Rookwood Asylum: Supernatural Suspense with Scary & Horrifying Monsters by David LonghornMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
In a quiet English community, once there existed a thriving forest, home to capering wildlife and birds, especially noted for its rooks. Earlier eras stayed away from the forest for reasons of superstition or just quiet discontent. Then came a plan to raze most of the trees and build on the site, and Rookwood Asylum was constructed. An unfortunate choice of location, indeed; and an unfortunate choice of directors, for Doctor Miles Rugeley Palmer was a rampantly egotistical megalomaniac, a person of short stature determined to make a blazing mark on his world. He cared not for the value of human life nor dignity. Humans existed for the purpose of his experimentation, in which he blended medical science with the paranormal.
Eventually Palmer discovers "the perfect subject," a seventeen-year-old unwed mother named Annie. But his "treatments" (including electroconvulsive therapy) unleash her brain capacity, and she overpowers him psychically. The results are tragic for all: a fire engulfs the East Wing, and all patients and staff are killed.
Decades later a developer remodels the asylum building into expensive apartments, but of course there are tragedies galore, during renovation and once tenants move in. Among the new apartment owners is American Paul Mahan, who teaches at a Tynecastle university. As the truth of the tragedies and of the history of the asylum unravels, Paul is fortunate to escape with his life, after being targeted by "Liz," a ghost haunting the renovated complex.
I found ROOKWOOD ASYLUM a compelling and horrifying read. The horror is implacable and encompassing, and leaves the expectation of an equally engrossing sequel (PALMER ENTITY).
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