychological legal thriller.
The Burden continues the story of psychology student, Jeremy Heston's obsession with making the world better by improving the perception of mental illness. His strange way of doing this? The shooting to death of thirteen of his work colleagues.
The book follows his arrest, incarceration in prison and the trial, and details both Jeremy's thoughts as he languishes in solitary for the eighteen months before it begins, the trial itself and the viewpoint of his defence team and his parents. There is also a mysterious stranger ...
Simply written, the book is quick and easy to read as well as being intriguing. But there are some aspects which fail to feel truthful. Nevertheless, well worth reading as a gentle psychological legal thriller.
November 18, 2019
I'm Very conservative on my 4 and 5 stars, reserving them mostly for what I find to be pure literary Gems, our greatest writers. However, moving through this series, I must admit, I cannot put this book down, so on the grounds of Great story full of levels of interest and intrigue, very good writing - more so than I ever expected, and mostly the intrigue factor in the Insanity Seriest (I am on Book 3 now), I just can't put these books down! A Great Read, well written, fascinating content, changing scenery and characters, all keeping my interested well involved, I am really enjoying these books! Kudos to Andre Gonzalez, he delivers a Great Story and earned his 4 stars!
March 30, 2024
The Burden is the second book in the Insanity trilogy penned by Andre Gonzalez. In the first book, Jeremy Heston, a psychology student, enraged by his lack of promotions at work and encouraged by an academic colleague to commit mass murder as a psychological study, goes on a killing spree and shoots 13 of his co-workers dead. He is arrested for mass murder. This second book follows the trial and his attorneys' effort to get him off by reason of insanity. The book has Grisham-like overtones, meaning someone is manipulating the outcome of the trial, as Heston's attorneys attempt to prove the insanity plea. It's an engrossing read, thought-provoking, and topical.
May 13, 2024
😳
Second in the series.
Continuation of Jeremy's crime and his lawyers trying to prove his insanity.
Someone is trying to pull strings though in Jeremy's favour, who's paying for his legal team? Who's the anonymous donor of the thousands that keep being sent to his parents and who visits jeremy and urges him to kill more?
This was a thrill ride and leaves me wanting more.
Second in the series.
Continuation of Jeremy's crime and his lawyers trying to prove his insanity.
Someone is trying to pull strings though in Jeremy's favour, who's paying for his legal team? Who's the anonymous donor of the thousands that keep being sent to his parents and who visits jeremy and urges him to kill more?
This was a thrill ride and leaves me wanting more.
May 28, 2018
Maybe he is really out of his mind!!!
So much promise, what a great life lay ahead for Jeremy, if only... what a scheme or so he thought, .... It's a good story that takes one on a wild terrifying ride.. is he really sane??..
So much promise, what a great life lay ahead for Jeremy, if only... what a scheme or so he thought, .... It's a good story that takes one on a wild terrifying ride.. is he really sane??..
June 3, 2018
Leaves you wanting more
Insanity Book Two did the same thing as Book One: it left me wanting more. At least with Book One I knew Two was available but now I have to wait for the author to write and publish Book Three. Mr. Gonzalez, make it happen soon.
Insanity Book Two did the same thing as Book One: it left me wanting more. At least with Book One I knew Two was available but now I have to wait for the author to write and publish Book Three. Mr. Gonzalez, make it happen soon.
October 8, 2018
Awesome Read
Book 2 is just as intense, if not more so, as book 1! Some curveballs do show up that add to the intrigue of this story/series. Definitely leaves you with a few questions...mainly, is he actually mentally ill????? On to book 3!!!
Book 2 is just as intense, if not more so, as book 1! Some curveballs do show up that add to the intrigue of this story/series. Definitely leaves you with a few questions...mainly, is he actually mentally ill????? On to book 3!!!
December 12, 2024
This second book in the Insanity series follows Jeremy's progression into his trial, following his mass shooting at his workplace. We see action from several viewpoints, including his, his lawyers', and his family's, as well as members of the jury's, as the trial is prepared and then takes place. Will he be found guilty - and thus face either the death penalty or life in prison - or will he be found not guilty by reason of insanity, as he has planned? And who is the mysterious stranger who keeps trying to influence the outcome of the trial?
I loved the first book of the series, and so was a little worried that this second book would be a little disappointing in comparison. However, I was not disappointed - it's really well written, keeps you hooked to find out what happens next, what has happened to those who survived the shooting, and what will be the result of the trial. I'd definitely recommend this book to those who enjoyed the first - and encourage anyone who likes legal thrillers to read both - and cannot wait to find out what happens to Jeremy next.
NB I received a complimentary copy of this book, but I always give an HONEST review based wholly on my own opinions
I loved the first book of the series, and so was a little worried that this second book would be a little disappointing in comparison. However, I was not disappointed - it's really well written, keeps you hooked to find out what happens next, what has happened to those who survived the shooting, and what will be the result of the trial. I'd definitely recommend this book to those who enjoyed the first - and encourage anyone who likes legal thrillers to read both - and cannot wait to find out what happens to Jeremy next.
NB I received a complimentary copy of this book, but I always give an HONEST review based wholly on my own opinions
May 23, 2018
Full disclosure: I received this as an advanced copy for an honest review. This was definitely a step up from the first book, “Insanity.” I feel the characters were more developed and there was a lot more mystery and intrigue. Who is this mysterious benefactor trying to influence the outcome of the trial? How does he know Jeremy? Those questions and more kept me turning the pages. I was also pleased with the author’s research into the different mental illnesses mentioned in the book. They were spelled out in great detail and allow the reader to understand what someone with that specific mental illness experiences from day to day. I’m looking forward to the third installment.
September 22, 2018
This series is AWESOME! If you like law and order this series will be a great read for you. Book 1 Insanity is the Order part of the series and Book 2 The Burden is the Law. In book one we meet Mr. Heston and really get to know him and his experiment well. Book 2 is all about the law being applied to Jeremy for his actions in carrying out the experiment. Book 3 is gonna be my favorite for sure (I have a degree in psychology) it’s all about the treatment and wether Jeremy can complete his experiment. Read the first two now and quick cuz book 3 is out on 09/25/18... the first two books are available for free on kindle unlimited.
May 8, 2018
This runaway freight train of a novel drew me in right away. I really enjoyed going behind the scenes of Jeremy's trial because as a reader I was able to delve not only into Jeremy's thoughts but also those of other key players in his trial. I highly anticipate the final chapter in Jeremy's story!
June 19, 2018
A very interesting and bizarre story. I liked the action and suspense as well as the creepy thoughts from our main character. The issue for me is that I didn't really understand the motive, but maybe we will learn in future works?
I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing.
I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing.
December 7, 2018
This is #2 of the Insanity Series.
Jeremy Heston has committed a horrendous crime to bring attention to mental health patients. Now, he is going on trial.
The author takes us into the mind of a killer.
You have to keep reading, to get to the end.
I find thid a hard subject to read about.
Jeremy Heston has committed a horrendous crime to bring attention to mental health patients. Now, he is going on trial.
The author takes us into the mind of a killer.
You have to keep reading, to get to the end.
I find thid a hard subject to read about.
May 19, 2018
What an outstanding book that has you gripped from the beginning to the end. Jeremy has to finally pay for his actions. The district attorney can’t seem to get anywhere. Unbelievable.
May 26, 2018
Hard to figure out Jeremy, what kind of game's is he playing. I love this 2nd book.
May 29, 2018
What a wonderful read. It keeps you wondering is Jeremy same or insane. Terrific book.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews