Dortmund Hibernate by CJ Sutton

The Blurb

Psychologist Dr Magnus Paul is tasked with the patients of Dortmund Asylum – nine criminally insane souls hidden from the world due to the extremity of their acts. Magnus has six weeks to prove them sane for transfer to a maximum-security prison, or label them as incurable and recommend a death sentence under a new government act. As Magnus delves into the darkness of the incarcerated minds, his own sanity is challenged. Secrets squeeze through the cracks of the asylum, blurring the line between reality and nightmare, urging Magnus towards a new life of crime… The rural western town of Dortmund and its inhabitants are the backdrop to the mayhem on the hill. It's Silence of the Lambs meets Shutter Island in this tale of loss, fear and diminishing hope.

About CJ Sutton

C.J. Sutton is a writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He holds a Master of Communication degree and supports the value of study through correspondence. His fictional writing delves into the unpredictability of the human mind and the fears that drive us. As a professional writer C.J. Sutton has worked within the hustle and bustle of newsrooms, the competitive offices of advertising and the trenches of marketing. But his interest in creating new characters and worlds has seen a move into fiction, which has always pleaded for complete attention. Dortmund Hibernate is his debut novel

My Review

Dortmund Asylum houses the nine most dangerous killers in the country. Dr Magnus Paul is charged with the job of selecting which of the nine are suitable for admission to a maximum security hospital. The remainder will receive the death sentence under new government legislation. It put me in mind of Clarice Starling's meetings with Hannibal Lecter, only ninefold. I felt a strong sense of alienation for Doctor Paul from the Dortmund Asylum staff, and the Dortmund townsfolk, especially after a murder in town that put the good doctor loosely in the frame. The premise was for me like nothing I have seen or read before, and there were twists that I didn't see coming. For that reason it merits a very worthy five stars.