The Madman's Tale - John Katzenbach

...narrator", having been committed to the mental hospital years ago after a lifetime of hearing "voices" in his head. No-one could help becoming involved with Francis; he is vulnerable and afraid of telling anyone about his voices. He does not want to seem crazy and compared to others at the hospital he is relatively normal.

Peter the Fireman - Okay, so it's not his real name… in the hospital no-one uses their real names. ...
...- a criminal profiler and the investigator of the serial murders. She has a past - she was attacked and raped years before hence her obsessive need to find criminals and see them go to justice.


*** The Plot ***

After an invitation to a rather unusual reunion triggers past memories, Francis tells his story of what took place twenty years ago in the Western State Mental Hospital. He tells of his arrival there, ... more

*** Main Characters ***

Francis Petrel - More commonly known as "C-Bird". As Katzenbach says, he is an "unreliable narrator", having been committed to the mental hospital years ago after a lifetime of hearing "voices" in his head. No-one could help becoming involved with Francis; he is vulnerable and afraid of telling anyone about his voices. He does not want to seem crazy and compared to others at the hospital he is relatively normal.

Peter the Fireman - Okay, so it's not his real name… in the hospital no-one uses their real names. However he was once a fireman, prior to that he was in Vietnam. He befriends Francis, and protects him to a degree.

Lucy Jones - a criminal profiler and the investigator of the serial murders. She has a past - she was attacked and raped years before hence her obsessive need to find criminals and see them go to justice.

*** The Plot ***

After an invitation to a rather unusual reunion triggers past memories, Francis tells his story of what took place twenty years ago in the Western State Mental Hospital. He tells of his arrival there, how he met and became friends with the Fireman.

He gives a very in depth view of what it is like for him to be in that environment, how it took time to get used to the constant cries in the night, how no-one uses their "outside" names, the nicknames that are given even to the staff.

The other characters in the hospital are all minutely described; Francis is very observant and has quite an empathic view of these people. There is Napoleon (guess who he thinks he is...), Cleo and Newsman amongst others.

One night Francis is awoken by Lanky, one of the inmates, telling him that they are "safe from Evil". Lanky claims to have seen an angel who has told him this. The Fireman is also awake and smells something that worries him. They investigate and find the body of Short Blonde, a student nurse. She is covered in blood, and her fingertips have been removed.

The two call security, they are initially questioned as suspects but then Lanky is found bloodstained and he is taken away presumed to be the killer.

In the cold light of the day both Francis and the Fireman agree that neither believes Lanky to be the killer. Francis can partly relate to the way Lanky feels, and know that he is not capable; the Fireman on the other hand notices small things that just don't add up.

No-one believes them until Lucy Jones comes to the hospital to investigate a series of similar killings. She finds herself very out of her comfort zone here - the hospital takes away the advantages she feels that she normally has over criminals. How can she begin to understand what these people think? In the land of the insane how do you spot a psychopath?

She becomes quite friendly with Francis and the Fireman, they both have a high level of intelligence and neither appears overtly "crazy". Lucy finds that they are the only people who believe her claim that Short Blonde was the victim of a serial killer. The three of them start investigating.

It is a strange investigation, deemed unnecessary by the top staff at the hospital. Francis is tasked with noticing details because of his skills in observation. Lucy finds herself blocked at every turn by the skeptical Dr Gulptilil and the obnoxious Mr. Evans, whilst the Fireman and Francis have to tread lightly so no-one suspects their involvement.

Meanwhile, at the same time as telling his story twenty years later, Francis is letting the events consume him once more and letting his real life slip.

*** My Opinion ***

Having read "The Analyst" also by Katzenbach, I practically grabbed this off the shelf when I saw it.

My initial opinion was that it was incredibly well described, every detail was perfect. Katzenbach has a real insight that makes his characters totally believable and real.

He tells of a poignant moment at the hospital when Francis is told that his parents have brought him some of his belongings. Seeing the suitcase that he used to keep his most precious belongings in, he eagerly grabs it. However when he opens it he finds only clothes - all his beloved possessions have been taken out and disposed of. At this point I just felt so sorry for him, unloved and misunderstood.

Both the Fireman and Lucy have their past experiences that make them who they are. Both are bared for us to see, all just as vulnerable in their own way. In contrast, we are not let into what makes lesser characters such as Mr. Evans and Dr Gulptilil tick. We see them only as obstacles in the path of the investigation.

The book is very well written, however I did find myself getting somewhat frustrated about two thirds of the way through. I wanted to know who the Angel was, and just to get on with the main plot.

I almost tried to put the book away a couple of times and give up, but found myself annoyingly intrigued. The wretched story had "got under my skin", and I HAD to know!
Having finally finished it, I would actually re-read it again without the need to know the "truth", and probably enjoy it more the second time.

All in all, a very well written book that deserves a couple of reads to really get the best out of it. Oh, and I'm off to the library to try and find some more books by Katzenbach…

 

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